You can smoke all sorts of meats, ranging from diverse sizes and cuts, but there are some specific pieces that will really make your meal extraordinary. The best cuts of meat for smoking will produce a flavorfully savory and smoky robust result that you’ll love.

So, if you love to explore the art of smoking meat, you have to choose the best cuts of meat for smoking. It’s one of the necessary steps to get the most out of this cooking method. From beef to fish, you’ll need to find the perfect cut for a delicious result.

Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking Beef

Beef is by far the most popular type of meat to smoke, and there are a variety of cuts that make for an excellent smoked beef dish. These cuts include brisket, ribs, chuck roast, and even ground beef. All these different cuts provide plenty of options when it comes to making delicious smoked beef recipes. Each cut will have a unique flavor and texture depending on how long you will cook them and the type of wood you will use in the smoking process. Whatever you choose, you can be sure your finished meal will be flavorful!

Smoked Beef Brisket

Brisket comes from the breast of a cow, an area that gets quite a workout while the animal is alive. This part of the cow’s body receives plenty of exercise due to its frequent movement, allowing for more intense flavor and texture. Smoking brisket gives an unparalleled culinary experience in outdoor cooking. The tender and succulent meat, paired with a crunchy exterior known as “bark,” is a highly sought-after delicacy among barbeque aficionados. 

Beef Ribs

Beef ribs are undeniably a delicious cut of meat when you smoked them properly. It’s one of my Nana’s favorite cuts of meat for smoking. There are two primary varieties: back ribs and short ribs. With their large amounts of meat and generous sections of intramuscular fat, they make an ideal choice for smoking. If cooked at the right temperature over a prolonged time period, they will become lusciously soft with a deeply satisfying flavor.

Tri-tip 

Tri-tip is an incredibly unique sirloin steak cut typically that you can easily identify by its distinctive triangular shape. This lean and boneless meat variety requires special preparation to ensure a flavorful outcome. The best way to cook it is through a combination of grilling and smoking, which produces a succulent cut with unparalleled tenderness when seared over the fire. You can even compare it to the texture of much smaller steaks!

Beef Chuck

Beef chuck comes from the shoulder area of a cow, which has hardworking muscles due to bearing much of the animal’s weight. Although it takes longer to cook, the intense flavor of beef chuck makes it worth the effort. Slow cooking it at a low temperature will make the chuck roast tender. Due to its robust beefy flavor and reasonable cost, chuck is a popular choice for smoking.

Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking Pork

Smoked pork is an incredibly popular choice for smoking because of its deliciously soft and tender texture. People often choose to smoke pork due to its inherent juicy flavor that you can enhance by the smoking process, resulting in a truly delectable dish. Not only does it have a unique taste, but the preparation process also requires little effort to achieve maximum flavor.

Spare ribs

Nana said it’s not easy to choose the right ribs for smoking. But spare ribs are the best choice for slow-cooking and low-heat barbecuing if you want to get the most for your money. Although spare ribs might be harder than baby backs at first, they have more fat, which makes them taste richer and meatier. If you cook them long enough, spare ribs will become very soft.

Pork Shoulder

If you are a fan of deliciously succulent pulled pork, then the best cut to use when smoking is the pork shoulder. This cut has an abundance of fat and connective tissue which gives it a unique flavor that you can’t find in any other cut. When cooked low and slow over indirect heat, the pork shoulder will produce incredibly tender meat that can easily be pulled apart with two forks or your hands.

Pork Belly

Smoked pork belly is a delicious and versatile cut of meat that can be used in many different dishes. It is particularly loved by many people, including Nana, because of the rich fats found in this cut. These fats provide a depth of flavor and a tender, juicy texture that is hard to beat.

One of the best things to do with smoked pork belly is to use it in traditional dishes such as bacon and eggs for breakfast or in a classic BLT sandwich. The smoky flavor of the pork belly adds a depth of flavor to these dishes.

Salmon Filets

Smoking fish can be a delicious way to enjoy seafood, and when it comes to the best cuts for this method of cooking, salmon filets reign supreme. They retain their moisture during the smoking process and offer a wonderful flavor that is sure to please. Salmon filets make for an ideal choice when looking for an excellent cut of fish to smoke.

Lamb Breast

For those who enjoy the taste of lamb, smoking the breast part is an ideal way to experience its unique gaminess. The breast portion of a lamb contains fats that bring out the flavor in the meat and give it a rich, robust taste. If you’re not okay to this strong flavor, however, it may be too intense for your palate.

Chicken Wings

In chicken, the best cut for smoking is chicken wings. The wings absorb the smoky flavor wonderfully and are juicy when cooked correctly. To get the most out of this cooking method, it is important to select high-quality wings that are fresh and free from any added hormones or antibiotics.

Nana’s Tips for Choosing the Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking

When selecting cuts of meat for smoking, I always recall these tips my Nana gave me.

Firstly, she taught me to look for cuts with plenty of fat as it adds flavor and moisture. She recommends picking tougher cuts such as brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs; these types of meats require long, low-heat cooking in order to become tender.

Then, she said to look for cuts with plenty of fat marbling throughout the meat for added flavor and moisture when smoking. Fat is important in delivering an enjoyable smoked meat experience. It helps create a juicy, flavorful result that you can’t achieve without it. So, make sure you select your cut of meat carefully by inspecting the level of fat marbling on each piece before you begin to smoke.

Since smoking is a form of slow cooking, Nana has always advised me to select cuts of meat that take advantage of this low and slow method. Brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs are all excellent choices since they require longer cooking times in order to become tender and flavorful.