I am going to show you my thrifty homemade bbq smoker plans today. I LOVE my grill! In the summer I think I use it at least four times a week, and the only reason I don’t use it more is so my neighbors don’t think I’m a crazy lady! This summer I have a goal to up my grilling game, and part of my goal is to smoke more meat. However, I have never smoked meat before, so I want to gain a little experience with the process and see if it is for me before I go out and buy a $300 smoker. So if you want to join me this summer and improve your BBQ prowess, join me! These homemade bbq smoker plans are just what we need to get started!
Smoking on a gas grill is surprisingly easy! You can buy smoker boxes like this one, which are great! But many of them cost between $15-$25. I would rather make my own for about $0.75!
You will need:
- Disposable aluminum bread pan
- Foil
- wooden skewer or paring knife
- Hickory wood chips
Let your wood chips soak for at least 2 hours (but overnight is best). This step is important because it allows the chips to smoke, and not just catch on fire and burn up.
Drain your wood chips and cover with aluminum foil. Poke holes in the top to allow the smoke to escape.
Now it’s time to put it on your grill. You want it directly over ONE heating element. Turn this heating element on high and leave the rest off. This should produce enough heat to keep your grill between 225 and 250 degrees, which is optimal smoking temperature for most meats. If this doesn’t really make sense, refer to the picture below.
I realize not everyones grill is set up this way. Some heating element run horizontally, and some may have fewer heating elements. However, the important thing to remember, is the smoker box goes over direct heat, and the meat should be over indirect heat (read: a burner that is turned off)
Turn your grill on and let it heat up the wood chips for about 10 minutes (you want to start seeing a little smoke) before you place your meat on.
Smoke for the recommended amount of time or until desired temperature of your meat is reached, and impress your husband with your awesome grilling/smoking skills. (But really, he will totally be impressed).
Disposable aluminum foil bread pan: $0.70
Sheet of aluminum foil: $0.05
Skewer, knife or fork to poke holes with: FreeThat is only $0.75! Your average smoker box costs about $16.00, using our DIY smoker box you save 95%! I vote that this diy smoker hack is definitely worth it!
If you love grilling, check out some of my other recipes below:
Perfect Grilled Pizza {Hawaiian BBQ Chicken}
Garlic Lime Chicken Kabobs
Make Ahead Hamburger Patties
i highly recommend the flower pot smoker from unglazed terra cotta flower pots and weber grill parts. I started out with the original electric design and converted to charcoal with smaller flower pots. I’ve done so many pork butts, briskets and ribs in it that the inside has a sticky layer of smoke on it. Can be built for about $100 and makes a great conversation piece.
That is so cool!!! Gotta try this! 🙂
Is this the regular loaf sized pan or the mini? Thanks!
Regular size! 🙂
Do you have to swap the woodchips out of the smoker box at all through out the smoking?