Smoking meat on a gas grill?

[WaywardHorn]

I caught a bit of this on BBQ University on PBS tonight and I was stumped. It appears that Raichlin did the following to get the desired effect:

4. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke; then reduce the heat to medium.

Does this really work? If so, what side do I put the smoker box on?

 

[Sucklebuster]

I suppose it would work on something that needed a "light" smoke flavor...I wouldnt call it BBQ.

 

[Ankf00]

I've done that for short cooks, but nothing more than a couple of hours. Raichlen's a really smart dude though, I just don't care for his 5 million ingredients per recipe

 

[DallasCowpoke]

I've tried using my gas Weber for smoking a time or two. Problem is, to get the wood to smoke I have to let the internal temp of the grill to, and maintain, around 350. Obviously, not conducive for "low and slow".

 

[brntorng]

I've done it before I had a smoker and it worked fine. I just set one side as low as it would go, put wood in a smoker box over the flame, and put the brisket on the other side with a drip pan under it. Since a grill isn't sealed it has to be out of the wind or you'll lose too much heat. Replenish the wood chips whenever they run out.

 

[pulque]

Absolutely not!

 

[12thStudStan]

Sure. It's not going to be the same as using a wood fired smoker, but it still might be pretty good.

Raichlen's show is sponsored by Weber, who makes an excellent smoker known as the WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain) that is used with great success by many competition cookers, yet I never see him use one on any of the episodes that I have watched (maybe 5 or 6 shows) when he is "smoking" meat. I wonder why that is. I also wonder why he states that traditional american barbecue that is cooked low and slow is typically cooked between 250 and 275 degrees when that is clearly not the case, at least, when it comes to Texas style barbecue.

I think he is a very intelligent guy that has been very successful at marketing himself, and a very good reference when it comes to grilling, but I don't think he knows squat about what most people in Texas and other parts of the south consider to be BBQ. The guy is from Martha's Vineyard, Mass., so I guess that explains a few things.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

What Stan said, + the following caveat added for flava flav...

Notice in the background how he's got a bevvy of smokers (REAL ONES) but never does a show where he's actualloy using one?

I mean, he's got my Bandera right there (vert rectangle with firebox on the R side) & it even has smoke coming out of the top... but all he ever uses is that huge *** Weber kettle that is 'bout as Big as Bertha!

 

[lostattxstate]

I enjoy watching his show, I think possibly the reason he uses that large kettle grill and never uses his large smokers is for teaching purposes. It is probably easier to teach some of his recipes to the average griller who doesnt own a smoker using those. I taught myself simple smoking techniqes on a 22 in webber kettle. I love that grill.

 

[Ankf00]

In reply to:

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[Randy_Allen_Fan]

Alton Brown on Good Eats once said that you can never, never smoke on a gas grill because one of the byproducts of burning propane is steam which will cause the meat to steam almost as much as it smokes. I hate gas grills so I don't know if that's true or not.

 

[jmrob93]

It works-- I place pecan chunks on the for right and keep the gas on low-- maintain 220

I did a turkey that way for thanksgiving-- greatness

Ribs do well also