If you are in a hurry and want to find out what the Best Smoker Box For A Gas Grill is then we would recommend the Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel V-Shaped Smoker Box.
An investment in a smoker box will transform your grilling experience. A durable smoker box does more than create optimal smoke flow for your meats. It helps you deliver enhanced flavor to your meal. In this article, we provide you the necessary information to make an educated purchase decision. We also provide you with the best smoker box for gas grills on the market to help you grill better.
Here are the smoker boxes that we will be reviewing:
- Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel V-Shaped Smoker Box
- Rulunar Smoker Box
- Skyflame Wood Chip Smoker Box
- Mountain Grillers Smoker Box
- Grill Gods Smoker Box
Essential Things to Look Out for in a Smoker Box
As you search for the best smoker box for gas grill, there are a few key things to consider. The below smoker box characteristics are essential because you are making a long-term investment. A quality smoker box will give you the best value if it checks these boxes.
Ideal Size
Your smoker box must match the correct smoke volume as you use it. As you look at the various sizes, consider the amount of smoke you want the smoker to create. The size of your grill also plays a role in how big your smoker box should be.
The wood capacity is another essential component of your smoker box. If you plan on smoking for a couple of hours, you will need a box that can hold more wood. A smaller box will force you to refill the container and interfere with the smoking process.
Easy Maintenance and Cleaning
You must clean your smoker box regularly to ensure optimal cooking results. Because of the constant maintenance work involved, you want a smoker box that is easy to clean. Food drippings are common, so you should focus on products that enable a quick wipe down.
When you clean the boxes, you must wait until they cool down. Soap and water usually do the trick in cleaning the box properly. Dishwashing liquid or grease-penetrating soap are good choices to help you get the job done. You can also give your smoker box a thorough soak, which will make it easier to wipe clean when done utilizing it.
Proven Durability and Robust Materials
Because fire touches the smoker box frequently, you must focus on durability. Cast iron materials can endure extreme levels of heat without suffering or deteriorating. Rectangular-shaped smoker boxes are quality choices because the edges provide extra protection. Because the sides are robust, they can withstand constant use. Stainless steel with chromium also offers additional durability.
Straightforward Lid
The smoker box lid should be another easy component to use. It would be best if you looked closely at lids that come off or lift easily. A convenient lid will enable you to efficiently remove it or raise when you need to clean, refill, or empty the smoker box.
How to Use a Smoker Box and a Gas Grill
Once you purchase the right smoker box for your grill, you must learn how to use it properly. Before we dive into the crucial steps in using a smoker box, it is essential to address the right wood chips to use. The ideal wood chip type depends on your taste and what kind of meal you are preparing. Here is a quick rundown of the best types of wood chips and the ideal meat combinations:
- Mesquite – serves as an excellent additional flavor to red meats, significantly lighter types like fish
- Hickory – delivers a sweet and smoky flavor, pairs well with most red meat like pork
- Cherry – mild and sweet flavor that goes well with everything like beef, pork, wild game, and poultry
- Apple – mellow and mild flavoring that pairs well with poultry, pork, and various seafood
- Alder – subtly sweet flavor that goes perfect with fish and poultry
Now that you know which wood chips to use, you are now ready to learn the process of using a smoker box with a gas grill.
Preheat the Gas Grill
You must begin preheating the grill to start. You can light the burners on high for the first ten minutes to make the grill hot quickly. It also allows the wood chips to light up faster when you place the smoker box on the grill surface. You can decide how hot to start, but the primary mission here is to spread out the grill’s heat before you begin to cook.
Prepare the Smoker Box
Once you have selected an excellent product from our top smoker box list, it is time to prepare it. This step merely involves loading your wood chips into the box and then closing it up.
Setup the Grill with the Smoker Box
Now that you have the smoker box ready, you can turn off burners directly underneath your food. By doing this, your meal will cook on the distributed heat rather than directly on a flame. Next, take the smoker box and place it on the burner that remains lit. When the box is in the correct place, close the lid and allow the grill to adjust to the new temperature.
Before you add the food, please ensure that you adjust the final burner so that the grill reaches a temperature between 225- and 250-degrees Fahrenheit. When you accomplish this task, the smoker box should already be smoking.
If you want to see the full smoker box process from beginning to end, check out this quick, helpful video by Chef Jason Hill.
Top Smoker Box Products on the Market
Below is a list of the top smoker box products on the market. As we gathered this list, we chose the products that had the best size, easy cleaning and maintenance, simple lids, and most durable materials. When you select your ideal smoker box, you should ensure that it matches your grilling goals and how often you plan to smoke.
Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel V-Shaped Smoker Box
Charcoal Companion provides a functional, V-shaped design that fits nicely between deflector bars. This easy setup accommodates grillers of all skill levels. Although the stainless-steel metal is not the best quality, it will not warp quickly.
You can quickly pour in wood chips because of the simple hinged lid. The box’s top surface also contains many large holes to ensure the tasty smoke penetrates through the meat.
Charcoal Companion’s smoker box is one of the longer products on the market, sitting at 14 inches long. This extra space enables you to add more wood chips to the container and not worry about checking it regularly.
