How to Get That “Smoke” Flavor on Your Gas BBQ
Either you went out and bought yourself a brand new gas grill or you already have one sitting on the patio, you might pose this question to yourself… “Now how do I get this thing to smoke my meats?” You probably have the gas grill because you didn’t want the hassle of dealing with charcoal every time you wanted to grill some food. Not to fret, we will tell you how to get that “smoke” flavor.
The How
Getting that smoke flavor is actually easier than you might think. All you have to do is go out and buy yourself a “Smoking Box.” Basically a smoking box is a metal box that has holes in the lid. Simply put your desired smoking wood into the box, put the lid on and place it on top – and to the side – of the grill that holds the lava rocks above the gas burners. The wood inside will begin to smolder and smoke as advertised. If you happen to have a smaller grill you will need a smaller smoker box to allow for more cooking area. You certainly don’t want the box taking up all the space that you are going to cook all that delicious meat on.
The Why
Smoking boxes are great because you only have to dispose of the ashes left in the box instead of dealing with all the ashes left over from a wood or charcoal burning barbeque grill. Smoking boxes are also easier to clean; the only part that may get any food on it will be the lid. They also come in very handy for controlling the amount of smoke you wish to make.
What Woods Can I Use?
The two most popular woods for smoking are mesquite and hickory. However, there are a plethora of different woods that can be used. Some of the other popular woods used for smoking include apple, alder, cherry, maple and oak just to name a few.
All of these woods come in different sizes. You can buy the whole tree or you can get sawdust and pellets. Using the different sizes greatly depends on what size of smoking box you are using. Generally for the averaged sized backyard bbq grill, you will need a small smoking box and simple wood chips will work well.
You can always add more wood if your smoke is to thin or begins to die out.
Different kinds of wood are also used for different purposes. For instance, alder wood is best used with pork and using too much hickory can make the meat bitter. It is recommended that you use a recipe book to decide which one, and how much, you want to use.
Cheating
There is one more way of adding that “Smokey” flavor to your meats. It’s commonly called “Liquid Smoke.” Liquid smoke is best used in the preparation of meats during the marinade process or can be added to barbeque sauces. While liquid smoke is made from the wood itself, the more experienced grill aficionados consider it cheating and generally prefer to actually smoke their meats.
