Smoking food has been practiced for thousands of years yet it never gets old. This method of cooking brings the wood flavor to the food and is a kind of slow cooking. This way of cooking is especially a popular way to cook meat.
With the introduction of electric smoker, it brings the benefits of added convenience and ease in smoking. Electric smokers are simple to operate.
They are safe and easy to clean. Also, since most of the electric smokers are digitally controlled, you can have full control over the time and temperature so cooking mistakes will never happen.
Read our review post The Best Electric Smokers.
In this article, we give you the best recipes for your electric smoker.
If you are looking for poultry, pork, beef, fish, seafood, game, and even side dishes recipes, we have everything here in our list. We hope you will love them as much as we do.
Page Contents
The Best Smoker Recipes For Electric Smokers
Poultry Recipes
Smoked Chicken
photo credit: Dinner At The Zoo
This smoked chicken recipe that we found for you here gives some tips on how to prepare your whole chicken prior to smoking to avoid burns on some parts.
This enticing recipe calls for the brining of the chicken but is optional if you got no time.
You will need applewood chips for this but cherry, mesquite, hickory or maple are good options as well.
Smoking will take you 3-5 hours and you will know if the chicken is well-cooked by inserting a thermometer on the thickest skin.
When the temperature reads 165 degrees, the chicken is now ready to serve. Enjoy!
Smoked Turkey Recipe
photo credit: Tastes Of Lizzy T
Smoked turkey is one indispensable food for Thanksgiving so we find the best and the most flavorful smoked turkey recipe that you can cook with your electric smoker in the next Thanksgiving Day.
This one calls for simple rub consisting of minced garlic and seasoned salt.
The flavor comes from the filling inserted inside the turkey that is made from the combination of Coca-cola, apple, onion, butter and even you can add more spices to it as you desire.
Apple, apricot, cherry, peach, maple, hickory or mesquite are the wood chips that go well with turkey.
The smoking will take hours and approximate the total cooking time you can compute as 30 minutes per pound of turkey to cook at 225-250 degrees F.
This delicious Turkey Thanksgiving recipe is available at Tastes of Lizzy T.
Bourbon Bbq Smoked Chicken Wings
photo credit: The Chunky Chef
This recipe is inspired by a menu from a favorite local restaurant of the author.
As the title suggests, this recipe uses chicken wings.
To get everything ready for the electric smoker, the wings are dry-rubbed and basted with Bourbon BBQ sauce mix.
In less than 3 hours of cooking time in your electric smoker, you will get perfectly charred and flavorful chicken wings to serve.
This mouthwatering recipe is available over at The Chunky Chef.
Fish and Seafood
Smoked Salmon
photo credit” Honest-Food.net
Salmon is one popular fish with lots of supply and is also a great food when smoked.
This beautiful recipe that we found on this popular blog by Hank Shaw, a former chef, calls for just 3 ingredients – Kosher salt, brown sugar, and Birch or maple syrup.
The finished product is a clean-tasting salmon that can be a base for several other dishes. Alder wood is used in this recipe but other woods like apple, cherry, oak or maple go well with salmon as well.
Salmon smoking will take you 4 hours to be completely done.
What is also great about this recipe is that it works well with other salmonid fish as well like trout, char and the likes.
Smoked Lemon-Pepper Tuna
photo credit: ArmadilloPepper
You may think of Tuna with fresh sushi but they are also great tasting when smoked.
What is really great about cooking fish or any seafood for that matter is that they require fewer ingredients like in the recipe of smoked salmon above.
This tuna recipe that is available at ArmadilloPepper only needs Kosher salt, brown sugar, olive oil, lemon pepper or just any pepper and lemon.
You will need to brine your tuna the night before and be ready with some wood chips consisting of peach and cherry.
In less than 3 hours of smoking, your smoked lemon pepper tuna will be ready to serve.
Smoked Buttery Shrimp
photo credit: LearnToSmoke
Cooking shrimp doesn’t usually take much time and it is a great dish to smoke if you got extra space in your electric smoker.
It cooks faster so it comes in handy for your snacking or as an appetizer while you are waiting for the other dish to cook.
The smoked shrimp recipe that we have found for you on LearningToSmoke calls for only 5 ingredients in addition to the shrimp.
Now, you can just imagine dry-rubbed shrimp in butter, garlic, rosemary, and lemon.
This dish is truly tasty. Pecan wood is used in this recipe and cooking time only takes 25 minutes.
Smoked Pork Recipes
3-2-1 Ribs
photo credit: HeyGrillHey.com
These perfect fall off the bone ribs as the author describes it, goes through a 3-2-1 cooking method.
This smoking method actually stands for the number of hours that your rib will pass through 3 different ways of smoking/cooking.
It basically means 3 hours of exposed smoking, 2 hours of braising while in an aluminum wrap and another hour of smoking for finishing the ribs.
Just like most smoking recipes that we find, this recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients to go with the baby back ribs.
The author recommends using apple and cherry wood chips and offers hickory and alder as suitable alternatives.
This delicious recipe is available here.
Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
I’ve been wanting to add smoked pork belly recipe in this list and I never expected to find this amazing recipe here at Vindulge.com.
This is the kind of recipe that you can actually taste the flavor just by reading the recipe.
This calls for the skin of the pork belly with balanced fat and meat.
Other ingredients that you will need for this include olive oil, dry rub, BBQ sauce, butter, and honey.
Smoking will take you around 5 hours and you will need some fruitwood chips such as cherry.
Just like we do, you will not regret trying this recipe in your electric smoker.
