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Have you found yourself in a YouTube rabbit hole watching a series of burly men smoking briskets in their backyard? Before investing in a costly smoker, you might be wondering if it’s possible to use your gas grill in a similar fashion and avoid the extra expense. We spoke to expert Silvio Correa, Grill Master at Silvio’s BBQ Official, to get the lowdown on whether you can turn a gas grill into a smoker.
“I don’t generally recommend converting a gas grill into a smoker, they’re not designed for it,” Correa advisesm “but if you’re curious, use a smoker box or foil pouch with soaked wood chips placed over one burner set to low, with the other burners off or set very low. Just know you probably won’t match the flavor and consistency of a dedicated smoker, especially for tougher meats like brisket.”
As the wood heats up, it will infuse your meats with a smoky flavor and character. Some of the absolute best woods for smoking and grilling include hickory, which is perfect for smoking pork, beef and cheese, or maple, which lends veggies and fish a mild sweetness. A foil pouch filled with wood chips makes the best grilled sausages too.
Monitor the temperature of your grill and keep the lid closed
Unlike a gas grill, a smoker is supposed to be used for a lengthy period with the lid closed. The internal temperature in a smoker needs to remain constant to guarantee that the smoked products inside cook evenly and gently. “You’ll need a smoker box or aluminum foil pouch, soaked wood chips, and a good meat thermometer,” Correa explains. “Keep a consistent low temp around 225 degrees Fahrenheit and try not to open the lid too often, you’ll lose precious smoke and heat!” Having said that, you may need to remove and replace your foil pouch with a new one if your wood chips stop giving off smoke. In this case, act quickly and put the lid back down immediately to trap in the heat.
While you can guess whether your meats are smoked to perfection by their appearance, you’ll be best off using a meat thermometer, which will give you an accurate reading of the internal temperature of your pork shoulder or brisket (about 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit). New to smoking meats? The fastest and easiest dish to try is smoked hamburgers. In a proper smoker this can take anything from 30 minutes to an hour (much faster than the minimum eight hours to smoke an entire brisket) but will be speedier in a grill that’s been augmented with a foil pouch.
