Wood chips smoker box?

[Quattro Pete]

Need something to place wood chips in on a gas grill. I suppose I could just use heavy duty alu foil, but more often than not, the foil ends up ripping and the chips catch on fire, so I'm hoping to find something more sturdy that will not deform when exposed to heat and that will have a hinged lid for ease of opening and adding more chips.

I did find some cast iron boxes on Amazon, but none of them appear to be hinged.

What are you guys using for this purpose?

Also, a semi-related question: what kind of wood would you recommend for smoking beef brisket?

 

[hatt]

How about a small cast iron pan with a lid. The lid handle would be easy to grab with your tongs.

I've had good luck using oak with brisket. You don't want a strong wood.

 

[racer12306]

Head to you local Lowes or HD and go to the grill section. They have exactly what you are looking for. I've had one for a few years, they are great for adding flavor into your food.

In terms of using it for actual low n slow smoking on a grill, not sure how effective it would be.

 

[sasilverbullet]

If you get the big chunks of wood (2 to 3 Inches) you can just put them on the rack above the flame. I do, works great!

 

[Alfred_B]

foil pouch.

 

[sleddriver]

Weber makes what you're looking for. HW & box stores should stock it.

Re: Oak, pecan, as well as a fruit wood like apple, cherry, etc.

 

[mr_boring]

I did a 19lb choice last Thurs night/Friday. I used mostly pecan, with some hickory and cherry. It was good, in the last couple years i was going cherry only, which was excellent by itself. Next one I will go heavier on the cherry and lighter on the pecan... Use chunks, not chips, and get them going on your sideburner (the stove). Use foil in the back of the grill to prevent as much smoke escaping as possible. Put one chunk on thats burning pretty good and get another going soon after. In a setup like this you need tons of smoke, cause if i was you I'd smoke heck out of it for about 3-4 hours then finish in an uncovered oven at 235, maybe 250 if times running short.

 

[Oro_O]

I use good quality HD aluminum foil and it works great. I make four "bombs" and then always have two in smoking, two other out rotating to get new wood. They hold up and I can use them many grill sessions, even hours and hours after I do a turkey they are re-usable. Not that the cost is the issue, but I do not find them fragile at all.

The grill has a steel hinged, lidded box but I get better smoke and distribution from the aluminum bombs.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks. Do you typically soak the chips in water beforehand?

BTW, I picked up a bag of Jack Daniel's wood chips, claimed to be made from Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey white oak aging barrels. Not sure I buy that, but whatever. Anyone used these before?

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Thanks. Do you typically soak the chips in water beforehand?

BTW, I picked up a bag of Jack Daniel's wood chips, claimed to be made from Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey white oak aging barrels. Not sure I buy that, but whatever. Anyone used these before?



Yep, def. soak them or they burn up too quickly. If your grill is drafty then cover the corners/etc. as mentioned above to make it more effective.

 

[Stewart Fan]

I don't soak chips. They just steam until they're dry and then start smoking.

 

[racer12306]

I pour a quart of water (size of my spray bottle) over a box full of chips and that's it. I did soak them per the directions on the bag once, but never got smoke out of them.

 

[racer12306]

Since it won't let me edit, though I should clarify, my smoke box has holes in the bottom, so the only soaking is the time it takes for all the water to run out.