Gas Grill Setup for Smoking

Key Concepts

• Gas grills are not ideal smokers but can produce usable smoke flavor with the right technique
• Two-zone gas setup: only one side of burners lit, food on the unlit side
• Smoke delivery: wood chips in a foil pouch or a cast iron smoker box placed over a lit burner
• Temperature limitation: most gas grills run too hot on low — 300–350°F is common instead of 225°F
• Lid seal: gas grill lids are less airtight than dedicated smokers and lose smoke faster

Put It Into Practice

1. For a two-burner grill: light only one burner. Place food on the unlit side. This creates an indirect zone.
2. For a three-burner grill: light only the far left or far right burner on low. Place food on the opposite end.
3. Make a smoke pouch: wrap a handful of wood chips in heavy-duty foil, poke 6-8 holes in the top, and place it directly on the lit burner's heat deflector.
4. Preheat the grill with the smoke pouch in place for 10-15 minutes until you see smoke coming out of the vents.
5. Place meat on the cool side. Close the lid and monitor temperature at the grate level using a probe thermometer — not the built-in dome thermometer.
6. Replace the smoke pouch every 45-60 minutes if a longer cook is needed. It will be burned out after about an hour.