How To Turn Your BBQ Into A Smoker

I grew up in a Filipino household, so ihawan (grilling) has always been a big part of my summer. Whether it’s vegetables, seafood, meat or even fruit—anything that can be marinated, threaded onto a skewer and thrown onto a grill—I will happily eat it.

I just can’t get enough of the delicious results of the Maillard reaction, which is when proteins and sugars transform into delightful new flavours, colours and aromas during the cooking process. Above all, I love the flavour that smoke imparts on a surprising array of foods—and I wanted to figure out how to get more of it without having to invest in a standalone smoker. As it turns out, if you have a charcoal grill, you’re already halfway there. Here’s everything you need to know about converting your grill into a smoker.

What is smoking?

Unlike grilling, smoking is slow (very, very slow) and steady—but it can also be done on your grill. “A smoker, in the simplest terms, is a cavity that you fill with food and apply indirect heat to through smoked wood,” says Toronto-based chef Matthew Ravenscroft. There are two methods: “Cold smoking doesn’t cook food, whereas hot smoking cooks and smokes food simultaneously,” explains New York–based chef Charlene Luo. Cold smoking is perfect for hard cheeses, cured meats and salt. Try hot smoking foods you’d usually grill, such as brisket, fish or firm tofu.

What you'll need

Wood chips, chunks or pellets (hot and cold smoking) Weber hickory wood chips, $10 for 2lbs, rona.ca

Blowtorch (cold smoking) Stainless steel baker’s torch, $37, canadiantire.ca

Smoker maze (cold smoking) Wadeo pellet smoker, $27, amazon.ca

Digital thermometer (hot and cold smoking) Thermopro TP07B digital wireless meat thermometer, $44, amazon.ca

How to cold smoke

Fill a smoker maze with wood pellets, then place it on charcoal grate. Use a blowtorch to light the maze at one end; let pellets burn for two minutes, then blow out to release smoke. Place cooking grate on grill, then place the food you’re cold smoking on cooking grate and close lid. (Line grate with foil if smoking cheese; use a metal tray for salt.) “Check the food every hour, and rotate it to ensure it gets an even smoke,” says Luo. “For cured sausages, this takes about seven hours.”

How to hot smoke

Light charcoal; place in charcoal basket or arrange over three-quarters of charcoal grate. “In the remaining space, place a metal tray of cold water,” says Ravenscroft. Place cooking grate on grill; close lid. Once desired temperature is reached, lift cooking grate and add wood chips or chunks to charcoal. Close lid. When smoke stars pouring out of grill, place food on cooking grate. Close lid; keep bottom vents open and top vents on opposite side of charcoal. Add more charcoal hourly; sweep out ash as needed.

While the products in this piece have been independently chosen, this article contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.