You can smoke fish at home on a gas or charcoal grill. While cold smoking is more complex and requires a dedicated smoker, hot smoking is relatively straightforward. With the right tools and grill set-up, you can easily hot-smoke fish on any barbecue.
Can you smoke fish on a gas grill? It’s time to rejoice because the answer is yes. Better yet, you don’t need to invest a ton of money in a dedicated smoker—you can cook perfect smoked fish at home using your gas grill and a smoker box, or even just a packet of tin foil and some wood chips.
There are two methods commonly used to smoke fish: hot (think flaky fillets) and cold smoking (think silky lox).
Fish can be hot and cold smoked, but cold smoking isn’t as easy on a gas grill, and it can be pretty dangerous from a food safety perspective if you don’t take the right precautions. For this reason, we suggest only cold-smoking fish if you have a dedicated smoker.
Hot smoking, on the other hand, is simpler and safer for most home grillers and is pretty straightforward on a gas or charcoal grill.
In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to (hot) smoke fish at home, including:
- Cold vs. hot smoke
- Mighty fin(e) smokeables: What type of fish is best for smoking?
- Do you have to brine fish before you smoke it?
- What chips should you use for smoking fish?
- How to smoke fish without a smoker
- How to smoke fish on a gas grill
- How to smoke fish on a charcoal grill
Let’s get smoking.
Cold vs. Hot Smoke
Before we dive into how to smoke fish at home, it’s important to understand the difference between the two methods used to smoke fish: hot and cold smoking.
The key difference between cold smoking and hot smoking is the temperature of the smoke.
With hot smoking, temperatures range between 150 and 300—not hot hot, but certainly not cold either. With cold smoking, the smoking chamber is kept at ultra-low temperatures, ranging between 65-100 degrees (usually under 90).
When it comes to hot vs. cold smoking fish, there are a few differences to keep in mind:
- Cooking: Hot smoking cooks fish, so it will develop firm flesh that easily flakes apart. Cold smoking doesn’t cook while it smokes, so it has a smoother, silkier texture.
- Brining: Hot smoked fish requires only a brief brine before smoking because it cooks during the smoking process. Cold-smoked fish requires a longer brining process to draw out moisture and slow the growth of bacteria. With no heat to cook the fish or kill off any bacteria, the fish must be properly cured before smoking to prevent bacterial growth.
- Timing: Hot smoked fish can take as little as 15 minutes, while cold smoking can take upwards of 12 hours. It can be difficult to maintain the right temperature for this long on a gas grill, which is one of the reasons we recommend only cold smoking with a dedicated smoker.
- Flavor: Hot smoked fish will have a stronger smoky flavor, while cold smoked fish is typically a bit saltier.
As we said earlier, cold smoking is harder to do at home on a gas grill because of the increased risk of foodborne illness. Cold smoking is generally not recommended if you don’t have a dedicated smoker.
What Type of Fish is Best for Smoking?
Smoked salmon is often the go-to choice when it comes to smoked fish, but you can smoke just about any fillet or whole fish, including:
- Trout
- Arctic char
- Salmon
- Whitefish
- Whiting
- Herring
- Sturgeon
- Haddock
- Mackerel
- Tuna
Do You Have to Brine Fish Before Smoking?
Brining is required for both hot and cold smoking fish.
Brining your fish before you smoke is the key to a nice firm texture, better flavor, and safe preservation. The brining process helps the fish maintain moisture by creating a protective barrier called a pellicle coating, which forms when the proteins drawn out by the brine bond together. The salt and/or sugar used to brine the fish also aids in preservation.
How long you need to brine the fish and whether you dry or wet brine it depends on the type of fish you are smoking, whether it is a filet or whole fish, and the recipe you plan to use.
Brining times can range from 15 minutes to upwards of 5 hours for hot smoking. Typically, a longer brine will help with seasoning and flavor, but not every type of fish or cut requires a lengthy brine, and with some cuts it can result in an overly salty fish. Dry brining is faster and easier than wet brining, but both have their place, so be sure to follow the recipe you have.
