Hot Smoking Kit & Wood Chips

This is the quick, satisfying side of the craft. Hot smoking cooks your food and flavours it in one go, usually around 80-90C, so what comes off the rack is ready to eat - that warm, smoky mackerel, salmon, chicken or sausage with a real finish. Everything here is geared for it: the Complete Hot Smoking Kit to get started, fine 7/20 chips in Apple, Alder, Beech, Cherry and Hickory, and Coarse Apple and Cherry for longer barbecue sessions. All new? Our beginner's guide to home smoking is a gentle place to begin.

Smoke mackerel at home in 20 minutes

A couple of fillets in a stovetop oven or boxed-up BBQ take around 15 to 25 minutes. Nothing to it, really. A light salt rub beforehand helps the smoke take, and they're done when the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily. Watch the colour, not the clock. Once it's off the heat, our guide on how to prepare smoked mackerel covers flaking, skinning and serving so nothing goes to waste.

Picking your wood chips for hot smoking

The key with any hot smoking kit is using wood chips rather than dust, since chips need that heat to smoke properly. Reach for mild apple or alder with delicate fish and bolder hickory with red meat - our which wood chips do I need guide makes the call easy. And if you'd rather flavour cheese or bacon without cooking them, that's a different method entirely. Have a look at our cold smoking collection instead.