Smoking on a non-kettle charcoal grill?

[Duffman56]

I got an analog electric Smoke Hollow smoker for Christmas a few years back and have really enjoyed using it (except for its inability to reach smoking temperatures at times). I also have a Char Broil half LP, half charcoal grill like this:

Charcoal & Gas Deluxe Combo Grill | Char-Broil®

The Deluxe Gas & Charcoal Combo grill is great for those who love the experience and flavor of grilling with charcoal but also love the ease of grilling with gas. The deluxe combo grill offers great storage and workspace with the handy side shelf and two door rolling cart. No matter how you...

www.charbroil.com

I love the ease of gas for burgers or quick grilling on the one side, and love smoking and reverse searing steaks with lump charcoal and wood chunks on the other. I also have an Orion smoker that I use exclusively for Thanksgiving turkey.

I considered getting rid of my electric smoker and grill and opting for a Masterbuilt 560, since the flavor of smoking with charcoal is better and it seemed like the 560 could do it all. I may get one at some point, as it sounds like there are a few bugs to work out. The electric smoker would still be handy for quick smokes like bacon wrapped chicken thighs. So instead, I might just upgrade to a more stable electric smoker ($200-300) and try and smoke some stuff in my charcoal grill, maybe using a BBQ Guru?

I’ve read some about smoking on a Weber kettle, but is it possible on a charcoal grill like I have? I guess I could get a charcoal smoker with a BBQ Guru, but then at that point I’d have a large grill, and three smokers, which seems a bit excessive.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing what all of you pros think. Thanks to anyone who responds!

 

[SmokinAl]

I’ve had a WSM/Guru setup for a long time, but I think when the time is right I may go for the 560. I have a Lang, but sometimes it’s nice to not watch the fire all day & just enjoy the meal when it’s done. I’m kinda waiting to see how durable the 560 is. I know the WSM/Guru will last a lifetime, but am a little worried about the electronics on the 560.
Al

 

[bbqbrett]

You should be able to smoke on most charcoal grills but I am not familiar with yours in particular. Do you have a pic of it.

 

[Duffman56]

I’ve had a WSM/Guru setup for a long time, but I think when the time is right I may go for the 560. I have a Lang, but sometimes it’s nice to not watch the fire all day & just enjoy the meal when it’s done. I’m kinda waiting to see how durable the 560 is. I know the WSM/Guru will last a lifetime, but am a little worried about the electronics on the 560.
Al

I’ve had a WSM/Guru setup for a long time, but I think when the time is right I may go for the 560. I have a Lang, but sometimes it’s nice to not watch the fire all day & just enjoy the meal when it’s done. I’m kinda waiting to see how durable the 560 is. I know the WSM/Guru will last a lifetime, but am a little worried about the electronics on the 560.
Al

I feel the same way, looking for an option to set it and forget it. The pellet grills are big in my area but I find the flavor lacking compared to charcoal or even electric smoker with wood chips.

I may pull the trigger on the 560 some day, but for me the verdict is still out on reliability/durability.

I don’t have a picture on my phone and am not at home now, but maybe you can get an idea from the link in my post above? It’s got a crank to raise and lower the charcoal pan, as well as a rectangular vent on the back side and circular vent on the right side (both of which I usually have closed while making steaks).

 

[Duffman56]

I took a screenshot of the manual showing the side vent on the charcoal grill. It’s not the greatest but hopefully it gives an idea as to whether or not the guru would be compatible?

 

[hawtsauc3]

Also a WSM owner with a Guru (partyq) and i can attest to how stable they are, but my one complaint on the setup is that it still takes a solid effort to get it started, whereas the MB 560 folks have a startup that's almost as easy as setting up a gas grill. the one thing i'll say is that the 560 does seem to have some durability issues, so we'll have to see if/how they address them, because it'd make it a really solid smoker and i'd honestly consider converting if it was more durable. In terms of your combo grill you probably could try smoking but of what I know of those, they're not really built to be a long term grill anyway.

I realize your goal is to not get another smoker but you kind of have 2 options, ditch some of the lesser smokers for the WSM (it'd be worth it) or ditch a smoker and the grill for the MB 560 since it can do both (also worth it). the weber with a guru is going to last longer, that i can guarantee , but the MB still might be worth it given the ease of use.

 

[JCAP]

I just came to comment that there is no such thing as being excessive with smoker collecting.

You should try to build a small fire in the charcoal side of your grill (snake, minion?) and see how it performs. Get a feel for the vents. It’s probably doable. But I agree a WSM is an amazing investment. I wanted a 560 but decided against it bc of some of the reviews that talked about burning through the firebox and other electronic stuff.