My smoker box sucks.

Question

i used to have a charcoal grill and smoking wasnt a problem--i was forced to let it go before a post college--200 mile move....anyway, i have a little cast iron smoker box (for gas grills) from Home Depot--it doesnt put off much smoke, doesnt smolder, and just leaves black chips behind. how do i make this piece of c**p work? should i just do the "damp chips in foil" deal?

Answer 1

Cast Iron is actually a good material for a smoker box.     Try pre-heating the wood in the box over a flame before you put it in the grill.   The kick-start should get you the additional smoke you are looking for.

Answer 2

OK, so you said you used to have a charcoal grill and the smoker box is for gas grills...so I am going to assume you have some kind of grill.

Yes, you soak the chips (I go a day) and then wrap them in foil and poke that a few times with a needle or other sharp object and go at it. Thats actually the only way these things work right.

Wally