Why am I not getting any smoke out of my smoking pouch?
I am cooking some brisket on a gas grill. Following YouTube tutorials I made a smoking pouch/smoke bomb just like the ones they do on YouTube and filled it with newly purchased smoking pellets. As suggested I sealed the pouch, poked holes in it, placed it on top of a burner on one end, and turned the burner on high. I placed the brisket at the other end. Initially the temperature reached 300 degrees Fahrenheit with that single burner on high. Later I lowered it down to hold the temperature around 225-250. Strangely I haven't seen any smoke coming out of the smoking pouch. No action there whatsoever. One of the holes has gathered a tiny bit of brownish gooey stuff. That's it.
Temperature too low? A tutorial says hot smoking works in the range of 180 degrees and 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
Best Answer
It is possible that you didn't poke big enough holes, or that the heat from the burner was not enough to cause the pellets to smoulder. You need to place the packet on the burner directly (actually on the rack above the burner, removing the diffuser), not on top of the diffuser (see Step 2 in these Step-by-step instructions). One way to test would be to fire up your grill, place a packet on the grill and visually check what setting you need to use to see smoke coming out of the packet.
Hot smoking is usually only done for a portion of the whole cooking time not the whole time. Generally you only need 30 min to 1 hour of smoking at the start, along with a long slow (~225 F/~110 C) cook for the rest of the time.
Also note that the temperature on the grill thermometer in the lid is not measuring the temperature at the cooking surface. The temperature on the lid is an indicator of the heat inside the grill at the point of the probe only! Ideally for smoking/slow cooking you need the temperature measured at the meat. This is especially the case with gas grills as they are not well sealed (won't work if they are), so a lot of the heat and smoke escapes out the gaps, but the probe is usually near the top of the lid, where heat accumulates. If you are inexperienced at smoking I wouldn't be too concerned about fine temperature control at this point - a little too hot at the start shouldn't matter too much in the long run.
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Why is my smoke box not smoking?
You will get limited or no smoke production if the wood is without measurable moisture. You need to purchase wood chips that have some measurable moisture to work effectively. Chips labeled as kiln dried are likely too dry for producing smoke vapor.How do you use a smoking pouch?
Keep the pouch directly over the heat for the first 2-4 minutes, until the first signs of smoke come out of the pouch. When it's starting to produce smoke, either turn the heat down or move it to a cooler area of the grill. Add your meat, seafood or veg like you normally would and close the grill.Why are my wood chips not smoking?
In truth, soaking your wood chips and chunks isn't necessary and here's why. Wood chips and chunks that have been soaked have to get rid of any moisture before they can produce smoke. The water on the wood will have to heat to 212\xb0F (the boiling point of water) and will stall there until the water has been evaporated.How long does a smoke pouch last?
A handful of wood chips in a foil pouch lasts 40-45 minutes. You can give the pouch a little shake to get about 5 minutes of extra smoke. The pellet pouch lasts about an hour, with the strongest smoke happening in the 15-45-minute window.🚬 How To Smoke In Your Room Without Smelling It
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk