By Chef Mick Brown
For many people, the difference between Grilling and Barbecue comes down to one simple thing- Wood Smoking. Though Chefs can now do it indoors using Smoke Guns, many Home Grillers have yet to introduce the technique into their cooking. Especially those who use Gas Grills. I was recently hired to come to the aid of a wife, who purchased 2 Grilling Lessons as Father’s Day Gifts for her husband. It seems that a brand new Built-in Gas Grill that she gave him for his Birthday, had sat unused for over 9 months.
She put me in touch with her husband, who we will call Josh, by email. He informed me that he planned to invite “a few friends” over after our Lesson, to try out his food from the new Grill. No Pressure. We agreed that he would get most of the meats in advance, so we could do an abbreviated shopping trip before getting started. We did Recipes for Grilled Vegetables, Shrimp, Steak and Chicken Breasts. In this first part we here are Techniques for Smoking.
SMOKING USING WOOD CHIPS AND CHUNKS
Josh got to “Double Down”, by learning techniques for Smoking Food on the new Gas Grill, as well as on his favorite Ceramic Egg Grill that he uses all of the time. First we went to the local BBQ Supplies Store and picked up bags of Wood Chips and Chunks in both Hickory and Mesquite varieties.
For Smoking For the Ceramic Egg (or any Charcoal Grill), we:
1. Soaked a mixture a Wood Chunk submerged in water
2. Lit a Pyramid of Charcoal using Lighter Cubes
3. Once lit, piled Coals on one side of Grill for Indirect Smoking
4. Just before adding Food, placed 3-4 Chunks of Wood directly onto the Coals
5. For longer cooking sessions, replace Chunks every 1-2 Hours, if Smoke fades.
For Smoking on the Gas Grill, we:
1. Seasoned new Grill Grates by brushing with Olive Oil to discourage food from sticking
2. Heated one end of Grill to High, Middle to Medium leaving other end Off for Indirect Grilling
3. Created “Hobo Pouches” by wrapping 1/4 Cup of Dry Chips into Aluminum Foil sheet, squeeze sides together to form punch leaving top open to allow smoke to escape.
4. Place 1-3 Pouches on hottest spots on Grill until they begin to Smoke (5-15 Minutes), then Grill Food on Hot Side or Use unheated side for Indirect Smoking
5. If Pouches smoke too high, move to spots with less heat. If smoke dissipates, add more pouches for continued Smoking.
Also look for Recipes for Grilled Vegetables, Shrimp, Steak and Chicken Breasts from this Session.
Bonus Videos
BBQ RESCUES! TV- Use any Gas Grill as a Smoker
Quest for Fire by TasteeBQ (my very first Youtube Video)
Bonus Photos
