Best way to add smoke


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
For a long cook, over an hour, I used a double foil packet of soaked pecan chips laid across the gas burner of the Genesis. This produced a mild pleasant smoke flavor. I was satisfied with that method for that cook.

But, what about the quick steak grilled for 8-10 minutes? My guess is a single layer foil packet filled with wood chips not soaked on the burner on high and placed during preheat so there is smoke before grilling the steak.

What is your best way to add smoke on quick cooks on a gas grill? Is there any advantage to using a smoke box? On the grate? Thanks for sharing your best practice. It has been a long time since using gas.
 
ON a quick cook with a fattier piece of meat i.e. say a nice well marbled steak I cannot taste any difference of using a smoke "infusing" method or nothing at all. Quick cooks it's more of a waste IMO
 
I have no experience with this but can you add your smoke chips, then let your steak ride on low, indirect for a little bit before grilling?
 
If you look close you'll notice my smoke tube laying across the flavorizer bars on the left. I fill it with chips or pellets, set it on while the grill's warming up, & cook as usual. Works very well.

If you're interested in cold smoking cheese or salt or ? you might consider a square tube smoker or the amaz-n maze smoker.

The one I got isn't available anymore - the only thing I'd say is to get one that has flat sides so it'll stay put.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07JGVBKN3/tvwb-20 something like this maybe.

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I have a "mo's smokin pouch" too - fine mesh stainless screen.

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The pouch is under the brats here:

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(pouch is on the left again)
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edit:>>> you'll notice an improvement in color as well as flavor. I can notice the difference on the rare occasions when I'm too lazy to refill mine.
 
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Steve Petrone said:
There you go. Thanks Clint. Great pics

I didn't consider pellets but they make sense too.
Click to expand...

I usually use chips for grilling & pellets for cold smoke but I don't think there's a wrong answer. I have a wide variety of choices all next to each other :)
 
Currently a spatchcocked chicken is on the grill-indirect at 375*. The grill was preheated for 10 min on high...550* or so. A foil packet of pecan chips were placed on the burner cover. grill lowered to med-high. in about 5 min wonderful pecan smoke flowed out ! YUM.

Additionally, small beets and sweet potatoes are cooking on the grill. I'll report on the smoke flavor.
 
Smoke report: spatchcocked bird had mild smoke flavor. I did used pecan chips and the flavor was spot on. I'll continue to use this technique.

Most recipes indicated 60-70 min for cook. 90 was more like it tonight. The cook was 15 min. at 425, skin side down, flipped the chicken over and then dropped the temp to 375. The whole beets and sweet potato were excellent (cooked indirect).

Has anyone noticed a difference in grill temps front to back? I should have reversed my bird mid cook. The breast to the front was not thoroughly cooked like the back one....
 
Pull some bark off of a shag bark hickory tree and set a small piece in the grill if you want some true smoke flavor, it will give you the best flavor in the world unless you put to much lol, it don't take much and just a few minutes to give it some flavor
 
Thats a first. So many people write about 'removing the bark'. For some reason, I have not worried about bark removal ( lazy perhaps). Now you advocate using bark!
 
I have been using it since the late 80's and not sure what made me pull some off and try it, you can use too much so go easy with it and work your way up ,it works well on charcoal as well but get the meat onto the grill before you throw it on as it will go up pretty quick,if you cant find any go to straw plains exit turn right take first right and pull over,run over and grab a handful off 1 of the tree's ,they left the scaly bark hickory trees there years ago when they developed that corner on both sides of the road
 
Last night I grilled 4 nice thick sirloins.
I did a pre-heat on high and placed a foil pack of pecan over one burner. In 5-10 minutes we were run off our semi-enclosed porch with pecan smoke! The grill is just below 5 steps down and 5 steps over. All the smoke seemed to get sucked up to the porch and in the house. My wife and guests were not amused. The steaks turned out great. They like medium and medium they got. So the issue is how to mange the smoke better. Perhaps I need to soak the chips for 5 minutes? Also, I need to use some of that 10 foot gas hose and move the grill further away.
 
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