Turn Any Charcoal Grill Into A Smoker

To use your charcoal grill as a smoker you will be using the indirect cooking method. This is done two ways depending on the type of charcoal grill you have.

For the typical round grill this is done by placing your coals on both sides of your grill separated by an aluminum pan with about 2-3 cups of water along with any flavorings you want to add. Once your coals are heated up, place soaked wood pieces on top of the coals. Be sure your wood is fully smoking before you start cooking. You want to place your food on the grill directly above the water pan. Be sure to add a few coal briquettes every hour and as needed add water and seasonings to the pan.


For a barrel shaped grill the method is about the same except the placement of your cooking materials. For this type of grill, you will place your coal and smoking wood to one side of the grill. If your barrel grill has a smoke pipe then you want your coals on the opposite side and the food on the same side as your smoke stack. Once the coals get going good place your wood on the coals and place your food on opposite side of grill.

Important Cooking Tips

When smoking your food this way be sure to keep the temperature around 190 and 220 degrees. 200 degrees is an optimal temperature to smoke with. Be sure to use a meat thermometer because smoked food has a different color than regular grilled food. A thermometer will make sure you don’t under or over cook the meat. Also you can add some wood chips to your water pan to help add some flavor.