Need Some Extra Smoky Flavours For Your BBQ?
Enjoying smoky food done by charcoal grill but owning a gas grill instead? While gas grills are very convenient, they don't deliver the same experience as charcoal grills do. However, it is still possible to capture the taste of food smoked over wood/charcoal on your gas grill. We will show you how it works in this article.
Here are a few pointers to note before you start:
1) Picking your wood type and size
2) Choosing your delivery method
3) Tips and precautions while smoking
Picking your wood type & size
There are a few types of wood selection to choose from such as Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, and Cherry. Different type of woods are suited for different type of food.
Hickory and mesquite produce a more distinct and strong taste which are more suitable for meat while apple and cherry produce a delicate flavor which are more suitable for fish and vegetables.
For the wood sizes, there are wood chucks and wood chips to consider. Wood chucks are generally used for long cooks. You can add one or two chucks at the start of the cooking cycle, leaving you with desirable smoking over time. If you are going for short cooks, wood chips are better as they burn and smokes quicker than wood chucks.
Choosing your delivery method
You can use a smoker packet to put your wood chucks or chips. Fold a square packet using heavy-duty aluminum foil and put a fist full of wood chips/a piece of wood chuck in the center. Completely close the foil around the chips and then poke a few holes in the top with a fork to allow the smoke to escape the packet.
If you have been smoking your food often, you can consider investing in a smoker box. A smoker box is a metal wood chips container that has holes for the smoke to go through. It also protects wood chips from direct contact with fire.
Tips and precautions while smoking
Many people soak their wood chips for half an hour before they smoke it. This helps to prevent the wood from catching fire while burning fast. Wet wood takes longer to smoke. If you put chips in a pan of water, you’ll see steam before you see any smoke. Alternatively, you can switch to wood chucks as they do not need to be soaked before use.
If you are smoking food which has to take several hours such as pork ribs, it is recommended to add a new smoker pack with a handful of wood every 30 minutes. Two to three handfuls of wood chips will smoke for about an hour. While you have an urge to lift the lid to check on the food, try to reduce frequent checks as it may extend the cooking time. A good way to reduce lifting the lid is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature before serving smoked meats. You can start by checking on meats which are at room temperature before placing them on the smoker.
Credits to Char-Broil®.
Contact us if you have any questions regarding your BBQ grills.
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