How to Design a Grill Smoker Burn Pit
A grill smoker burn pit is a food smoker that cooks food using indirect heat at low, controlled temperatures. You can build many kinds of smokers, but some designs require more experience than others. For people with no welding experience, building a smoker out of simple materials such as a metal trash can or old charcoal grill is ideal. With these materials, you can build your smoker in under an hour. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Charcoal grill
- Grill rack
- Grill lid with vents
- Ready-light charcoal
- Grill lighter or matches
- Metal pan
- Water
- Bowl
- Chunks of hardwood
- Temperature gauge
Instructions
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1
Fill the bowl with cool water and soak the chunks of hardwood for at least an hour. Hardwood such as oak or hickory will infuse your food with flavor. Do not use softwood such as pine because it will burn black.
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2
Pour ready-light charcoal onto one side of the grill. Ignite it with a grill lighter or a match. Wait approximately 20 minutes before proceeding to the next step, until the flame has burned down and the charcoal has turned whitish.
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3
Fill the metal pan halfway with water and place the pan next to the hot charcoal.
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4
Place the chunks of hardwood on top of the charcoal. Wood that is soaked will not burn up as quickly and will give off more smoke. Insert the grill rack.
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5
Place the food on the grill rack, over the metal pan.
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6
Cover with the grill lid and insert the temperature gauge into one of the vents on the lid.
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Smoke the food for two to five hours at a temperature between 150 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature rises past 250 degrees, remove the lid to allow some of the heat to escape.
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Tips & Warnings
Try flavored wood chips with your new smoker. These chips come in flavors such as mesquite and honey.
Buy flavored wood chips and chunks of hardwood in the grilling section of your local home supplies store.
References
- Photo Credit wood chips image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
