1) How do I convert my charcoal grill to a smoker, while still having the ability to just cook using coals?
I have been successful in converting my charcoal grill to a smoker and still have the ability to grill using just charcoal. Most dual grill are Gas and Charcoal, mine is the best, as cooking with natural mesquite wood or all natural charcoal generates great heat, but more importantly adds flavor to the food.
2) What parts would I need to complete this project?
Although I am a qualified fabricator and will use some of these skills in converting the charcoal grill to a smoker, I decide to buy a smoker box instead of fabricating one. I purchased a 12” Char Broil Smoker. This is the best model I could find and I lucked out as I got it on sale. The original cost was $45.00, but I was able to purchase it for $25. In all honesty, I know the metal and time of fabrication would have been timely and this was a great option. This smoker box is sold as an attachment for Char Broiler Grill Model CBBA2-2750/S. I purchased my big Char Broiler Charcoal grill roughly seven years ago and I knew this box wouldnt fit. Therefore, I would have to fabricate and modify the grill. In addition, I knew i would need some piping for the chimney and a few other pieces of metal so I could fabricate brackets.
3) Will I need any additional tools?
I am a certified fabricator, as I worked for my dad’s company for years fabricating and fixing heavy machinery. I have a small shop at my parents garage, so I have a lot of the tools needed to make the convert the grill to a smoker. The only thing I anticipate on needed is more cutting/grinding bits for my dremel. I used sandpaper to rough up the grill, so I could prime and repaint the grill to make it look brand new. I used a cordless drill and various attachments for either drilling holes or putting pieces together using screws.I also used my jig saw to cut holes in the grill and used my dremel to help grind down the rough parts of the metal and reshape the holes.
4) Where do I find the conversion parts to make the charcoal grill a smoker?
I was able to locate the smoker box online at a few different stores, but randomly found the box on sale at Target. I purchased the smoker box for $25. All the other supplies would come from Home Depot. I probably spent another $35 on various supplies to fabricate the smoke stack.
5) What is the best wood for smoking meat? Where do I get this special wood?
I discovered that the best wood for smoking meat is Western BBQ Mesquite Flavored Wood chips. I love the sweet smoky smell of the wood and the flavor it provides when it penetrates the food. I found that the wood chips can be purchased in small 5 pound bags at WalMart for around $10 or you can get a 25 pound bag at Home Depot for $30. I prefer the larger pieces of wood, instead of the chips as they last longer and produce more heat. I believe it is easier to monitor the temperature of the smoker.
6) What is the ideal temperature for the fire to smoke the meat?
On average the goal is keep the temperature of the smoker around 225 degrees. At first, it was really tough, as I would put too much wood. When I first started, the temperature would be around 500 degrees and I would have to wait for the smoker box to cool down. By far the biggest challenge I faced in the 20% project was maintaining the proper internal temperature for the smoker. The middle school Principal of HSMS has an electric smoker, which drops packets into the grill to maintain a preset temperature electronically. It is much easier to smoke larger pieces of meat this way. If I was to smoke a full Turkey, I would be up at 5am and monitoring the temperature of the smoker all day. Smoking is a commitment. The challenge in keeping a wood fire smoker to a temperature is a huge skill. One that I will only develop with experience.
7) How long will it take me to convert the charcoal grill into a smoker?
As I stated earlier, I chose to buy a prefabricated Smoker Box that adapts to a different grill. I thought that it would be easier for me to fabricate the box to fit my grill vs. making a smoker box from scratch. I would say that I probably spent roughly 20 hours if not more converting the charcoal grill to a smoker. This included attaching the smoker box, fabricating new mounts, cutting and fitting a chimney stack, painting the grill and reconstruction of the wheels and legs for easily moving the huge grill around.
8) How long does the meat need to be in the smoker to reach the ideal internal temperature, ensuring the meat is cooked?
I cooked a 3 pound brisket and it was in the smoker for about 4.5 hours. I tried to maintain a smoker temperature of 225 degrees fahrenheit, with the goal of the internal temperature of the brisket being 180.
I also smoked some Tilapia, as I am not a huge fan of Salmon. I smoked the fish for roughly an hour with an internal smoker temperature of 200 degrees fahrenheit. I was able to see the smoke rings, which shows that the fish was exposed to smoke for a perfect amount of time.
By far my favorite food I smoked was the turkey legs for Thanksgiving. I prepared the turkey legs in two ways. First, I just put a basic dry rub of salt, pepper, and paprika. After this I continually basted the turkey with barbecue sauce. The other turkey leg I wrapped in bacon and it was amazing. It was better than the one’s I have purchased at the San Diego Fair. I had a little trouble maintaining the temperature, but I was able to cook the turkey legs for 2.5 hours. I look forward to smoking an entire turkey next year.