Pros
- It fits nicely between deflector bars because of its V-shape
- Box properly catches ashes, which keeps your grill clean consistently
- The box measures over 13.75 inches long, allowing ample room for wood chips
- The hanging lid gives you optimal access for adding wood chips (not included with the regular package)
- Stainless-steel manufacturing provides sturdiness to ensure extreme grilling temperatures
- Works very well with Weber grills because it fits snugly within its reflector grates
Cons
- The smoker sometimes sits too low, so the wood catches fire instead of smoking
- You cannot adjust the amount of air that flows to the wood
- Holes in the smoker box are too big, which causes lousy airflow
- The product tends to work better only when smoking meat on the lowest grill setting
- The product is not the easiest to use for beginner grillers
Rulunar Smoker Box
The Rulunar Smoker box is another stainless-steel product that does not warp. To achieve optimal smoky flavor, you must place this above the burners and below the grill gates. This versatile box also goes well with both charcoal and gas grills.
For both beginner and expert grillers, this smoker box is easy to use. All you need to do is add the wood chips and set the box directly above the flame. The durable hinges and larger capacity provide good value for a smoker box of this strength.
Pros
- Stainless steel box gives it thick protection against warping
- Ease of use – place the wood chips inside and set it directly above the flame
- Versatility makes it ideal to use with both a gas and charcoal grill
- Larger capacity (9-inch length) makes it, so you are not continually refilling wood chips
- Produces a smoky flavor
- The hinged lid gives you easy access to clean or fill the box
- Portable because of the lower 14.4-ounce weight
Cons
- Box tends to swell when it heats up, making it tough to open and close
- Various customers have trouble heating it efficiently
- The total box volume is smaller than expected for multiple consumers
Skyflame Wood Chip Smoker Box
The Skyflame Wood Chip Smoker Box delivers a stylish, but functional, design upfront. Curved S-shape lines are carved into the top surface from end to end. Depending on your grill’s size, you can alter the box into a rectangular or “W” shape to fit.
Not only do the hole shapes look good, but they also emit a lot of smoke. This system enables you to achieve the tasty flavor you look for in our meats. The airflow also lets enough heat escape so that the wood chips do not catch fire.
Although the chips do not burst into flames, the wood chips burn out quickly. You will need to check the box regularly and replace the wood chips every 30-40 minutes.
Pros
- Wavy vent design is dense and delivers more smoke
- Provides a large area of smoke for the food directly above it
- The hinged design makes it easy to open and close
- The stainless-steel construction makes it durable for the long run
- W-shape allows the product to fit nicely on the deflector bars
- Ashes stay inside the box to keep your grill looking clean
- Pairs very well with cherry and apple wood chips
- Smoker box produces a tasty flavor for smoked meat on a traditional grill
Cons
- It takes new wood chips longer to reach its smoking point
- The lower volume only allows you to hold wood for 30-40 minutes at a time
- The box does not entirely smoke the wood chips, so some of it will get wasted
- The product does not work as well with wood chunks
- Various customers do not like lifting the grate to access the box
- The atypical design will not fit on certain grill types like Brinkman’s and Blue Rhino
Mountain Grillers Smoker Box
The Mountain Grillers Smoker Box provides an excellent stainless-steel option. The durable construction protects against warping and gives you excellent value for your investment.
Many holes within the box allow for proper airflow. The robust hinge lid also contains a smaller opening beneath to allow for more smoke to pass through. You will not need to refill the wood chips until a few hours, but the process is easy because of the hinges.
Mountain Grillers Smoker Box accommodates all types of grills. The compact construction also allows you to carry it on the go with ease. A committed service team also provides you with the necessary support in case something goes wrong.
Pros
- The hinged lid allows you to switch out wood chips easily
- The product produces an excellent smoke volume and savory flavors
- Fits nicely on both a gas and charcoal grill
- The company that makes the smoker box provides excellent customer service
- Good value for the size
- Works well with all types of meats like ribs, chicken, and steaks
- Holes at the top and bottom deliver excellent volumes of flavors and smoke
Cons
- The product does not pair as well with larger grills because of its small size, requiring you to buy two
- The smaller size also requires you to refill it with chips often
- Turns black too quickly with overuse
Grill Gods Smoker Box
The Grill Gods Smoker box provides many smoking holes on the top and sides of the box. This arrangement ensures that your meat finishes with a delicious taste. This box works well with gas grills, but the versatile design applies to many other kinds.
This product gives you good value because of its portability and durability. The reinforced hinges add to its strength and allow you to add new wood chips easily. Although it is not the ideal smoker box for cold temperatures, you can expect to get the most out of Grill Gods’ unique smoker box.
Pros
- Grill Gods manufactures this product with a 1-millimeter stainless steel thickness
- Unique, reinforced hinges are durable and help you easily open and close the box
- The product accommodates both gas and charcoal grills
- The product comes with complimentary recipes to try out on the grill
- Well-constructed and durable with extra thickness
- It only takes minutes to set up
- Smoker box works well with apple wood chips
Cons
- Wood chips take longer than expected to start smoking
- The shape and design do not fit well within certain grills
- The product does not smoke well on lower temperatures
Our Winner: Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Smoke Box
The decision was not easy, but the Charcoal Companion’s smoker box checks all the boxes. Because of its unique V-shape, it slides into deflector bars for all grill types. You will not spend much time cleaning it because the box effectively catches ashes. Compared to the other products on the list, the Charcoal Companion will provide the most seamless grilling process and the most flavorful final product.
Measuring over 13.75 inches long, you can add a high volume of wood chips without having to refill frequently. The stainless-steel constructions add to the durability and long-term value of this proven product. You will transform your grilling skills with the Charcoal Companion Smoker Box.