Noob help for smoking

[JimHudd]

Hi,
I've got a Blue Ember gas grill, can't recall the model number but it's like a FG50069-584 LP except I have a gas rotisserie burner not infra-red. It's got a cast iron smoke box on the left but I'm struggling to use it. I'm trying to cook brisket so I've put the meat as far to the right as possible and I've put the wood chips in the smoke box and turned the far left burner on low. If I soak the chips first I can't get any smoke out of them unless the burner is up quite high and then it's too hot for the meat. If I use dry chips then they smoke briefly and quickly turn to a charcoal like substance. Even soaking the chips they dry out fairly quick and end up like charcoal.

Am I on to a loser trying to smoke with this type of grill or am I missing something obvious? Any help gratefully received, or if there's already a "dummies guide to smoking" thread you can point me at then please do so.

Thanks and regards,
Jim Hudd.

[Eddie]

I'm not saying you can't, but I wouldn't. I would invest in a Pro Q excel 20/frontier.

Eddie

[JimHudd]

Having only just forked out a fair bit of money for the grill I've got I'd rather not spend out a load more, especially for the number of times I'm going to smoke food. Are there no techniques for smoking food using a smoke box rather than a dedicated smoker? Keeping the smoke going without the wood chips burning seems to be the problem.

Jim.

[kwazulu]

maybe something like the device on this thread http://www.bbbqs.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3505 would help? or have you tried putting the dry chips into foil parcels inside the smoke box? or have you tried larger chunks of wood rather than chips?

[JimHudd]

That's an interesting device and should probably be able to do the same with the pellets in my smoke box. I was looking to try and cook the meat with the smoke rather than flavour it and then cook it but I guess whatever works.

I've not tried putting the chips into foil parcels so I'll give that a go. Thanks.

Jim.

[Tiny]

Jim old chap,
Fear not, I smoke quite successfully on my gas grill. I am wondering whether the cast iron nature of your box could be the issue. As it takes a lot of heat to warm up perhaps it is gently drying the chips before you then get the flash burn.

Personally would make up several foil pouches of chips soaked and in tinfoil, pierce and then chuck directly on your lit part of the grate. smoke will be quite intense and relatively short lived but after a few pouches you should have all the smoke flavour you will ever need.

Cant remember the sums but at some point in the cooking process the meat stops taking on any more smoke flavour.

As others have said chunks will give a steadier burn but you should have no bother with chips old chum.

Cheers
Tiny

[Swindon_Ed]

Personally would make up several foil pouches of chips soaked and in tinfoil, pierce and then chuck directly on your lit part of the grate. smoke will be quite intense and relatively short lived but after a few pouches you should have all the smoke flavour you will ever need.

+1 for what Tiny says here.

[JimHudd]

Thanks Guys, this is great stuff to try. Here is the guide I was trying to follow: http://www.thesmokerking.com/page1a.html

The chips were definitely drying out too much and it sounds reasonable that the cast iron box was causing that. Maybe getting that up to temperature first before putting in the soaked chips might work, but if foil pouches are the way to go then I'm all for that. The recipe says to cook at 225F but at that temperature the chips weren't igniting - I may have just been a bit impatient too! Cranking the heat up did eventually get the chips to ignite but they flamed rather than smoked and within a minute or so just turned the colour of pencil lead and went out.

If I were to try the smoke box again (pre-heated this time!) should I completely pack it with soaked chips? I didn't do that last time and thinking now that would allow too much oxygen around them allowing them to burn rather than smoulder.

I'll give your tips a go and see how I get on.

BTW @Swindon_Ed, are you Swindon Wilts? that's where I am! What are the chances of that?!

Cheers.
Jim.

[Swindon_Ed]

BTW @Swindon_Ed, are you Swindon Wilts? that's where I am! What are the chances of that?!

Hi Jim, yes i'm in that Swindon. You'd be surprised how many people from Swindon are into BBQ'ing we've had quite a few Swindon members over the years.