Been wanting to try smoking some pork ribs but don't have a smoker. If I buy one of these little shitty grills and set it up right, can I use I need to smoke
by Shawn_Spencer_
19 Comments
Barber_since_88
Hell yeah!!!! Hit me up for directions
RyanTheQ
No, it’s too small in terms of capacity and temp control. Instead, find a pre-owned 22” kettle or spring for a new one.
bangoslam
Not ideal but it will work. Search this sub for snake method for charcoal. Better off finding a better used smoker though. Will likely cost the same
rileydogdad1
Yes. But These grills are terrible. The heat is very unevenly distributed. You would be much better off buying a Weber, You can grill smoke. They are excellent.
RanOutOfThingsToDo
I started with one of them. Main trouble I had was the lack of decent bottom vents, and the fact that the charcoal sits on a tray not a grill where the air can easily pass through it. It worked but was hard to keep it up to temperature using the snake. I ended up buying the Webber kettle after this and have loved it ever since for smoking and grilling. I add my vote to getting a Weber if you can afford it. If not this’ll work but be frustrating
ggn0r3
Yes but be prepared for the most pain in the ass time you’ll ever experience.
I’m talking about coals dying regardless of how you have your vents, wacky hot spots, horrible temp control, everything
standardtissue
First thing I ever smoked at home was a turkey leg on a gas grill. What I did was get one of those metal chip boxes, and put the chips on the left burner, with the turkey on the right (burner off). You can do the same here by just piling a small bit of coals off to one side, with wood chips over it… or you could possibly even just smolder wood. It’s not going to be the same as a smoker of course, and you don’t want to try anything large like a brisket or a pork butt but you can try a turkey leg or some chicken and see how it comes out.
Gunk_Olgidar
Yes, difficult but not impossible.
Very small fire on one side, with a half-height metal separator to block radiant heat (half-dozen sheets of Aluminum foil sill suffice if you don’t have anything else. Meat on the other side on a rack on top of a water pan (small baking sheet will suffice).
Temp control and fuel management might be a PITA. You’ll likely be dealing with both at least every 15-20 mins. A two-probe wireless thermometer like a Thermoworks Smoke will help tremendously, but that’s not a budget item.
The key is being able to hold a 275F +/- 25F chamber temperature. If you can do that, you can smoke anything that will fit.
Happy smoking!
460Volts
When it comes to smoking meat. You can use about anything that can hold fire and contain smoke. In college I used something similar from Weber. You can still purchase today. The smallest round table top cooker. Just make a small lump coal fire contain it in a smallest foil loaf pan on the edge with hickory chips. Cook on opposite side. I would do 4 or 5 pork ribs at 225-235⁰f for 4 hours. The trick was to have another foil loaf pan of coal hot and ready if the other one burns out if needed. For me it’s just easier.
MOS95B
Yes. I’ve done it on one very similar. It’s a lot of extra work keeping the fire low enough and having to turn the meat occasionally so it cooks evenly. But it can be done
I no longer have the “after” pics, but it turned out pretty good.
Abe_Bettik
I wouldn’t. There are cheaper, better options out there. Look on Facebook Market Place for cheap or free Weber Kettles.
The square grill you showed has horrible airflow and horrible thermals. You’ll be baby-sitting it constantly. A Weber Kettle is set-and-forget once you get the coals right.
Deerslyr101571
How much is one of those? Because I bet you could find a unit on Craigslist or FB Marketplace for about the same $$ or slightly more. Then you would have one that is ostensibly designed. Yes… some of them are cheap and inefficient in terms of your time, but will probably still be more conducive to smoking.
Here’s my fear… if you haven’t smoked before learning on a rig like this may deter you from it because it’s gonna be labor intensive. I’d hate for you to get frustrated and give it up.
Also… try a pork shoulder on that first. It’s the most forgiving cut of meat and kinda hard to screw up.
What’s your budget? Where do you live?
Barber_since_88
What I do is form a triangle to the rear of lump charcoal lit it get white hot. Meanwhile soak some preferred wood in water. Place wood over coals place cleaned and oiled grill grate. Place meats on opposite site of triangle. Adjust chimney to 1/4 open. Adding a thermometer to the front is a good idea. Adjustments to the lower vents for good airflow will help make a nice low and slow smoke
Elomacaug10
Never tried a square one but I had a cheapy kettle grill that worked fine for smoking.
KindlySpread7544
Hahahahahhahaha
markrueff
Nothing is impossible if you believe 😂
mightiestmovie
Smoke them for like 30 minutes on there and then finish in the oven. It’ll be really hard to keep a low temp for that long, but really you only need a short blast of smoke then do a long low period in the oven at like 200ish until they are done.
