Let’s be honest smoke on a gas grill most of the time is from burning grease.
This does not add any smoke or taste to our meat.
So, how to get a smoke flavor in your meat on a gas grill?
It is my personal opinion that grilling meat, like a burger, for example, does not give us enough time to absorb the smoke.
When To Add Smoke And When Not
Meat that you grill longer than let’s say 20 minutes are a better candidate for adding a smoky flavor with real wood.
There is one exception to this and that is the use of so-called “liquid smoke”.
To be honest I have used it myself a few times and the result is not too bad as long as you don’t overdo it, but it is fake and can not be compared with real smoke from wood.
But there is a great variety of flavors available on amazon just click here to have a look at it on Amazon
Okay, back to the subject of adding smoke to your meat on a gas grill.
As I mentioned this will work best at a low temperature with meat that has to cook slowly.
The Technique Behind Adding Smoke Flavor To A Gas Grill
The technique behind it is not so hard to understand. We just have to do it the right way.
The smoke has to be made with wood chunks, pellets or wood chips.
You can read my post about wood chips for smoking here Both can be used and what you use is a personal preference.
I like to use chunks because they don’t catch fire so easily, but other people have their best results with chips.
“A rule of thumb is to use wood chips for shorter sessions and wood chunks for longer smoke sessions.”
I use a small smoker box but you can get the same result by putting your wood in aluminum foil with holes poked in it.
One other option is to use a pellet smoker tube and I wrote an article about the best smoke tubes for grilling.
There are sites that tell you to soak your wood before using it. I never do, but trial and error is the best way to find out about your cooking.
- Preheat your grill and have your meat ready as you always do.
- Now put your (soaked?) wood chips in a smoker box, smoke tube, or aluminum foil pouch that you made yourself and place it in your grill, but not directly on a burner.
- Wait till it starts to smoke and then add your meat. I had some great results with an Amazen smoke tube as you can read here.
You can also read my how to add more smoke to a pellet grill for more information.
Remember that it takes a while for the smoke to get in your meat.
By using this basic method you can add a smoke flavor to a gas barbecue.
Find the best spot on your grill to put your smoke box or aluminum foil pouch to get the most smoke out of it.
Here is a link to smoker boxes on amazon. Have a look and decide if this is what you like. My meaning is that they can be used over and over and are pretty handy. Better than an aluminum foil pouch.
Any questions or anything to add from your experience? Just place a comment in the box below.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken has run his own full-service restaurant for many years. Before that, he worked as a grill and buffet cook in some of the mainstream restaurants. With his experience using professional kitchen equipment, he is able to write expert reviews. You can read more about Eddie van Aken here.
