Whether it's meat or veg, here are some tips for your backyard smoker: Jasmine Mangalaseril

"Low and slow" is the mantra for many backyard cooks.

If you've added a smoker to your outdoor cooking kit, Dan Dean and Denis Hernandez, chef-owners of Breslau's D&D Smoked Eats, have some tips that will make your smoked foods smokin' hot (even if you're cold-smoking).

Large cuts, like briskets, can cook for eight to 12 hours. You can keep them from drying out by adding a water dish inside the smoker, or once a good bark or crust has formed, you can use a mop sauce.

Mop sauces can be made with broth or stock, spiced apple cider vinegar, or tallow.

"We like to use apple cider vinegar to basically keep the outside temperature lower so you're not overcooking the outside, while the inside's not quite there yet," explained Dean. "You're adding more flavour, but you're also moistening at the same time."

Dean suggested brining chicken to help keep it succulent.

A generous hand with your seasoning mix solves many under-flavouring issues.

Using coarsely ground spices like coriander, cumin or fennel, lets more smoke stick to the food during long, smoky cooks.

"When we do our big meats, we season really, really heavy because things will fall off as it's sitting there for eight hours," said Hernandez. "And then, once you tear it all apart, you fold it in and the seasoning mixes with everything."

Also, to avoid bitter, acrid flavours from burnt black pepper, add it after cooking.

Smoking flavours

Just as important with what's going on top of the rack – meat, seafood, fruit or veggie – the quality of what's burning and smouldering under the rack or in the side chamber also counts.

"A lot of people use alder for chicken and fish because it's a much milder smoke," said Dean. "They don't want to overpower the fish, but they want to have a little bit of smoke to it."

White oak is popular because it burns slowly. Other flavourful woods like cherry or hickory for red meat, apple for pork or chicken, and maple for vegetables can be added.

Compound butters (flavoured butters) are a long-held favourite to add flavour to what's coming out of your indoor kitchen. They're equally good on what you cook outdoors.

"I'm content with one that just has lemon zest, shallot and chives, or just doing a nice herb compound," said Hernandez. "It's especially good for resting … put your steak down and just throw it on and just let it melt on top nice and slow."

You can also think about bringing global flavours to your cookout.

Tandoori, Greek, and jerk premixed seasonings can be found in most grocery stores. For a West African feast, suya (aka chinchinga and yaji) mixes can be found online or in some African shops.

Hernandez suggested chimichurri (parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano and seasonings), for meats or veg. "You can grill chimichurri, you can smoke chimichurri, you can make a compound butter out of chimichurri, you can do anything."

Throw it on the barbie

Grilling (hot and fast cooking over a fire), barbecuing (slow cooking over a low flame) and smoking (low and slow cooking using smoke), all fall within the technique of barbecue. Each creates great flavours, but you can also combine them.

"We're fortunate there's a section (to our smokers) where we can grill if we need to. We decided to grill our jerk chicken more [in addition to smoking] because it will add a different flavour," said Hernandez.

Seafood can be unforgiving. For delicious results, if you're making lobster, Hernandez recommends par-cooking it in the shell. Then separate the meat from the shell, before finishing the meat in the smoker.

Root vegetables are fantastic on the grill and in smokers. Hernandez suggested after grilling or smoking rutabaga, pair it with a miso sauce to complement its flavours.

If you're thinking about smoking bitter vegetables, remember that they can take on different dimensions.

"I don't think greens are smoked or grilled enough. If you have radicchio, when you char or smoke it, that other bitterness that comes into it, kind of milds the [original] bitterness," said Hernandez.

"I love this country at this time of year just because there's so much to grill," continued Hernandez. "Just get a fruit you like, or a vegetable, and just grill it. If you don't like it, then you know not to do it again. It's just trial and error."