Homemade Smoked Ham
photo credit: TheHealthyFoodie
Smoked pork ham is one festive dish that is a common sight during Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Smoking is one way to cook ham and so we found you a recipe (click here) to help you cook smoked ham from scratch.
This recipe calls for curing the meat for 12-14 days, so you will need to plan ahead.
Once the curing is complete, you can now start smoking your ham.
This recipe uses a mix of apple and maple wood chips.
Smoking will take 6 hours and your ham will be completely done.
Smoked Beef And Lamb Recipes
Reverse Sear Smoked Ribeye Steak
photo credit: Vindulge
This Ribeye Steak recipe uses the reverse sear method of cooking.
This is great if you want your steak to have the perfect crust on it as well as an amazing flavor.
Smoking your steak first at a low temperature and subjecting it to searing afterward is the main idea of this cooking method.
Thicker steaks like the ribeye are the perfect cut for this.
This recipe uses cherry wood for smoking and will need you up to 1 hour of smoking time. Once smoking is done, you may transfer the steak to direct heat.
In this recipe that we find for you at Vindulge, they use a grill for searing but a hot cast iron pan will also do.
Tennesse Smoked Beef Jerky
photo credit: JerkyHolic
Let’s have another flavorful beef recipe in our list of the best smoker recipes for electric smokers.
This Tennesse Smoked Beef Jerky recipe that we found for you on JerkyHolic consists of strips of lean meat that are dried first to avoid spoilage.
Jerky is sold commercially but it can be made tastier and healthier from home with your electric smoker.
Prior to smoking, you need to marinate the meat for 8-24 hours.
Apple and Hickory are the suggested woods by the author for this beef jerky recipe.
It will take about 7 hours to smoke your beef jerky to perfection so start early and plan your activity in between.
Bacon Topped Beef Cross-Rib Roast
photo credit: smoker-cooking.com
Make your Sunday dinner extra special with this smoked beef cross rib roast.
This recipe uses salt, black pepper, onion powder, sweet paprika, garlic powder, and bacon to go with 3-4 pounds beef cross rib roast.
The bacon serves as grease baste to prevent drying and makes this roast juicy.
Oakwood chips are used in this recipe and apple or pecan are some suitable alternatives.
Since this is roast is served medium-rare, it will only take you 3 hours to smoke this roast and enjoy its full goodness right after.
The recipe for bacon-topped beef cross rib roast is available here.
Smoked Lamb Shoulder
photo credit: Vindulge
This recipe uses lamb shoulder, a cheaper cut that can be tough as well.
Apple cider vinegar is injected in the meat and is rolled in some spices and herbs.
You will need to smoke the lamb uncovered for around 3 hours in the smoker or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Fruitwood is used in this one such as apple or cherry.
You will need to wrap the meat to a foil and return to the smoker until it reaches 195 degrees temperature.
Let the meat cool for a while and shred it to go to your favorite dish.
This cost-saving and delicious recipe is available here.
Smoked Game Recipes
Smoked Pheasant
photo credit: PheasantForDinner
Game birds like pheasants have tough meat and smoking will not tenderize it. But, brining can.
Perfecting a moist and tasty smoked pheasant can be a challenge but we found you a recipe here to guide you.
Brining for 8-12 hours is recommended so the meat can hold more moisture and it will turn out flavorful.
You will need to heat your smoker to 200 degrees F for this one and use the wood of your choice but the author recommends hickory and apple.
Maple syrup is used to baste the bird in this recipe until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Smoked Venison Tenderloin
photo credit: MissAllisonsKitchen
Venison is a healthier meat option than beef. It has less fat content and therefore may pose some challenges during smoking.
However, on MissAlliesKitchen we found you a recipe that will help you achieve a flavorful and juicer smoked venison straight from your electric smoker.
A mix of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper is used to marinate the meat for 4 hours.
Smoking will just take less than 2 hours and your gamey meat will be more than ready to serve.
Side Dishes Done In Your Electric Smoker
Buttery Smoked Corn on the Cob
photo credit: FoodFolksAndFun
Corn in different forms is one of the most popular grains in the world. It is healthy and makes great food. But, let’s go simple with this corn on the cob recipe for your electric smoker.
This corn dish is brushed with a butter mixture and some flavorings and spices.
Smoking will only take one hour and you can choose from these woods – apple, peach, cherry, hickory, maple, and mesquite.
This recipe cooks faster than meat hence it is a great snack while waiting for your meat to cook in your smoker and it is also a great side dish.
This simple buttery smoked corn recipe is available here.
Garlic and Herb Smoked Potatoes
photo credit: RecipesWorthRepeating
Let’s not go far and make our side dish simple to match our smoked meat dish.
This Garlic and Herb Smoked Potatoes recipe will surely complete your meal and will give you the needed carbo pair for your meat that will surely not disappoint.
This recipe calls for the use of Gemstone Potatoes that can also give a nice color combination to your meal.
You will need some spices and herb to make the marinade and never ever leave out the garlic.
Smoking will take about 2 hours.
Ensure that the potatoes are well done and top them with Parmesan and chopped parsley to serve.
You may check out the detailed recipe at RecipesWorthRepeating.
Closing – The Best Smoker Recipes For Electric Smokers
There’s our list for the best smoker recipes that will do well with your electric smoker.
We hope that in your next backyard gathering or typical Sunday dinner, this recipe list will come in handy so great conversation in the table will be complemented by these simple yet flavorful dishes.
Please let me know which one is your favorite recipe and why.
