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pellet tube smoker on a grill

How to Smoke on a Gas Grill the Right Way

Learn how to smoke on a gas grill “the right way” and create some delicious smoked food right on the natural gas or propane grill you already own!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings

Equipment

  • Gas Grill - Propane or Natural Gas
  • Pellet Tube Smoker
  • Smoker Box

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Sheet Aluminum Foil
  • 1 Cup Smoking Wood Chips
  • 1 Cup Wood Pellets
  • 1 Chunk Smoking Wood Chunk
  • 1 Toothpick

Instructions
 

Smoking with a Smoker Box

  • Clean your grill, prepare your food and setup your grill for Indirect heat, meaning the burners are only ON on one side of the grill, likely on a medium-low setting.
  • Bring your grill's internal temperature up to between 225°F and 300°F depending on what you are planning to cook. Adjust your burners to maintain your chosen temperature.
  • Fill your smoker box with your smoking wood chips of choice...do NOT soak them in water...and close the lid.
  • Place the smoker box over the lit burners until it starts to smoke. If the chips ignite, blow out the fire, add more chips to the box if necessary, and move the smoker box further away from the direct heat.
  • Place your food to be smoked on the opposite side of the grill and close the lid.
  • Add wood chips to the smoker box as necessary every 30 minutes or so depending on how much smoke flavor you wish to add.
  • After adding smoke, continue to cook your food over indirect or direct heat until it is up to a safe internal temperature and remove from the grill.
  • Using BBQ tongs, place your smoker box on the warming rack of your gas grill until it has completely cooled down before disposing of the charred wood chips.

Smoking with a Pellet Tube Smoker

  • First follow steps 1 and 2 above.
  • Fill your pellet tube smoker with wood PELLETS, not wood chips. Do NOT soak the pellets.
  • Place the pellet tube smoker either down directly against the burner guards under the grates, or resting on the grate itself over the direct heat.
  • A full pellet tube smoker should last 4-5 hours so you should NOT need to refill during the cook.
  • Once smoke is being produced, place your food on the indirect side on the opposite side of the grill.
  • After adding smoke, continue to cook your food over indirect or direct heat until it is up to a safe internal temperature and remove from the grill.
  • Using BBQ tongs, place your pellet tube smoker on the warming rack of your gas grill until it has completely cooled down before disposing of the remaining wood pellets. Wood pellets hold their heat a LONG time so be extra cautious before handling.

Smoking with Aluminum Foil

  • Follow the same instructions as for the Smoker Box above, however, if you do not own a smoker box, you can use a homemade pouch of aluminum foil.
  • Tear off a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and shape it into a pouch or packet.
  • Fill it with DRY wood chips and then close up the pouch.
  • Use a toothpick or a fork to poke small air holes into the top of the aluminum foil pouch.
  • Use in the same way as you would a smoker box in the instructions above.
  • Rather than re-filling with wood chips if the smoke stops too soon, simply move the aluminum foil pouch to the warming rack and replace with a new one made in the same way.
  • A large wood chunk can be wrapped in the same manner instead of wood chips if you desire for a longer smoking time.

Video

Notes

Always keep a fire extinguisher handy whenever you are placing wood anywhere in your grill.  Always handle hot objects while wearing good insulated BBQ gloves and using long handled tongs.
 
Video courtesy of The BBQ Guys
Keyword bbq, Gas, Grilling, Grills, pellet tube smoker, Propane, smoked, Smoker box, Smoking, Wood chips, Wood pellets
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