9) How much effort does it take to monitor the temperature of a smoker over a long period of time?
This is by far the most challenging part of smoking food, trying to maintain the perfect temperature. The goal of smoking meat is to expose the meat to a low temperature for a long period of time. I found that trying to maintain an internal smoker temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit was best. At first the smoker was slow to build temperature. I started out by burning just the mesquite wood, but it took too long to build the internal temperature of the smoker. I then added some all natural charcoal briquettes to help raise the temperature and increase the rate at which the wood burns. My first attempt was a critical fail, as I had the internal temperature of the smoker at 500 degrees within a few minutes. Least as a fireman I can build a hot fire and know how to put it out. Smoking meat is all about finding the right balance of a small and efficient fire and then slowly adding more wood to increase and maintain the temperature. The key word is slowly. Smoking meat is a lot of work. I think it shows true dedication to food.
10) How tasty is the end product? Will I see smoke rings?
I am an avid fan of all things barbecue and have tried every barbecue restaurant in San Diego. I would say my food is better. Not tryin to sound sound arrogant, but I think when meat is smoked in smaller quantities the food tastes better. The big mass produced barbecue restaurants don't produce or infuse the extra smokeyness.
Smoke rings where visible when I smoked the fish. I got the brisket to a perfect internal temperature and it was nice and pink. When I smoked the bacon wrapped turkey legs, this was bar far my best effort. The bacon was beautifully and tender and all the extra fat had moistened the turkey leg. The fish had more of a darker color regarding the smoke ring. I believe if I brinded the fish for a longer period of time, the fish would be more moist.
11) Keep in mind we will use the same conversion smoker, but will my food taste better that my dad's?
My dad and I spent a lot of time together building the smoker, which allowed us to enjoy a beer or two. I am so happy that I was able to spend all this time with my dad and that was what made this project more fun. He didn't help much, but what made me really happy was my son aiden got to see what my dad and I built. Aiden is six and I continue to show him the same skills my dad showed me at his age and I look forward to sharing more of these skills, fabrication and cooking as he gets older.
The only thing I was not able to do was the contest against my dad. Smoking the meat is a long process and my dad was happy to let me labor over the internal temperature of the meat and the smoker. I know he loves the flavor, but he is content with his propane grill.That being said, it is a custom propane grill that he and I built a few years back. Guess we are the family that makes BBQ’s.
I have been successful in converting my charcoal grill to a smoker and still have the ability to grill using just charcoal. Most dual grill are Gas and Charcoal, mine is the best, as cooking with natural mesquite wood or all natural charcoal generates great heat, but more importantly adds flavor to the food.
2) What parts would I need to complete this project?
Although I am a qualified fabricator and will use some of these skills in converting the charcoal grill to a smoker, I decide to buy a smoker box instead of fabricating one. I purchased a 12” Char Broil Smoker. This is the best model I could find and I lucked out as I got it on sale. The original cost was $45.00, but I was able to purchase it for $25. In all honesty, I know the metal and time of fabrication would have been timely and this was a great option. This smoker box is sold as an attachment for Char Broiler Grill Model CBBA2-2750/S. I purchased my big Char Broiler Charcoal grill roughly seven years ago and I knew this box wouldnt fit. Therefore, I would have to fabricate and modify the grill. In addition, I knew i would need some piping for the chimney and a few other pieces of metal so I could fabricate brackets.
3) Will I need any additional tools?
I am a certified fabricator, as I worked for my dad’s company for years fabricating and fixing heavy machinery. I have a small shop at my parents garage, so I have a lot of the tools needed to make the convert the grill to a smoker. The only thing I anticipate on needed is more cutting/grinding bits for my dremel. I used sandpaper to rough up the grill, so I could prime and repaint the grill to make it look brand new. I used a cordless drill and various attachments for either drilling holes or putting pieces together using screws.I also used my jig saw to cut holes in the grill and used my dremel to help grind down the rough parts of the metal and reshape the holes.
4) Where do I find the conversion parts to make the charcoal grill a smoker?
I was able to locate the smoker box online at a few different stores, but randomly found the box on sale at Target. I purchased the smoker box for $25. All the other supplies would come from Home Depot. I probably spent another $35 on various supplies to fabricate the smoke stack.
5) What is the best wood for smoking meat? Where do I get this special wood?
I discovered that the best wood for smoking meat is Western BBQ Mesquite Flavored Wood chips. I love the sweet smoky smell of the wood and the flavor it provides when it penetrates the food. I found that the wood chips can be purchased in small 5 pound bags at WalMart for around $10 or you can get a 25 pound bag at Home Depot for $30. I prefer the larger pieces of wood, instead of the chips as they last longer and produce more heat. I believe it is easier to monitor the temperature of the smoker.
