How to Make a Homemade Barbecue Smoker
Smoking meat in the backyard does not necessarily mean buying expensive upright smokers or grill-smoker combinations. If a kettle-style charcoal grill, such as a Weber, already rests on your deck or patio, a bag of natural lump charcoal and hardwood smoking chips can transform the outdoor cooking classic into a homemade barbecue smoker. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dry rub seasoning
- Meat
- Five pounds hardwood smoking chips of choice
- Large plastic bowl or bucket
- Kettle-style charcoal grill
- Natural lump charcoal
- Electric charcoal starter
- Drip pan
Instructions
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1
The night before smoking, coat meat with a dry rub and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. This allows the seasoning to absorb into the meat, curing it.
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2
Dump hardwood smoking chips into the bowl or bucket and completely cover with water, allowing the chips to soak for at least an hour before firing up the grill.
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3
Remove the cooking grate on your kettle-style barbecue grill. Open all vents wide and place four or five handfuls of lump charcoal on one side of the charcoal grate.
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4
Bury an electric starter in the coals before plugging in the device. Keep the starter in the charcoal for eight minutes until it begins to smoke and crackle.
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5
Unplug the starter and remove it. Place the drip pan on the side of the grill bottom that is charcoal free. Add a cup or two of water to the pan to keep any meat drippings from burning during cooking. Replace the lid and allow coals to sit another 10 minutes to thoroughly catch fire.
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6
Open the lid and throw some wet wood chips or chunks on the coals to produce smoke.
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7
Replace the cooking grate. Place the meat on the side of the grill over the drip pan and farthest away from the heat source. Close the lid.
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8
Use the grill vents to regulate temperature inside the kettle so that it rests between 200 and 250 degrees.
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9
Add a fresh handful or two of lump charcoal every hour. Add wood chips every 30 minutes throughout the cooking process.
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Tips & Warnings
Wet wood chips and chunks produce more smoke, so soak them ahead of time in water, beer or wine. Adding a handful of chips and charcoal to the fire every 30 minutes to an hour feeds the heat source and creates enough smoke to flavor the meat. Consult grilling or smoking cookbooks or websites, such as Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible site, for suggested smoking times based on meat type and weight. Control cooking chamber temperatures by adjusting the vents on the lid and underneath the kettle grill.
Always use fire-resistant cooking mitts when feeding coals or chips into the fire. Handle meat with long grilling-style cooking tongs to avoid burns. Handle hot grates with long-handled pliers when adding charcoal and wood chips.
