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Smoke Management on Gas Grills: Smoker Boxes and Wood Chips

A smoker box adds light wood smoke to food on a gas grill. This guide covers where the box goes, what the manuals say about wood chips and chunks, and which Weber warnings matter most. Where a step does not come from a manual, the text says it is practical advice.

Where the smoker box goes

The two Weber manuals used here do not give the same placement, so follow the manual for your own model. The built-in SB38 manual says to place the smoker box on top of the main cooking grill, aligned over one of the burners. The 3-burner Genesis guide says to remove the grills and place the smoker box over burner 2 for grilling. For low and slow cooking, it says to place the box over burner 3.

For the difference between cooking over a lit burner and cooking beside one, see direct versus indirect heat on the grill.

Preheat with the lid closed

The Genesis guide says it is important to preheat the barbecue first with the lid closed when you smoke. It says this ensures the smoker box is at the correct temperature to maximise the smoke and length of burn from the wood chips. The guide also says that after preheating for ten minutes, visible smoke should be rising from the smoker box.

The SB38 manual uses a different preheat: ignite the barbecue and preheat for 15 minutes with the main burners on high. It says to adjust the burners once the smoker box begins emitting smoke.

Practical advice: if the box shows no smoke after the preheat, check that the burner under it is lit before you add more chips.

Chips, not chunks

Both manuals describe wood chips. The Genesis guide says the box adds light smoke using Weber’s wood chips. It tells owners to use dry wood chips in the smoker box, as they reach smoking temperature faster. Neither manual mentions wood chunks.

Practical advice: do not put wood chunks in the box unless your model’s manual names them. Before each use, the SB38 manual says to empty the smoker of ash to allow proper air flow.

For which woods suit which foods, see the guide to what each smoking wood does to meat.

Wood to avoid

The SB38 manual includes a warning: never use wood that has been treated or exposed to chemicals. It also says to always avoid soft, resinous woods like pine, cedar and aspen.

That warning is in the manual’s smoker box section, after the instructions for using the box. Practical advice: cedar planks are a separate method, so use our cedar plank grilling guide for planks.

Fire, flare-ups, and shutdown

  • The SB38 manual warns: do not use any flammable fluid or combustible products in the smoker to ignite the wood chips. It labels this a danger that will cause serious bodily injury.
  • If chips catch fire, the manual says to use barbecue tongs to push the smoker box to the back and keep the lid closed until the fire has extinguished.
  • In windy conditions, the manual says to keep the burner under the smoker box on Medium or higher flame, to keep the wood chips from extinguishing during a cook.
  • When you finish, the manual says to turn the burners off and close the lid until the wood chips have extinguished. It also says to remove the smoker box from the barbecue if it is not in use.

For what causes flare-ups in the first place, see flare-up prevention.

Common mistakes and limits

  • Practical advice: avoid lifting the lid to check the smoke. The SB38 manual says to keep the barbecue lid closed while cooking.
  • Practical advice: do not remove hot parts during a cook. The SB38 manual warns: do not remove hot components from the barbecue while in use.
  • Practical advice: do not light the chips with a flammable fluid. The manual’s DANGER label covers this.

The SB38 manual covers a built-in gas barbecue. The Genesis guide covers a 3-burner gas barbecue. The SB38 manual’s print code reads AU/NZ. The Genesis guide is written for Australia and New Zealand. The SB38 manual tells owners to always follow the barbecue owner’s manual for specific setup and usage instructions. Practical advice: if your grill has a different burner layout, match the placement to your own burners rather than copying burner numbers from either guide.

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