After brining your fish, it is important to let it dry for a minimum of 5 hours so that the pellicle can form and the fish will absorb smoke more readily.
What Chips Should You Use for Smoking Fish?
We recommend using wood chips to smoke fish at home on a gas grill. Wood chips are best used for shorter smoking times (around 1-2 hours), making them ideal for fish, which can need as little as 15 minutes of smoking time. Chunks are better for lengthier smoking sessions or for smoking fish on a charcoal grill.
Smoked fish is typically best paired with milder hardwood from fruit-bearing trees, such as apple or cherry. Hickory or mesquite are likely too powerful for the more delicate flavors of the fish. However, it is best to use whatever chips or chunks the recipe you are following suggests.
Always soak wood chips for 30 minutes before using. Wet wood chips will produce more smoke and burn longer than dry ones.
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How to Smoke Fish Without a Smoker
While cold smoking is typically best done with a smoker, hot smoking can be done fairly easily on a gas or charcoal grill with the right tools. You’ll need:
- A smoker box or foil packet
- Wood chips (for a gas grill) or chunks (for a charcoal grill)
- An ambient temperature thermometer so you can monitor the temperature of your grill throughout the cooking and smoking process
Typically, smaller fillets only need a maximum of 15 minutes to cook and hot smoke, while larger cuts or whole fish need a maximum of 40 minutes. Remember, your fish may dry out or become too smoky and borderline inedible if it is left to grill too long.
Before we dig in, a quick disclaimer: The methods listed below are just a general overview for how to smoke fish without a smoker. The temperature of the grill, the duration of smoking, and the amount and type of wood chips needed will depend on the recipe you are using. If your chosen recipe has different instructions, it is best to follow those to achieve the desired result.
How to Smoke Fish on a Gas Grill
With a bit of preparation, you can easily smoke fish on a gas barbecue. Here’s how to smoke fish on a gas grill:
Supplies needed
- Wood chips
- Smoker box or foil packet
- Fish
- Ambient temperature thermometer
Method
- If you don’t have a smoker box, wrap your wood chips in an envelope of aluminum foil, then use a knife to cut slits into the foil so smoke can escape. Here’s how to make a foil packet for smoking.
- Place the smoker box (or foil packet) directly above your primary burner of choice.
- Light all grill burners, set them to high, and close the lid, allowing the grill to heat to about 350-400 degrees and the chips to start smoking. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Adjust your burners to achieve the temperature required by your chosen recipe. You’ll likely have to turn one or two of them off completely, leaving only the primary burner on to keep your chips smoking.
- Place your fish on the grill, away from the lit burner, and let it smoke for the designated time. Your fish is done when it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily.
For longer smoking sessions, quickly check every 30 minutes to ensure your chips are still smoking and don’t need replacing. Try not to leave the lid open too long so you don’t lose too much heat.
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How to Smoke Fish on a Charcoal Grill
Charcoal grills naturally impart a smoky flavor to food, but you can enhance that smokiness further by using wood chunks or chips. Here’s how to smoke fish on a charcoal grill:
Supplies needed
- Charcoal
- Drip pan
- Wood chunks or chips
- Smoker box, tray, or foil packet
- Fish
Method
- Heat the charcoal grill to medium, making sure to set up direct and indirect heat zones.
- Place your wood chunks, smoker box, or foil packet in the coals
- Set the cooking grate in place
- Cover the grill and let it heat
- After 5-10 minutes, the smoke should develop and you can place your fish on the grill and follow your recipe as directed. Your fish is done when it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily.
Keep an eye on your fish and make sure it isn’t getting too dry with a thermometer.
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Get Grilling
Smoking fish on a gas grill is easy as long as you have wood chips and a smoker box or a bit of foil. All you have to do is put your wood chips in the smoker box or foil packet, set them on the grill, let them get up to temperature, and start smoking.
