How to Setup Vertical Gas Smokers

A vertical gas smoker provides maximum smoking capacity for meats with a smaller footprint than traditional smokers. This makes the vertical smoker an ideal choice for patios and backyards with minimal free space. Setting up the vertical smoker takes only a few minutes to add water and wood chips. Add an extra 10 minutes to heat the unit, and food will be smoking within half an hour.

Things You'll Need

• Vertical smoker
• Water
• Grill brush
• Wood chips presoaked in water for an hour
• Food for smoking

Instructions

1. Remove the lid and cooking grate from the top of the smoker.

2. Scrub the cooking grate with a grill brush to remove food residue from the last smoking session.

3. Fill the water pan underneath the cooking grate with water to the level mark on the inside of the pan. The water pan reduces flareups by catching juice and grease drippings from smoking meat. The steaming water also keeps the food moist.

4. Open the firebox door on the side of the smoker, and add drained woodchips to the box. After soaking for an hour in water, drained wood chips will produce thick smoke to add flavor and aroma to the meat.

5. Close the firedoor, and ignite the smoker burner either by pressing the starter button on the unit or by holding a grill lighter to the edge of the burner beneath the smoker box as you turn the gas on.

6. Replace the cooking grate and lid, and allow the smoker to preheat for 10 minutes before adding food to be smoked.

References

• Smoker Cooking: Using Vertical Smokers
• Texas Barbeques: Vertical Barbecue Smoker Techniques