These are the rules every page on BBQ Smoker Guide is written to. If a page breaks one, that's a mistake and we want to hear about it.
Who writes the guides
Guides are researched, written and edited by the BBQ Smoker Guide team and carry a team byline. Every page goes through an edit for accuracy, clarity and tone before it's marked as finished. Pages still being worked on say so at the top.
Where facts come from
- Food safety comes from the Food Standards Agency. We link to its guidance rather than restating safety temperatures from memory.
- Product specs (cooking area, temperature range, weight, warranty) come from the maker's official UK page or spec sheet, stored with the link and the date we checked it.
- Anything that can change, such as rules, specs or availability, carries a dated source.
- Cooking guidance like smoker temperatures and rough cook times is given as a range, because meat, smokers and weather all vary. Where a figure is a common rule of thumb rather than a measured fact, we say so.
If we can't find a source for a figure, we leave the figure out.
What we won't do
- Claim we've cooked on, or trialled, a product when we haven't.
- Invent quotes, owner stories, statistics, case studies or prices.
- Rank products without stating the criteria, or use star ratings.
- Let a commission or a free sample change a comparison.
- Use urgency tricks such as countdowns or "only today" deals.
Opinions
We have opinions, and we label them. When we say oak is the safe all-rounder or that a cheap smoker is fine for most people, that's editorial judgement with the reasons given, not a measured result.
Safety first
Smoking involves fire, carbon monoxide and raw meat. Cook pages carry a food and fire safety notice, and we never suggest using a charcoal smoker indoors, in a garage or under a gazebo.
Updates and corrections
Every page shows the date it was last updated. We review pages when sources change and when readers point things out. If something is wrong, see corrections.
Style
British spelling, metric first (°C, kg, cm), UK butcher cut names and plain English. We write like someone who knows the subject and doesn't need to shout about it.