1. Put the Pellets Directly on the Charcoal
All you have to do is take a handful of pellets and put them on the lit charcoal and then close the lid. The result will be thin blue smoke that lasts for 45-60 minutes.
Note: I also added some wood chips because some folks question if they can add wood chips directly to the charcoal too.
The reason people question this concept is because they may catch on fire or combust initially – which is totally normal.
Wood chunks will even catch on fire, especially if the lid is open; When the lid is closed, the wood then smolders.
A lot of people and even products will tell people to soak wood chips in water – which is a complete waste of time. Soaking pellets on the other hand will entirely ruin the structural integrity of the pellet.
To get smoke you need a hot fire, oxygen, flame, and dry wood.
Here’s what happens if you soak pellets in water for 30 minutes:
On a charcoal grill the smoker needs to vaporize the water and then smolder the wood.
All the water does is delay the wood from smoldering. If you were to open the lid after soaking them, they’d still combust and light on fire.
This is the same reason you shouldn’t soak wood chips – just throw them on your fire and close the lid.
2. Putting the Pellets in Aluminum Foil
Fashion either:
- A small foil packet with holes in the top.
- Crumple some foil around pellets and leave a hole in the top.
Either one is then placed on top of the lit charcoal.
Here’s the tinfoil packet on the charcoal too:
If you’re someone who doesn’t smoke meat often, the above would more than suffice.
If you do plan to smoke meat regularly, I’d by a smoker tube, a maze, or a smoker box.
3. Using a Smoker Tube or Smoker Box
I’ve owned a few different smoker tubes and boxes over the year – pictured below is a really old pellet tube smoker that I bought 7+ years ago.
There’s also “Mazes” that can work well too.
My maze below has maple sawdust in it but the same concept holds true with pellets too.
In both devices you light one end and allow it to burn for 1-10 minutes, then blow it out and allow it to smolder on the grill grates.
I often find that the smoke flavor is more bitter and dirty smoke tasting though – which some folks like.
I do not.
Can You Use Heating Pellets in a Charcoal Grill?
No.
Heating pellets are different from hardwood pellets used for smoking in pellet grills. Wood pellets for smoking are hardwoods that are compressed into a uniform size and consistency.
Wood pellets for smoking are hardwoods like oak, cherry, hickory, pecan, apple, etc.
The pellets used to heat homes are made from softwoods, hardwoods, forest scrap, etc. Whatever is plentiful and can supply sufficient BTU to heat a home.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid using softwoods (evergreen or coniferous trees) like pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, cypress, and redwood.
Softwoods contain sap and resin (which contain terpenes, the source of turpentine). As you can imagine, nobody wants to eat paint solvent, which is toxic when ingested.
Softwoods also have more air in their cell structure, meaning it burns very fast – which is the opposite of low and slow required for barbecue.
