Can I turn this into a smoker?

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mason dixon

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 10, 2013
1
10
Huntsville, AL
Hi guys, I'm a total newbie to smoking and would like to make something so I can smoke some ribs Saturday. There are so many options and info out there it makes my head swim.

I have one of these:


It was a freebie from a friend. I don't have gas hooked up to it at all. I only used it once as a charcoal grill.

I was about to start buying parts to make a UDS Friday when I thought I would check on a bbq forum to see if turning one of these grills into a sidebox smoker would be worth it. I've had cheap box store smokers before that turned out to be much more trouble than they were worth.

Basically, I don't know if I can just drill some holes in the lids to let the smoke through and I can start smoking or if it would turn into a smoking nightmare and be a waste of time.
 
Last edited:
Definitely DO NOT make vent holes in the lids...you will have a HUGE amount of heat/smoke loss from them as is...gas grills use a large amount of ventilation so they can keep those big burners lit up, breathing well and cranking out the heat. If you want to start smoking with it, you can do so by using indirect heat and placing a (burned-out) tin can of wood chips near the flame. That's how I started smoking spare ribs about 12 years ago...big ole' ugly gas grill...it works when you're in a pinch. Since Saturday is just around the corner, look inside this grill and see what you can do to set-up a smoke can near a burner (on the rock grate should do fine) and just get everything ready for the weekend. Never know, you may enjoy this method of smoking so well due to it's simplicity that you may just put off building a dedicated smoker.

Eric
 
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