Smoking VS Grilling: What is the difference

When it comes to grilling and smoking, not many know the difference between them. Are they two different devices? Do they cook food differently? What is it that determines the difference between a smoker and a grill?

Read ahead to get to know all you need to know about smoking and grilling; from how they come to the taste they give your food, we’ll answer all the questions that have you scratching your head in confusion!

What is a grill?

A grill is a device that cooks food like meat, vegetables, and more by using high and direct heat. The food is either placed directly on top of the fire or placed on a heated surface (thus, being cooked ‘indirectly’).

There are many different types of grill, such as:

• Electric grill: electric grills are known to work by electricity (hence, the very obvious name); in this specific type of grill, items like wood, charcoal, and gas are not needed.

• Gas (or propane gas) grill: a grill that used natural gas is known as a gas grill, while those that use propane gas are known as propane- gas grills. Propane grills tend to be more used by people compared to gas grills since they are known to contain more energy and have stronger power and temperatures that heat up quickly.

• Pellet grill: compared to the other two grills mentioned- pellet grills are less commonly used by people since they tend to be on the pricier side. Pellet grills heat up rather quickly and work due to a combination of charcoal, gas, and electricity.

_{*The mentioned grills are an example of grills that can be used both outdoors and indoors if the correct measures of safety are applied.}

What is a smoker?

A smoker is a device used to cook foods like meat and vegetables (and more) by the use of smoke and indirect heat. Staying true to its name, a smoker is known to trap the smoke in to cook the food.

There are various types of smokers that use different power and/ or heat sources to cook the food, among them:

• Offset smoker: the offset smoker is the smoker that everyone knows and has seen at least once before. It has that a traditional design and works by placing both charcoal and wood in a firebox that is attached to the side. They’re also known to be very spacious, as they have a long horizontal cooking chamber and multiple shelves inside said chamber to place multiple types of meat all at once.

• Charcoal smoker: one of the most commonly known smokers, many confuse charcoal smokers and charcoal grills to be the same. However, charcoal smokers smoke food for a long time over low and indirect heat that is produced by the burning charcoal. Prior to placing your food in, you need to make sure the coals are up and burning, and have been doing so for a little while (you would know the coals are burning by seeing smoke and obvious heat ripples).

• Electric smoker: this type of smoker uses heat that is produced by electricity. It comes with vents that allow the control of the inner temperature, a cooking chamber, the grill racks, a water pan, and a section that allows you to put in some wood to give the meat the smoky flavor. Electric smokers need some time to heat up before you can start cooking your food.

_{*The examples of smokers mentioned above can be used indoors and outdoors, but only if the proper steps for safety are taken!}

Are grills and smokers different devices?

A short, quick, and sweet answer to this question that many have is: yes.

With that being said: what makes a grill a grill, and a smoker a smoker, are certain components and pieces that differ from each other, but can be latched onto the same device to be used. You read that right! You can have the best of both worlds by buying a smoker- grill.

A smoker-grill is a device that can both, grill food and smoke them. It is infamous among people, and it’s a perfect way to save some money since you wouldn’t have to buy a separate grill and smoker to cook your foods to your liking.

How do grills and smokers differ from each other?

It should be clear by now that grills and smokers might have many differences; after all, they’re different devices that get the same job done (aka, cooking your food) but with different results (more on that later!). But, besides the obvious difference in shape and whatnot, how else do grills and smokers differ from one another? These are the three main differences that come into play:

• Firstly, they differ in the levels of heat:

When grilling a specific food, be it a cut of meat or vegetables, the correct steps of grilling are done by putting up the lid, placing your food directly or indirectly over high heat.

The ideal heat to use when grilling is high heat of 400° F to 550° F.

When you’re smoking, though, the correct way is to close the lid of the smoker and use very low heat.

Smoking can be used in two ways: cold smoking, which is when the temperature set for cooking is very low heat, at 68° F to 180° F. The other way, which is known as hot smoking, is used for larger cuts of food that not only need to be flavored well, but also cooked thoroughly, and the ideal temperatures used are 120° F to 180° F.

• Secondly, they differ in the times set for cooking:

When grilling, you must keep your food over the area of cooking for a short time (it can range from minutes (minimum) to an hour (maximum), according to the temperature and the sear you’re looking to achieve.

However, Smoking, compared to grilling, takes more time. Depending on the size of the food you’re cooking, as well as how much you’re looking to smoke it and what way you’re smoking it (over very low heat or just low heat): it can take from hours, to days, up to weeks!

• Thirdly, they differ in the flavor they give to your dish:

Food cooked by grills come out to be more tender and moister compared to the same food cooked by a smoker, as the meat is cooked for short periods of time (thus, not drying out) and the natural juices of the meat cooked are locked inside by a caramelized crust and charred surface.

When grilling, some of the perfect foods you can use for a savory dinner are burgers, strip steak, hot dogs, and more. Vegetables also come out quite flavorful when grilled.

As mentioned before, when smoking your food, there are two different ways; the first way, cold smoking, works best for dishes like beef, chicken, pork (and more). Cold smoking results in foods with the well- known smoky flavor and is usually done on meats that were most likely already cooked.

The other way, hot smoking, works wonders with larger cuts of meats, like ribs, ham, brisket (and more); hot smoking results in dishes full of smoky taste, and a fully cooked inside that still retains the moisture of the meat. The food tends to be cooked further once it has been smoked, but most people are fine eating it if the dish was cooked all the way through.

Can you smoke on a grill?

As we said before: many confuse smoking and grilling to be the same thing- and one of the devices that mostly feeds into that confusion is the charcoal grill.

If you, say, have a gas or propane gas grill, we’d tell you that the answer is no, you can not smoke on a gas grill.

However, if the grill you own is a charcoal grill- you can use it as a dupe for a smoker. The reason you can use a charcoal grill as a smoker is that this specific type of grill is fueled by coals, and it burns and produces smoke just like a smoker would; if the design of your charcoal grill also has contained a lid and good material, then it can also hold the low heat and long periods of time a smoker would need.

With that all being said: what keeps a charcoal grill from becoming an actual smoker is one, simple thing: the size. Smokers are known to be big and spacious to be able to hold a lot of food all at once for a while over indirect heat, while grills are the opposite- they’re more compact (some are too small that they don’t even allow the option of using a 2- zone fire) and can’t handle having too much food at once since it can lead to your food turning out sooty and black.

Quick overall recap:

• If you’re looking to save time and cook quickly, with a result of tender and moist meats: grills are for you.
• If you’re looking to have fun in the long process and eat meats that are the signature smoky flavor of BBQ: smokers are for you.
• If you want the best of both worlds: you can invest in a smoker- grill combo, or in a charcoal grill that is spacious and made of good material that can handle more than 24 hours of enclosed heat, consecutively.

We hope this was helpful in informing you about the differences of smoking and grilling- and how they are not the same thing!