That $40 smoke tube was a total waste of money

Picked up one of those mesh smoke tubes from a BBQ supply shop in Austin last month. Thought it would give my pork butt that deep smoke ring everyone talks about. After 6 hours of using it, the meat barely had any smoke flavor and the tube just smoldered out halfway through. Has anyone found a cheap smoke tube that actually works, or should I just stick with wood chunks in my offset?

2 comments

2 Comments

jones.grace28d ago

Oh, I gotta gently push back on one thing. That smoke tube isn't really made for low and slow cooking in an offset smoker - it's more of a cold smoker or gas grill tool. In my experience, the mesh tubes work best when you're adding a hint of smoke to cheese or veggies, not trying to build a bark on a pork butt over hours. Might be worth trying it for something like cold smoking salmon or throwing it in a gas grill instead, but for a long smoke like that, wood chunks or chips are definitely the way to go.

wade_young8628d ago

Man I feel your pain. My first smoke tube looked like a candle that gave up on life about 45 minutes in. Pretty sure I could have gotten more smoke flavor from holding a stick of butter over the coals.