How to smoke on a gas grill
Gas barbecues are not only the epitome of convenience but are much more energy efficient than charcoal grills. Many don’t associate ‘smoking’ food on a gas barbecue, but we assure you this is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook on gas!
Not sure where to start? Look no further, get ready to cook up a smoking hot summer barbecue as we reveal all you need to know about smoking on a gas grill.
What and why?
The ‘smoking’ method infuses a smokey flavour to your food whilst cooking. It adds an irresistible aroma and flavour to meals that you can’t get from any other cooking method. You can choose from a wide range of flavours depending on the type of food you’re cooking.
Tools You Will Need
The easiest way to smoke on a gas barbecue is by combusting flavoured wood inside your grill through a metal vessel, in most cases this is a box or pipe accessory. If you don’t have either, tin foil works just as well. Using a smoker box doesn’t only mean your chips are kept tightly in place, but the airflow is maximised, making for an optimum burn and smoke distribution throughout your grill. The wood can be found in the form of wood chunks, wood chips or wood pellets.
Get smoking with our very own Smoker Box!
We’ve designed a bespoke Smoker Box to ‘meat’ all your smoking needs! Our smoker boxes are specially designed to fit neatly below the cooking grates of your BBQ. Using a smoker box doesn’t only mean your smoking chips are kept tightly in place, but the airflow is maximised, making for an optimum burn and smoke distribution throughout your grill. Our Whistler Grill Smoker Boxes are suitable for the Bibury and Burford models.
Whistler’s whisky wood chips
We’ve combined the authentic taste of scotch whisky with those to die for smoky barbecue flavours, to bring you a taste tantalising wood chip that will be sure to elevate your barbecue game and put some pizazz into your food.
These bespoke smoking chips have been crafted from authentic scotch whisky barrels, producing a mild smoky taste with a sweet finish that work best with beef, fish, pork, poultry, fruit, vegetables and even cheese! The whisky flavour in these chips creates an unmatched taste that will definitely leave your guests wanting more!
How To Get Started
Pre-heat the barbie
Pre-heat the barbecue to atleast 250-260 degrees before adding the smoker box or chips.
Get your wood chips ready by soaking in water
There is much debate over whether to soak wood chips before use. We highly recommend soaking the chips in water at least 30 minutes before use to avoid them lighting on fire and producing more fire than smoke. The time you need to soak your chips will differ depending on the recipe you are using, so double check this first.
Add wood chips to your smoker box
Pack the smoker box with your prefered wood chips. Use long-handled tongs to pick up the chips and allow the excess water to drain off.
Preheat your Whistler
Allow your barbecue to fully heat up and the chips to start smoking before attempting to cook anything. Trying to cook food on a barbecue that isn’t properly heated often results in burned outsides and raw insides. Your Whistler Grill should take around 15-20 minutes to heat up.
Different types of smoking
Hot smoking
Hot smoking is done at temperatures between 93° and 191°C. This technique works best with food that needs smoking for a longer period of time. Hefty portions of meat such as joints of beef and whole chickens will need to be hot smoked to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked. As a rule of thumb, we recommend hot smoking anything that will need to be cooked for longer than 20-minutes.
Cold smoking
Cold smoking is pretty self explanatory - cooking at a cooler temperature. Cold smoking is great for more delicate foods such as fish, cheese and anything that could melt easily. Aim for a temperature of around 20° and 30°C.
Our Top ‘chips’ for perfectly smoked food
Get a meat thermometer
Meat thermometers are great for checking your meat is fully cooked through. No one likes raw meat so do everyone a favour and use a meat thermometer! Our personal favourite is the legendary Meater Plus!
Timing is everything
Timing really does matter when it comes to smoking. Your food will need at least 20 minutes to achieve that taste tantalising smoked flavour you’re aiming for.
Soaked vs unsoaked…
There is much debate around whether to soak your wood chips in water before burning. Many say that soaking wood chips prevents them from burning out prematurely. Some say that by soaking the chips, you are just prolonging your optimum grilling, whilst others suggest soaking half and mixing them in with the dry wood chips. We recommend soaking for at least 30 minutes however it does all come down to personal preference, why not experiment and see what works best for you?
Don’t lift that hood!
Lift the hood of your BBQ as little as possible whilst the chips are smoking to allow the smoke to disperse around the chamber.
Ready, Set, Smoke…..
We absolutely love the mouth watering flavours and aromas a smoker box brings to your barbecue. We hope our smoker guide can help you reach another level of barbecuing this summer. Make sure to show us your smoking hot creations on Instagram and Facebook!
If that’s not enough to get you fired up about smoking on your Whistler Grill, check out the video on how to smoke with Whisky Chips here!
Why not try a smoking hot recipes of ours to get the practice in? Find them here!