CR8VJUC
Why not try a smoke tube? Cheap enough and worth a shot. 🤷♂️
19 Comments
Hell yeah!!!! Hit me up for directions
No, it’s too small in terms of capacity and temp control. Instead, find a pre-owned 22” kettle or spring for a new one.
Not ideal but it will work. Search this sub for snake method for charcoal. Better off finding a better used smoker though. Will likely cost the same
Yes. But These grills are terrible. The heat is very unevenly distributed. You would be much better off buying a Weber, You can grill smoke. They are excellent.
I started with one of them. Main trouble I had was the lack of decent bottom vents, and the fact that the charcoal sits on a tray not a grill where the air can easily pass through it. It worked but was hard to keep it up to temperature using the snake. I ended up buying the Webber kettle after this and have loved it ever since for smoking and grilling. I add my vote to getting a Weber if you can afford it. If not this’ll work but be frustrating
Yes but be prepared for the most pain in the ass time you’ll ever experience.
I’m talking about coals dying regardless of how you have your vents, wacky hot spots, horrible temp control, everything
First thing I ever smoked at home was a turkey leg on a gas grill. What I did was get one of those metal chip boxes, and put the chips on the left burner, with the turkey on the right (burner off). You can do the same here by just piling a small bit of coals off to one side, with wood chips over it… or you could possibly even just smolder wood. It’s not going to be the same as a smoker of course, and you don’t want to try anything large like a brisket or a pork butt but you can try a turkey leg or some chicken and see how it comes out.
Yes, difficult but not impossible.
Very small fire on one side, with a half-height metal separator to block radiant heat (half-dozen sheets of Aluminum foil sill suffice if you don’t have anything else. Meat on the other side on a rack on top of a water pan (small baking sheet will suffice).
Temp control and fuel management might be a PITA. You’ll likely be dealing with both at least every 15-20 mins. A two-probe wireless thermometer like a Thermoworks Smoke will help tremendously, but that’s not a budget item.
The key is being able to hold a 275F +/- 25F chamber temperature. If you can do that, you can smoke anything that will fit.
Happy smoking!
When it comes to smoking meat. You can use about anything that can hold fire and contain smoke. In college I used something similar from Weber. You can still purchase today. The smallest round table top cooker. Just make a small lump coal fire contain it in a smallest foil loaf pan on the edge with hickory chips. Cook on opposite side. I would do 4 or 5 pork ribs at 225-235⁰f for 4 hours. The trick was to have another foil loaf pan of coal hot and ready if the other one burns out if needed. For me it’s just easier.
Yes. I’ve done it on one very similar. It’s a lot of extra work keeping the fire low enough and having to turn the meat occasionally so it cooks evenly. But it can be done
https://i.imgur.com/TjFCYCz.jpg
I no longer have the “after” pics, but it turned out pretty good.
I wouldn’t. There are cheaper, better options out there. Look on Facebook Market Place for cheap or free Weber Kettles.
The square grill you showed has horrible airflow and horrible thermals. You’ll be baby-sitting it constantly. A Weber Kettle is set-and-forget once you get the coals right.
How much is one of those? Because I bet you could find a unit on Craigslist or FB Marketplace for about the same $$ or slightly more. Then you would have one that is ostensibly designed. Yes… some of them are cheap and inefficient in terms of your time, but will probably still be more conducive to smoking.
Here’s my fear… if you haven’t smoked before learning on a rig like this may deter you from it because it’s gonna be labor intensive. I’d hate for you to get frustrated and give it up.
Also… try a pork shoulder on that first. It’s the most forgiving cut of meat and kinda hard to screw up.
What’s your budget? Where do you live?
What I do is form a triangle to the rear of lump charcoal lit it get white hot. Meanwhile soak some preferred wood in water. Place wood over coals place cleaned and oiled grill grate. Place meats on opposite site of triangle. Adjust chimney to 1/4 open. Adding a thermometer to the front is a good idea. Adjustments to the lower vents for good airflow will help make a nice low and slow smoke
Never tried a square one but I had a cheapy kettle grill that worked fine for smoking.
Hahahahahhahaha
Nothing is impossible if you believe 😂
Smoke them for like 30 minutes on there and then finish in the oven. It’ll be really hard to keep a low temp for that long, but really you only need a short blast of smoke then do a long low period in the oven at like 200ish until they are done.
Why not try a smoke tube? Cheap enough and worth a shot. 🤷♂️
https://a.co/d/0Pl9eIo
Yes it’s possible but it would be incredibly hard.