Smoke Tubes and Smoke Boxes: Adding Smoke to Any Grill

What a smoke tube and a smoke box do

Most grills make heat well and smoke poorly. A gas grill has a burner but no wood. A kettle can hold a small fire, but the fire is not made for steady smoke. An electric cabinet often has a small chip tray. These accessories add a separate source of smoke.

• Smoke tube. A perforated metal tube, often hexagonal or round. You fill it with pellets, light one end and set it on the grate or in the chamber. It smolders slowly along its length.
• Smoke box. A small metal container for chips or chunks, with vents or a lid. It sits over a burner, on the coals or on a gas grill's burner cover or grates, as the maker directs. It needs heat from below to start smoking.
• Maze or tray. A related type with a path for the burn. Treat it as a tube for buying purposes.

Which grill or smoker each suits

• Gas grill: a box is the common choice. A tube also works if you can keep it away from the burner.
• Charcoal kettle: a tube or a few chunks on the coals. See our kettle smoking post for the trade-offs.
• Electric cabinet: a tube can add smoke if the chip tray is weak. Check the manual first.
• Pellet grill: some owners add a tube for a stronger smoke. Check the manual and warranty, and never put the tube in the hopper.
• Cold smoking setups: a tube is the usual tool because it does not need much heat.

Safety and fit come first

These accessories produce smoke and heat from burning wood. The CDC says never to burn charcoal indoors, and the pellet grill manual we read bans use in a garage, building, breezeway, tent, lanai or screened porch. Smoldering wood deserves the same treatment as any open fire. Use it in open air, on a level, dry, non-combustible surface, and away from walls, fences and overhead cover.

• Let it burn out and cool before you handle it. Use tongs and gloves rated for heat.
• Keep pellets dry. Wet pellets can swell and clog an auger, and damp fuel in a tube may not burn well.
• Use food-grade wood. Pellets and chips should be sold for cooking. Our wood species post explains why that matters.
• Read the grill manual. It may restrict accessories in the cooking chamber.
• Dispose of ash safely. Let it cool completely before it goes into a bin.
• Keep people and pets back. A lit tube is hot and hard to see in daylight, so set it where nobody can brush against it.

A note on cold smoking

Cold smoking adds smoke without cooking the food, and a tube is the usual tool. The risk is food safety. The CDC describes the range from 40°F to 140°F as the danger zone where bacteria multiply quickly, and says food should not stay out in it for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. A cold smoking setup spends time in that range unless it is managed well.

Cheese is the usual starter. For fish, bacon or other meats, use a tested method from a food-safety authority that covers curing, chamber temperature and time. Keep a thermometer reading the chamber, and use a food thermometer for the food. Our cold smoking overview covers the equipment side.

Common problems

• It goes out. Poor airflow, damp pellets or a tube packed too tight are the usual suspects. Dry fuel and a spot with some air movement help. Follow the accessory maker's lighting steps.
• The smoke tastes harsh. Too much smoke can taste bitter. Use less fuel, a smaller tube or less time, and see whether the food tastes better with lighter smoke.
• No smoke at all. Check that the fuel actually lit, and that the lid is not choking the airflow. In a box, make sure the chips are getting heat.
• Residue on food or grates. Clean the chamber between uses, and let ash and grease cool before you scrape. Our cleaning checklist covers the routine.

What to check before you buy

• Does the listing state the pellet or chip type it uses, and does it match what you buy? Our pellet label guide helps with the bag.
• Is the metal sturdy, and does the tube have end caps or a stand?
• Does the maker give lighting and shutdown instructions?
• Does it fit the space inside your grill or smoker with the lid closed?
• Is the finish rated for heat and food contact?

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