Smoking On A Charcoal Grill
Charcoal Grills
You don’t need a fancy smoker to get the low and slow barbeque taste. Of course, you can buy one if you smoke meats often, but you can use your regular charcoal grill to smoke meat and fish.
The main difference in a smoker and a grill is that the smoker keeps the fire away from the meat. The smokers keep the temperatures around 200-250 degrees. A regular cahrcoal grill can do this as well. The fire must be kept small and to one side of the grill. You will need to watch the fire closely, but if you are patient, your results will be good.
In addition to your grill, you will need a drip pan, a water pan, and an oven safe thermometer. Heavy duty aluminum pans from the grocery store will work fine for this.
Remove the grates from your grill and build the fire on one side, away from the wind. Replace the grate and place the drip pan on the opposite side and the water pan over the fire.
One the coals are white hot, place the meat over the drip pan and the thermometer next to the meat. Close the lid. Now my Daddy would tell you not to fool around with the meat, don’t keep turning it over, just let it be and watch the fire. You may need to add coals periodically to keep the temperature constant at 200-250 degrees.
This will take some time, so don’t get fidgety. My dad used to cook some sausage along with the meat to snack on while the ribs or roasts were smoking. He used this time to swap yarns with his buddies. It was a huge social occasion, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. I know everyone in our family looked forward to the slow cooked, smoked meat that was served late in the day.
So buy a smoker if you must, but try using your charcoal grill as a smoker. With bit of practice, you’ll get enviable results.
