When you use a smoker box on your grill, where do you put it? If you put it directly on the burner doesn't that block some of the holes of the burner? Or do you put it on the grate obove the burner?

I like the thin wall ss tube style for gassers ... on a genesis for smoking (low and slow) I would put the box or tube over the gap of either side of the middle burner and put it directly on the flavor bars ... for grilling roughly the same just out of the way: between/on the flavor bar gap to one side of the burner out of the way of where you intend to be cooking so you don't gunk up the box/tube with drippings

here's another idea for you ... buy a box or two of those thin ceramic bricks we used to use instead of lava rock ... should be around $5/box of 10 for ~3.5"x6 "then build a box out of the bricks to provide an indirect zone .. two layers deep on the bottom, at least one layer for the sides, and the sides as high or higher than the meat (without hitting the lid)

With Weber grills you can even put the smoking box directly on the cooking grid or the top rack if you have one. Just put the heat on high until the chips start to smoke (you don't have to soak them). That takes care of the problems with drippings, just turn the heat down to cooking temp after that.

Weber also has an accessory for this - it's a stainless container that extends from front to back which can be placed on either side. It comes with a custom SS grate that accommodates the width of the insert.

You would already want to be using SS grates. My reluctance with this is it encompasses all 3 burners (you'll probably not using all 3 if you want to try smoking for more than a short time). Of course there's the price - it's about $140 here.

I'll be searching for that cast iron box that's in the garage somewhere.

Yey Mark, that's way too much money. You can find boxes for for $20. I also don't like having to use all three burners.

Been too busy at work and just saw this thread.

What I do for smoking is to wrap my wood chips in an aluminum foil package. I then punch some holes in the foil on the top and plae the package on the flavorizer bars toward one end of the grill.

Whichever burner is directly under the foil package needs to be turned up fairly high. Experiment to dee what setting works.

This does block some of the heat, but I find that by moving the piece that I am cooking around a bit as I turn them, I can still get fairly even cooking. Of course, if you don't have a full grill, you just don't try to cook over the foil package.

After the cook, I just pick up the package with my tongs and toss it.

Mike S

Like mike says. Foil packet with holes You can use wood pellets in the foil pouch. the best position is over the interconnect tube on the flavouriser bars ensuring that it is also over the burner that is on.
Situate the Genesis so that the LH side is into the prevailing breeze and the hood is pushed along the locating pins so you close the gap at the LH side as muc as possible. This will give you the most smoke and it will circulate around the food better.

Cheers

re: blocking heat, you should be cooking on indirect heat if you're smoking anyway, I don't see what the problem is.

Here is my smoker box i had bought about 10 years ago and had to buy the smaller grate to fit the box.

Try looking at a Weber 7541 gas grill smoker box. Amazon has it but it is a little pricey. I got mine on ebay for $18.00. I used mine with much sucess until I got my WSM.

Everyone seems to overthink the smoking idea.

I always buy chunk smoking wood and just put a block or 2 (dry) directly on the flavorizer bars over a burner that is going to remain on.

That will smoke longer than it takes to do a roaster or a pork roast.

It will only actually flame up if and when you open the hood, but it goes back to smoldering once the hood is shut.

Really, you do not need a special box, special chips, or a dedicated burner.

quote:

Originally posted by Eddie C:
Everyone seems to overthink the smoking idea.

I always buy chunk smoking wood and just put a block or 2 (dry) directly on the flavorizer bars over a burner that is going to remain on.

That will smoke longer than it takes to do a roaster or a pork roast.

It will only actually flame up if and when you open the hood, but it goes back to smoldering once the hood is shut.

Really, you do not need a special box, special chips, or a dedicated burner.

i do that on my silver C with chicken,chops and brats the flavorizor cars keeps the ash out of the tubes and it just falls into the slide out tray.