Everything You Need to Know About a Gas Grill Smoker Box

Lots of gas grills come with one of these supplied, but if your grill doesn't have one you should be able to get hold of one in any barbecue accessory store.How a Gas Grill Smoker Box WorksThe idea behind the Smoker Box is that the wood in the box smokes during barbecuing rather than burning. The Box is placed on the BBQ grate next to the food being cooked, and, as mentioned above, the smoke produced gets into the food and imparts a very distinctive flavor. By using different types of wood chips it's possible to produce many different and exciting flavors.

Cooking with a Smoker Box for a Gas GrillWhen barbecuing rather than grilling, cooking times are nearly always longer (and temperatures lower). And the longer the cooking time the more chance there is for the smoke to work its magic on the food.So once you have chosen an appropriate BBQ recipe and decided you want to use a Smoker Box follow these steps to get the best results:1. Soak Your Wood Chips in WaterInitially you might not have a clear idea about what variety of wood chip to use. You'll find that many BBQ recipes make suggestions about this, but we recommend experimenting with a range of different types of wood chips to find the ones you really like. Someone else's ideas about a good flavor might not be the same as yours.Soak your wood chips in water (some people use a combination of water and beer or spirits to achieve different flavors) - for up to two hours if you can. This soaking produces chips which will smolder rather than burst into flames, and as they smolder they produce smoke. Any wood ash produced by the smoldering wood will stay in the Smoker Box. It won't fall on the burners of your grill.Drain the wood chips before putting them in the Box, and if you have chosen a recipe with a really long cooking time make sure that you soak enough wood chips to replenish your Smoker Box during barbecuing.2. Get the Gas Grill to the Required TemperatureAs mentioned above, for your BBQ recipe, you'll be cooking at a lower temperature than you use for grilling, and cooking for longer. Typical temperatures are around 225 to 250 degrees F and this temperature range should be maintained during the period of cooking (which might last several hours). It's best to use a thermometer to keep a check on temperature, but if you haven't got one on your gas grill you can test the temperature by holding your hand about 4 inches above the burner. You'll only be able to keep it there for 10 to 15 seconds. Compare this with a typical grilling temperature of 450 to 650 degrees F. If you use the same test you'll only be able to stand the heat for a couple of seconds.3. Put Your Smoker Box and Food onto the BBQ GrillOnce your grill is up to temperature you're ready to start. First put your Smoker Box on one side of the cooking grate of your grill. Some people put the Box between the burner and the grate, but if you do this you won't be able to top-up the wood chips later on.Most wood chips take 10 to 20 minutes to start smoking.