6) What is the ideal temperature for the fire to smoke the meat?
On average the goal is keep the temperature of the smoker around 225 degrees. At first, it was really tough, as I would put too much wood. When I first started, the temperature would be around 500 degrees and I would have to wait for the smoker box to cool down. By far the biggest challenge I faced in the 20% project was maintaining the proper internal temperature for the smoker. The middle school Principal of HSMS has an electric smoker, which drops packets into the grill to maintain a preset temperature electronically. It is much easier to smoke larger pieces of meat this way. If I was to smoke a full Turkey, I would be up at 5am and monitoring the temperature of the smoker all day. Smoking is a commitment. The challenge in keeping a wood fire smoker to a temperature is a huge skill. One that I will only develop with experience.
7) How long will it take me to convert the charcoal grill into a smoker?
As I stated earlier, I chose to buy a prefabricated Smoker Box that adapts to a different grill. I thought that it would be easier for me to fabricate the box to fit my grill vs. making a smoker box from scratch. I would say that I probably spent roughly 20 hours if not more converting the charcoal grill to a smoker. This included attaching the smoker box, fabricating new mounts, cutting and fitting a chimney stack, painting the grill and reconstruction of the wheels and legs for easily moving the huge grill around.
8) How long does the meat need to be in the smoker to reach the ideal internal temperature, ensuring the meat is cooked?
I cooked a 3 pound brisket and it was in the smoker for about 4.5 hours. I tried to maintain a smoker temperature of 225 degrees fahrenheit, with the goal of the internal temperature of the brisket being 180.
I also smoked some Tilapia, as I am not a huge fan of Salmon. I smoked the fish for roughly an hour with an internal smoker temperature of 200 degrees fahrenheit. I was able to see the smoke rings, which shows that the fish was exposed to smoke for a perfect amount of time.
By far my favorite food I smoked was the turkey legs for Thanksgiving. I prepared the turkey legs in two ways. First, I just put a basic dry rub of salt, pepper, and paprika. After this I continually basted the turkey with barbecue sauce. The other turkey leg I wrapped in bacon and it was amazing. It was better than the one’s I have purchased at the San Diego Fair. I had a little trouble maintaining the temperature, but I was able to cook the turkey legs for 2.5 hours. I look forward to smoking an entire turkey next year.
9) How much effort does it take to monitor the temperature of a smoker over a long period of time?
This is by far the most challenging part of smoking food, trying to maintain the perfect temperature. The goal of smoking meat is to expose the meat to a low temperature for a long period of time. I found that trying to maintain an internal smoker temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit was best. At first the smoker was slow to build temperature. I started out by burning just the mesquite wood, but it took too long to build the internal temperature of the smoker. I then added some all natural charcoal briquettes to help raise the temperature and increase the rate at which the wood burns. My first attempt was a critical fail, as I had the internal temperature of the smoker at 500 degrees within a few minutes. Least as a fireman I can build a hot fire and know how to put it out. Smoking meat is all about finding the right balance of a small and efficient fire and then slowly adding more wood to increase and maintain the temperature. The key word is slowly. Smoking meat is a lot of work. I think it shows true dedication to food.
10) How tasty is the end product? Will I see smoke rings?
I am an avid fan of all things barbecue and have tried every barbecue restaurant in San Diego. I would say my food is better. Not tryin to sound sound arrogant, but I think when meat is smoked in smaller quantities the food tastes better. The big mass produced barbecue restaurants don't produce or infuse the extra smokeyness.
Smoke rings where visible when I smoked the fish. I got the brisket to a perfect internal temperature and it was nice and pink. When I smoked the bacon wrapped turkey legs, this was bar far my best effort. The bacon was beautifully and tender and all the extra fat had moistened the turkey leg. The fish had more of a darker color regarding the smoke ring. I believe if I brinded the fish for a longer period of time, the fish would be more moist.
11) Keep in mind we will use the same conversion smoker, but will my food taste better that my dad's?
My dad and I spent a lot of time together building the smoker, which allowed us to enjoy a beer or two. I am so happy that I was able to spend all this time with my dad and that was what made this project more fun. He didn't help much, but what made me really happy was my son aiden got to see what my dad and I built. Aiden is six and I continue to show him the same skills my dad showed me at his age and I look forward to sharing more of these skills, fabrication and cooking as he gets older.
The only thing I was not able to do was the contest against my dad. Smoking the meat is a long process and my dad was happy to let me labor over the internal temperature of the meat and the smoker. I know he loves the flavor, but he is content with his propane grill.That being said, it is a custom propane grill that he and I built a few years back. Guess we are the family that makes BBQ’s.