Smoking help on a gas grill

[KJRsmoker]

I need some help from all of you knowledgeable smokers.  I have a MAK 2 Star and I used it quite frequently to smoke pork belly to make bacon.  My dad, who lives in La Quinta, CA, wants to do the same thing on his Weber Genesis 6-burner gas grill.  What product/method would you recommend to reach a smoking temperature of around 180F?  Thanks in advance.

[teesquare]

This one is...an experiment. BUT....

1. I would ensure that first - he has a 2 channel remote thermometer to watch the temp in the grill and of the pork belly.

2. This should be a "cold side cook"...meaning - meat placed at opposite end of the grill from the 1 lit burner.

3. For smoke...nothing beats the ease of use of an Amazen' Smoker Tube. Your choice of pellets...I prefer cherry/pecan mix.

Other than placing the belly on a thin wire rack over a pan to catch the drip....That is all I can think of to get started.
T

[Big Dawg]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly what I was going to say . . .





BD

[GusRobin]

the only thing I would add is to watch it carefully in the beginning until he gets the temp dialed in.

[Lemonhead78]

Also make sure he starts with a full propane tank

[TentHunteR]

Basically... what Tim said.

The things I would add are:

1) Don't worry about 180° exactly; as long as the temperature is between 165° - 185° he is in "Hot-Smoke" temps and will be fine.

2) The A-maze-n Smoke tube will be perfect for a 3-4 hour cold smoke (no burners lit).

After that I would add a large sealed foil pouch full of pellets or chips directly above the burner on the lit side of the grill.  The pouch should have one single small hole poked in it (using a toothpick).  Not two or three small holes, and not a large hole.  ONE SINGLE SMALL HOLE - that's it.  And do NOT soak the chips/pellets in water!

That foil pouch will become a little smoke factory and will provide a source of light blueish-gray, almost invisible, CLEAN smoke during the hot-smoke phase.  You will not believe how much smoke flavor this produces.  I've used this method to great success on gas grills in the past. It's easy and cheap!

If that pellet/chip pouch runs out before the bacon reaches temp, simply add another. 


3)  I prefer Applewood for bacon. It gives a really good deep penetrating smoke flavor.  Apple & Hickory is also a great blend.

[Hub]

Tee nailed it.  Gas grills are called gas grills because they are grills.  I have one and it (equipped with GrillGrates) can do some decent grilling but making a gas grill into a smoker is harder and not reliable because the devices lack automatic temperature control.  Not impossible, mind you, just more work.  Be prepared to monitor and adjust the gas flow as exterior temperature and wind conditions change.  Results will be inconsistent compared to a stick/pellet/charcoal fed smoker with a controller or fine adjustments but good food is still possible.

Best option to try is to test the results with his grill.  If he's happy with results you golden.  If not, get a small but capable smoker like a Weber bullet.

Hub