Can I smoke with a gas grill?

I know this may be a big debate, but I wondered if it is okay to use a gas grill with the heat on one side, with the aluminium foiled wood over it and no heat on the other, with the meat on that side. Could I still use the 3 2 1 Method if I use a propane gas grill? I only ask because I've seen professionals that have the wood, but they burn the wood with a propane powered fire (foodtv show).

Thanks for help.

Yes you can use wood in an aluminum foil "pouch" to smoke with. I use to do it all the time when I was using my gas grille. It too was a 3-burner, and I would put the pouch on one side, and the meat on the other.

I never done the 3-2-1 method, just used it to smoke some. I never heard of the 3-2-1 until I joined here a few months ago.... and since then have learned a lot more.....

Just soak the wood chips (preferred for the pouch), wrap it up, poke a few small holes in it, and you should be good to go. You only need a few small holes, so as not to let it get too dried out too fast.. you want it to smoke, not burn....

I think after you try it a few times, you will really get the hang of it and love it....

Let us know how it goes.

Bill

Most certainly. Although I am new to gas grilling and haven't attempted smoking on it yet, I have been using propane smokers for quite some time. It is the very same principle. Just keep in mind that if your grill temperatures are higher than 225-250* the 3-2-1 times will be shorter.

I smoke on my Chrlbroil grill alll the time. It has three burners running front to back. I use two cast chip boxes on on the grill over one of the end burner. With just that one bruner running under the chip boxes, I can hold 200-250deg, and leaves a nice smoke ring I like it

Long time no hear Paul. Welcome back.

Bob-BQN wrote:

Long time no hear Paul. Welcome back.

Thanks. I stop in a lot, but dont post much. Hoping to get that REAL smoker this spring though, then I will.

Some may disagree, and it might not be traditional, but as long as you keep your gas grill around 225-250, keep the wood on it, and keep the food away from the flame as best you can; I'll say you can smoke all day long and twice on Sunday with a gas grill. I've pulled some mighty fine brisket, ribs, and pulled pork of my gassers.

And if we really wanted to get traditional; we'd make jerky out of everything that we smoke.

Leatherneck wrote:

Some may disagree, and it might not be traditional, but as long as you keep your gas grill around 225-250, keep the wood on it, and keep the food away from the flame as best you can; I'll say you can smoke all day long and twice on Sunday with a gas grill. I've pulled some mighty fine brisket, ribs, and pulled pork of my gassers.

And if we really wanted to get traditional; we'd make jerky out of everything that we smoke.

I agree. I have made some FINE pulled pork on my gas grill. I do want a real smoker. Wile the grill works nice, when set up for smoking there is just no room. Pretty much only two racks of ribs, or one good sized sholder. I sometimes need a bit more room.

I've also done some real nice Pulled Pork. I tried having both outer burners going, and I've also tried having middle and one side burner going. Both of these ways the meat just gets too hot, too quick. If you had a 4-burner I'd say turn on both edges. But with a 3-burner like me, just turn one side on, and put your meat on the other.

Now if you listen to Steven, if you smoke with a gasser, you can only add wood chips the first hour, as you have to pre-heat to high until chips start smoking, and then turn down to medium. But what I've been doing lately is since I'm just cooking on one side of my grill, I take off one of the grates. Then I can get easy access to the burner that's on, and can keep adding wood chips the whole time I smoke. As I can put them right above the burner (not on the burner unless you want to burn them instead of smoulder them) on my heat plates. They'll usually smoke at medium heat for me, as opposed to high heat, as they are a little closer to the heat.

Mine does not have any heat plates, just open burners[no rock or anything] I fill two cast chip boxes, and put them on the grill its self. I just pop them on when I start the grill, and then I put the meat on. They start smoking soon after, and smoke for a good two hours. I have tryed adding more, but found it not nessery. I get a nice smoke ring, and flavor with just the few hours of smoke. For a gas grill it realy does well. Better smoking, then normal grilling realy. Without some kind of rock, or deflector over the burners, it realy heats pretty uneaven durning normal grilling. But with a nice big drip tray, and the one burner going, it smokes nice, and with the chip box on the main grill serfes, the smoke is above the main vent at the back of the lid, so a lot stays inside the grill.

s1120 wrote:

Mine does not have any heat plates, just open burners[no rock or anything] I fill two cast chip boxes, and put them on the grill its self. I just pop them on when I start the grill, and then I put the meat on. They start smoking soon after, and smoke for a good two hours. I have tryed adding more, but found it not nessery. I get a nice smoke ring, and flavor with just the few hours of smoke. For a gas grill it realy does well. Better smoking, then normal grilling realy. Without some kind of rock, or deflector over the burners, it realy heats pretty uneaven durning normal grilling. But with a nice big drip tray, and the one burner going, it smokes nice, and with the chip box on the main grill serfes, the smoke is above the main vent at the back of the lid, so a lot stays inside the grill.

I know this thread is a little old, but I still haven't bought the grill (maybe today). How many burners do you have? What kind of grill do you have? I saw ones that have three grates and I thought maybe they were better because the heat could be all the way over on the left, nothing in the middle and the meat on the right side. The grills vary in quality, but some middle of the road one looked okay (but what do I know?). "Perfect Flame" at Lowes had the best price for the larger grill. Charbroil had big grills, but they seemed flemsy (no offense to anyone, don't mind being corrected here). One test I have tried, but don't know how good a measure it is, it to try and turn the thermometer in the middle of the unit. If it turns or shakes on lots of different display models, then I don't want the grill.

I don't think your test is valid because the Weber thermometers (possibly others also) are designed to be removed easily from the grill.

To have us suggest a grill, you'd need to let us know what your budget is.

Since I have three burners, should I turn on the left and right and cook in the middle (burner off)?

johnny_smoker wrote:

Since I have three burners, should I turn on the left and right and cook in the middle (burner off)?

Depends on what temperature you're trying to get and the power and efficiency of your grill. You may need two burners on, or possibly just one. Remember to always leave the primary burner (the one that the instructions say to light first) on.

Why do you have to leave the primary burner always on. My primary burner is the middel burner. Usually I light the middle burner first and then the side burners. Then I turn off the middle burner. Is there a problem with doing this?