Gas Grill Smoking Secrets 

Gas grill smoking lets you create great tasting smoked food right on your gas grill! So before you run out and spend a bunch of money an new smoker see if your gas grill will work for you. 

Smoking on a gas grill can be a little tricky, even more so on inexpensive gas grills. Many good quality gas grills already have a separate smoker box. Look for a small tray or chip box directly over a burner. If you have one just add the chips and turn the smoker box burner on high until the chips smoke, then reduce the heat to the desired temperature.

If your gas grill has no box read on and we will show you exactly what to do.  

The Basics

The Grill:

The most important aspects of gas grill smoking are mastering indirect heat and temperature control. To smoke in your gas grill you need a few things:

• A gas grill with two or more individually controlled burners, either side-by-side, or front-to-back.

• A temperature gauge mounted in the lid. If you don't have one install one.

The Smoke:

You will also need to come up with a smoke source. Here is the easiest way to make a smoker pouch.

• Wrap 1 to 2 cups soaked wood chips in heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Poke a few holes in the top of the foil, so the smoke to escape.
• To obtain a smoky flavor, use a mix of mesquite and hickory wood.
• Make up at least two of these pouches, one may burn up. 
• Smoke is really only needed for the first couple hours.

Get Smoking

Place the smoker pouch directly over the burner you'll be using, under the grate and right on top of the lava rocks or the metal shield. Light the burner and run your grill on high until you see smoke, then set it to your needed heat. This first step may take a little practice.

When you see smoke place the food on the grate opposite the smoking wood. Cover the grill and keep the temperature between 225 and 250 degrees during the cooking process.

The hottest part of most gas grills is the intersection of one of the gas burner tubes and the pilot light. Try to place the smoker pouch here.

You may want to do a test run on your gas grill prior to smoking with it. Start one burner until the grill is 250 degrees. Set the burner to low and check the temperature in about 20 minutes. Adjust the flame until your grill stays around 225 degrees.  

Now go out find a good recipe and try your hand at gas grill smoking.

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