How to Make a Smoker BBQ Grill

As many barbecue aficionados already know, true barbecue is not simply grilling meat over an open flame. It is a slow cooking over indirect, low heat, while simultaneously infusing the meat with smoke, usually from wood chips. To do this, you usually need a specialized smoker, and they can be expensive. If you have a backyard grill, however, you can construct a makeshift smoker that will suit your needs perfectly.

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal grill Charcoal Charcoal stove Wood chips Water Bucket

Instructions

1. Soak the wood chips. The key to any good smoker is the wood. Make sure you have a wood chip that will impart a flavorful smoke. Mesquite and hickory are the most popular chips, but fruitwoods work as well. Fill a bucket with water and soak half of the bag of chips overnight. This will keep them from igniting when you add them to the fire, but will still allow them to smoke your ribs.

2. Build the fire. Unlike most grill fires, you will only be building a fire on one side of the grill. This will allow you to put your meat on the other side of the grill, and will keep it from exposure to direct heat. Build a pile of charcoal on one side of the grill. In your charcoal stove, add a small amount of charcoal on top, and a little newspaper underneath. Ignite the newspaper and let the charcoal heat up and ignite. Once the coals are glowing, dump the stove onto the top of the charcoal pile in your grill and let the glowing coals ignite the rest of the charcoal until a steady fire is going.

3. Incorporate the chips. After letting the chips drain for several minutes, add them to the top of the charcoal fire directly using tongs. They should begin smoking immediately.

4. Add the meat. On the top rack on the opposite side of the grill from the fire, add your choice of meat. Make sure there's plenty of room around each piece. Close the grill and let the meat smoke and cook (4 to 6 hours for ribs, for example).