Have you ever seen those long, skinny tubes filled with wood pellets online or at your local barbecue store and wondered what they were for?
Those are called pellet smoker tubes, and they're a fantastic way to add some smoke flavor to your food without having to invest in a full-fledged smoker.
In this informative guide, we'll tell you the basics of what you need to know, including how to use a smoke tube and what kinds of foods work best with smoked flavors.
How Pellet Tube Smokers Work
A smoke tube works by slowly releasing smoke into your grill or smoker as wood pellets (or wood chips) inside are heated up, and they're perfect for both hot and cold smoking.
Smoke tubes can be used with any kind of grill from electric, charcoal, and gas grill, to produce smoke that won't naturally happen from the grill alone. They can also be used on smokers such as pellet grills where even more smoke than the grill produces is wanted, or when the smoker is being used at a high temperature and typically stops producing much smoke (i.e., a tube will produce smoke at high temp cooks when a pellet grill stops emitting smoke).
Pellet smoker tubes are put directly on the grates of your grill or smoker so that the smoke can circulate evenly. A tube will smolder and release smoke for up to several hours, depending on the size and type of tube, and how packed full of pellets the tube is.
The great thing about using a pellet smoker tube is that it's easy to control the amount of smoke flavor that gets imparted onto your food. If you want a light smoke flavor, use fewer pellets. If you want a stronger flavor, then use more. It's that simple!
What Foods Work Best with Smoke Flavor?
Pretty much any food can benefit from a little bit of smoked flavor, but there are some foods that pair especially well with smokey tastes.
- Meats, like chicken, pork, beef, and lamb are all excellent choices for smoking.
- Seafood, like salmon and trout are also delicious when cooked with smoked flavors.
- Fruits, like pineapple, apple, and peach. Make sure to cut the fruit into thin slices so that it cooks evenly. It's also a healthy way to cook your fruit, as it retains most of its nutritional value when grilled.
- Cheese too, like cheddar, Swiss, gouda, pepper jack, and so on. Just remember to cold-smoke cheeses as opposed to hot smoking (i.e., don't turn your grill on). Also, while you probably won't want to wait, it is better if you wrap smoked cheese tightly and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks before trying it, so the flavor isn't too strong and is nicely infused throughout the cheese.
- And don't forget about vegetables! Just about any vegetable can be made even better with a little bit of smoked flavor added in.
How to Light a Pellet Tube Smoker
Using a pellet smoker tube is easy! Just follow these simple steps:
- Fill the tube with wood pellets. Most pellet smoker tubes will hold about 2 cups of pellets. You can adjust the amount depending on how much smoke flavor you want to add to what you're cooking. You can use any type of hardwood pellets that you like. We prefer hickory or mesquite for their strong, distinct flavors, but of course you can change it up depending on what food you're smoking. You can also use wood chips although they don't burn for as long as pellets as they aren't hard compressed, and chips do require more airflow to stay lit.
- Light one end of the tube using a lighter or even better, a butane torch, electric heat gun, or a fire starter. You can have the tube standing vertically, or on its side horizontally to do this. Allow the pellets to burn for however long the instructions of your tube indicate (typically between 5-10 minutes, although most suggest around 8 minutes). Then, blow out the flame to get smoke.
- Place your tube directly onto the grates or position it next to your food so that the smoke can waft over and flavor it indirectly.
Allow the tube to smolder for as long as you want while your food is cooking to perfection. The longer the tube smokes, the more intense the flavor will be. Just be sure to check on the tube periodically to make sure that it's still lit and smoking properly.
The tube will burn itself out when there are no more pellets, or if you need to stop it early then take your smoking tube and simply use an old piece of cutlery such as a teaspoon to separate the burning pellets or chips from those that aren't burning.
Allow the tube to cool completely before disposing of the ashes in a trash can.
To Sum Up...
A smoke tube is an easy and convenient way to add flavor to your food. Just fill it with pellets, light it, and place it in your smoker or grill. The longer it smokes, the more intense the flavor will be, so be sure to check on it periodically throughout cooking.
With just a few simple steps and a bit of practice, you'll be able to enjoy perfectly flavored food every time! So, are you confident you can make a smoke tube work now?
We've researched a bunch of them, so if you're looking to purchase one then click the link below to check out our recommendations!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I smoke my food with a smoker tube?
This depends on what you are cooking, the food thickness, and the type of pellets being used.
Generally fish and poultry won't need too long, potentially only around 20-30 minutes.
For softer vegetables like asparagus or mushrooms, 20 minutes may be sufficient, and around 45 minutes for harder vegetables like carrots or beets.
Certain cuts of beef like brisket can accommodate from two to many hours of smoke.
Play around with what works for your palate and your setup, until you master it!
Can I over smoke my food with a smoke tube?
Yes, you certainly can, and it will make your food taste bitter (and not in a good way!).
If you're new to using a smoker tube then I suggest you start out by using half a cup of pellets to see what smoke flavor is produced (which of course depends on the food you are smoking) and then experiment with more or less from there with subsequent cooks.
Can you fill the tube halfway to reduce the length of time the tube smokes for?
Yes, you sure can. If you play around with how full you fill your tube, over time you will get to know how long it burns.
Do I soak the pellets before burning them?
No! If you do this the pellets will turn into mush and won't burn properly, which means you won't get quality smoke.
Why would I need a pellet tube smoker if I already have a pellet grill?
Pellet smokers work great, particularly for low and slow cook-ups, however, at higher temperatures, their smoke output diminishes, which is where a pellet tube smoker comes to the fore.
Does a pellet tube smoker actually work?
As a smoke generator, yes, they do work, and very well.
And who would have thought such an inexpensive accessory would be able to transform your grill to produce a whole new level of flavors?
What's the difference between hot and cold smoking?
The difference between hot and cold smoking is that hot smoking cooks food while cold smoking does not.
With hot smoking, food is exposed to high temperatures (often between 180-220 degrees F) which cooks it and gives it a smoky flavor.
With cold smoking, the temperature is kept lower (usually around 80-100 degrees F) and the smoke doesn't cook the food. This leaves it with a smoky flavor but without any of the heat-induced changes that take place with hot smoking.
What's the best pellet tube smoker?
It depends on how you will use it and how frequently, the size of your grill, and what you will be cooking.
Smaller smoke tubes such as a 6-inch are great for around 2 hours of smoke, and larger 12-inch units are good for around 5 hours of smoke.
If you have a small grill then there's no point getting an 18-inch unit.
If you want ease of cleaning then consider a bundle with a cleaning brush, although it is handy, it's not essential.
We've researched a good variety of them, so if you're in the market for one then check out the link above this FAQs section to see our recommendations!
