A gas grill is a common home cooking appliance, but can it make a complete barbecue? When cooked on a charcoal or wood-fired grill, most ready-to-eat foods suffer from a lack of delicious haze to fumigate. How to add aromatic smoke to a dish cooked on a gas grill?

There is an exit?

Although it is not easy to do, you can use a gas grill to create a smoky aroma. In all fairness, a gas grill is not suitable for this purpose. Unlike smokers, which are designed to provide a deep, rich aroma, gas installations only give off the smell of fried fat, not the scent of wood or coal. Plus, too often, smoke escapes due to too good ventilation in gas grills.

However, grill manufacturers have already noticed an interest in "classic" cooking on gas equipment. Some companies have taken a step towards true barbecue lovers. For example, some gas grill under $150 has made users happy with special perforated metal boxes to fit inside gas grills. There are also new models for which the need for such "add-ons" has disappeared.

Where to begin?

While gas grills are not as good as charcoal ones, many can achieve impressive results. Your culinary masterpieces will smell delicious even on a gas grill!

Want to try slow cook tri-tip on a gas grill? You can start like this:

1. Buy a dedicated perforated metal box for wood chips

They will smolder during cooking, creating smoke for an authentic barbecue. If you have purchased a high-end grill, it may already install this built-in container directly above the burner.

Most non-recessed fumigation boxes are simple "boxes" made of heavy stainless steel. They are made with a hinged lid and holes for smoke in it. The chip container is inexpensive. You don't even need to spend time creating it from scratch, but purchase it at the grill store. These boxes are placed on the grate or metal plates underneath. There are also exotic V-shaped options for installation between grilles.

No room for a box? Take a sheet of aluminum foil, place the wood chips inside, and leave some holes for the smoke to escape. Such a structure is seated in the same way - on the grate or the plates under it.

2. Prepare the wood chips correctly

It would be best if you soaked chips from apple, oak, and other deciduous and fruit trees for about an hour before being placed in the container. Drain, place the wood chips in a foil box or envelope, and put them on the grill.

If possible, place the chip box away from the fire when you start cooking. The chips will take over a little later, so the smoke will appear when the grill is fully warmed up.

3. Cook with indirect heating

When smoke appears from the container with chips, please turn off the heating on the opposite side of the grate (leave it under the box with chips). Set the desired temperature on the part of the wire rack with the container, and place a tri-tip, on the "cold" side.

Cover the meat with the grill's lid and place it on the indirect heat side. It's done when the meat thermometer registers 140F on the inside. Depending on the size of the meat, it takes about 2-1/2 to 4-hours to cook. I hope you enjoy the outcome!

Enjoy the result!

Wood smoke will not only add a pleasant campfire aroma but also additional palatability to your dish. It is much healthier than the smoke from fat boiling off on the grate.

Indirect cooking with a wood chip container allows you to cook much healthier food than sautéed meat pieces. Properly prepared food means practically no carcinogens in your food, and besides, all the attractiveness of barbecue is preserved in it.

Open up new possibilities for your gas grill, make your home table more delicious, healthier, and more varied with the simple fumigation of meals with wood chips.

Remember the limitations!

You can cook a large piece of meat, such as a tri-tip, on the gas grill. But it is unlikely that it will dig as deep as you want. Moreover, wood chips are quickly generated, and to cook large pieces of meat, you will have to refill the container several times. Want to do this every half hour for 6, 8, 12, or even 18 hours? Not worth it. Twice the amount of wood chips will not solve the problem. There will be more sparks than smoke in this case, and the meat will have a strange and unusual taste.

It is best to use a gas grill for more sophisticated foods. In the spotlight:

1. Snacks

Snacks such as a mixture of nuts. Adding brown sugar and cayenne gives the nuts a classic sweet flavor and a woody-earthy scent that is pleasant to the nose. They cook in just 30 minutes, keep it well sealed and make a great everyday snack.

2. Fish​

Especially fillets and steaks. Like the nut mixture, they absorb smoke quickly. And since the smoke is light, there is no risk of over-smoking the product. Mackerel, swordfish, and the like are delicious.

3. Sausages​

They can be roasted softly. The meat remains moist enough, but it does not stop cooking. They take about 40 minutes to cook. So you can cook them quickly on weekdays.

However, It is not forbidden to make barbecues on a gas grill from poultry (chicken skewers are always in fashion) and not too thick pieces of meat.

Final Verdict

That’s the end of this article, and we are wrapping up now. We hope you have found this article helpful and get the necessary details on how to slow cook tri-tip on a gas grill. Follow our step-by-step guide and enjoy tri-tip grilling on a gas grill. So, whether you're planning a camping or a backyard BBQ party, tri-tip grills by gas grill will be an excellent option for enjoying food delicacy.