Smoke Tube for Pellet Grill – (DO YOU NEED ONE?)

The most exciting part of barbeque is getting the sweet smoke flavor. You probably want your barbeque to have a deep smokey flavor which is sometimes hard to achieve from just burning wood and charcoal, especially when using large meat pieces like the brisket. This is where the smoke tube for the pellet grill comes in.

Smoke tubes provide you with the best and easy way of upgrading your pellet smoker performance and give you an easy transformation of your ordinary charcoal grill into a barbeque smoker. Furthermore, when experiencing heat retention challenges with your grill, a smoke tube will help improve the temperatures as they enrich your smoked food with the highest aroma and wood flavors.

 Knowing the importance of getting a smoke tube for a pellet grill does not mean you know it all yet. There is more you smoke tube before getting one. Read through this article to familiarize yourself with everything about smoke tubes.

What is a Smoke Tube for Pellet Grill?

A smoke tube is lightweight perforated metal equipment for holding wood pellets. It is placed on top of your grill’s grate to generate extra smoke and heat. When using a smoke tube, you have to fill the tube with pellets that burn slowly from end to end so that they can generate an adequate supply of wood or smoke aroma and flavor. Notably, the smoke tube is well designed to produce smoke for a more extended period. Thus no need for refueling every few hours. 

They are indeed perfect for any barbeque lover who, most importantly, loves the woody flavor of their BBQ.

Why do You Need a Smoke Tube for the Pellet Grill?

Their small size might make you doubt their performance, but until you try them, you should never doubt how good they can be. Here are three primary reasons to get a smoke tube for pellet grill;

Enhance the Performance of Pellet Smoker

Pellet smokers are famous for controlling temperatures and maintaining the best heat levels. However, their performance starts deteriorating when used for an extended period. Smoke tubes can quickly solve this problem by giving your grill an additional heat and smoke source within the grill’s chamber. Furthermore, they give you room to combine various pellets to bring about a tasty smoke flavor.

It can Convert your Grill into a Smoker.

People without smokers who want to avoid direct cooking can quickly achieve this by placing the pellet tube on the grill grate. Then set your charcoal and lit the burner to one side of your choice in the chamber while the smoke tube sits on the grates, and the other side, cook your food using any close approach favorable to you.

A Better Option for Cold Smoking

Cold smoking usually needs minimal heat for a long time. A typical pellet grill rarely goes that low, so a smoke tube should come through for you. You only need to put your smoke tube far enough from the food to have a consistent supply of minimal heat.

Smoke Tube for Pit boss Pellet Grill

Do you already have a pit boss and are worried about how you can bring about and improve a Smokey flavor on your foods or cold smoke on some of your favorites? You can easily use a smoke tube to achieve all these. However, most people have challenges lighting the smoke tube in a pit boss pellet grill. Read on to learn more about smoke tubes in pit boss pellet grills.

How do you Light a Smoke Tube for Pit Boss Pellet Grill?

Lighting is one of the easiest things most people do not know about smoke tubes. It is also affordable, one of the many reasons you need to try it out. There are many different brands of smoke tubes on the market, and sometimes the brand you get determines the process you will use to light it. Nevertheless, we can use the general and most straightforward way to go with many smoke tubes.

To light a smoke tube, you need to;

• Fill the smoke tube with pellets – you can choose the type of wood pellets to fill the tube with; also, it can use the pit boss pellets or the pellets you choose to put in the hopper. Use pellets of nice flavors like cherry, pecan, apple, or any of your favorites
• Light your pellets – lay the smoke tube on the grates and light one end. Nonetheless, the pellets won’t catch fire immediately; they can sometimes, so you must wait until they burn.
• Wait for about ten minutes – after they are lit, let them burn for about ten minutes to ensure they are perfectly burning. You can leave the lid open or close it. Then blow out the flame smoothly to remain with only smoke. You can place it anywhere and in good ventilation within the smoker.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Smoke Tube for Pellet grill

 Using grills without a smoke tube can be challenging to infuse your favorite smoky flavors into your foods. Buying one can help you get relieved of this. There are wide varieties in the market, so how do you choose the best one?

Here are factors you should consider when selecting a smoke tube for a pellet grill; 

Size

Remember, the size of the smoke tube directly affects its burning time. For instance, if you use a larger tube, it can hold many pellets that can smoke for a longer time. Therefore, if you will be smoking for a longer time, you need a larger smoke tube, but if it burns for two or three hours, you can go for smaller options. 

Shape

Smoke distribution entirely depends on the shape of the tube as much as the discharge. There are three main shapes available in the market: rectangular, hexagonal, and circular. The circular one regulates the pellets enabling them to burn fast and ensure uniform smoke distribution. Nonetheless, it does not have the stability of staying in one place as it rolls over. The rectangular and hexagonal cross-sections stay in one place without rolling over, and it is easy to use as you can stably place them on the grates.

Material

Stainless steel is the most familiar material used in making smoke tubes because it cannot melt or get destroyed even if used for long. Thus, it is ideal for the best smoke dissipation and durability.

Homemade Smoke Tube for Pellet Grill

Have you ever heard of a foil smoker pouch? This is a homemade smoke tube made from aluminum foil. It gives you more grilling options without changing anything on your pellet grill. Notably, you should know that this homemade smoker can only be used once and works best when placed under the grill grate. 

However, it works like the other smoke tubes where you can fill it with either wood pellets or chips, allowing you to use any maximum amount of wood flavors you love. Let’s now see how to make a simple smoke tube for a pellet grill;

How to make a homemade smoke tube

1. Get a sizeable rectangular aluminum foil.
2. Add enough wood pellets or chips you must have soaked earlier.
3. Fold your aluminum foil so it can look like a pillow.
4. Poke numerous small holes at the top
5. Place the ‘’smoke tube’’ that now looks like a pouch under the grate right above the burner.
6. Smoke away while indirectly grilling.

 Note: You need to fold the aluminum foil like a pillow instead of making a tube because you will not be burning the pellets directly.

Bottom Line

Smoke tubes are essential in giving you the most desired smoky flavors and aromas in your food. They are easy to use and affordable; thus, you should consider getting one to get the best food smoking experience with your loved ones. You can also read how to start a charcoal grill with a lighter fluid.