My wife tells me she likes the charcoal flavor the Weber Performer puts out and I've been trying to figure out how to do that on the Searwood as well. I saw a Youtube video while wandering around picking up further tips to produce excellent food on my Searwood. It's a smokebox big enough to put charcoal and wood chunks into. The video proved it fits under the grate next to the Diffuser. It's called the Rollbox. https://smokechasersbbq.com/products...45986286338223. I'm thinking about getting it just to see if it can give a little more authentic smoke flavor (not that the Searwood is lacking in smoke that much IMHO).
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Smokedaddy also makes one called the heavy D, and it's stainless (the only option I would use for an aftermarket pellet accessory sitting near my firebox honestly). I would suggest before you waste money on a doo dad that you try a few things. 1, throw a chunk of wood on top of your diffuser (I assume the weber has one I forget). or 2. use a blend of the charcoal pellets with your preferred pellets. Personally I prefer wood only, charcoal is um well not the taste I'm looking for when smoking. -
I would throw some briquettes in that thing. Problem solved. I used to do that in my old electric smoker back in the day. I got it and realized I needed more (or some?) smoke flavor. It worked great.Comment
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Oh lort, the great Spinaker used an ELECTRIC smoker?!?! You gonna tell me that you use nonstick pans and tweezers to plate your food next?!
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You don’t need to do anything particularly weird or difficult (or even dangerous). Just get yourself some charcoal pellets and mix them in with the wood pellets. Google “charcoal pellets for pellet grill” for links to information and sources.Last edited by MBMorgan; January 3, 2026, 11:39 PM.Comment
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What pellets have you used on the Searwood? The difference might be as much the sizzle back of juices though from direct cooking over coals. Between the flames licking your food and the different smoke burning meat juices produce, might be hard to reproduce on anything else.
If it’s smoked foods you’re comparing too, I can give you some tips. If the Searwwod is anything like the Smokefire in smoke production, it can match about anything with the right pellets and process.Last edited by glitchy; January 3, 2026, 11:47 PM.Comment
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Just some ideas that can help:
1: Chill the meat’s surface throughly in the freezer before putting it in the smoker.
2. Don’t wait until you have blue smoke coming out of stack. Let the smoker get the fire started, but put the cold meat on the grates while there is some white smoke is still showing. Some like to just put the cold meat in the smoker when it is cold itself, before pressing the pellet igniter.
3. Some pellet smokers have a lower temperature setting that you can first use that gives you a lot of good, but whiter smoke at first. As the meat temperature rises raise the cooking temperature up to your normal cooking range.Comment
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Shouldn’t be needed on the Searwood unless Weber gave up all the flavor with the redesign. I love my MAK, but the Smokefire out smoked it and the MAK is definitely number 2 of 13 of smoke profile. But all of these can definitely add more. Probably just running on smoke, super smoke 180°, for first hour might be the biggest.
I’ve had as much knock me back opening the tupperware on leftovers from the Smokefire or MAK as the WSCG or KBQ.
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FYI, the biggest secret (shh don’t tell anyone else) to a lot of pellet grills is to cook on the upper rack. Smoke circulates more there. That’s where Memphis screwed up, by making it impossible to cook more than one rack of ribs or wings on the upper rack. All the good que from the smokefire and MAK have not been on main grate.Comment
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I am new to the Searwood, and due to medications I can’t taste much smoke very well. My wife and guests can’t pick up much either when stuff is cooked on the Searwood even with the smoke boost. As a diverse cooker IMO it shines, but as for providing smoke flavor it is lacking. I find it easier to operate than a gas grill.
I’m using pellets from Sam’s as many in the post on pellet guidance recommended, so it could be the combination of the Searwood and choice of pellets. I thought as MBMorgan suggest mixing charcoal pellets in was worth a try. Or, perhaps buying more expensive pellets.
I don’t know to gauge pellet consumption in cooks. The Searwood is large, so it is heating a lot of area. It went through 40 pounds of pellets in 10 cooks. The cooks ranged from low and slow to 650 with some smoke boost cooks. To me that seems like a high rate of consumption. What’s your experience like?Comment
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The smoke boost for the 1st few hours should help. I couldn't tell much of difference using the charcoal pellets or 100% hickory pellets (cookin pellets, esp for the price). If you decide to go the Smoke Daddy Heavy D route, make sure you verify it will fit. I tried to try one, but it was about an 1/8 too small to fit over the fire pot, so it got returned. I tried putting wood onto the fire pot heat diffuser, but the wood burned up too quickly to make a difference and couldn't easily add more. The one other thing would be a smoke tube.Comment
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To be clear, I suggested the addition of charcoal pellets primarily because LegoMySearwood said that his wife “likes the charcoal flavor the Weber Performer puts out” and that he wants to replicate that flavor on the Searwood.
Charcoal pellets won’t do anything to increase smoke. In fact, they may have the opposite effect as they occupy space in the burn pot normally filled with (flavorful) wood pellets. Also, they’re certainly a safer alternative to tossing briquettes into the pot. Hence my suggestion.
If it’s more smoke you’re after, a smoke tube might work quite well … although I’ve read that they work much better in some pellet smokers than in others … so it might be a good idea to try a smoke ”bomb” (wood chips wrapped in a foil packet with little holes poked in it) first.
Frankly, if I ever felt that my Grilla OG needed more smoke, I’d probably mod it with the addition of an external smoke generator that would add smoke without overly affecting temperature.Comment
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Sorry to mislead but I think my wife likes the smokier flavor I’ve been able to get on the charcoal Weber performer using real wood and not necessarily a charcoal flavor. That’s why I kinda like the idea of roll box as I can light a few briquettes and actually add wood “chunks.” However, I kinda feel like the Searwood produces pretty good flavor so I may just experiment with wood chips in aluminum or a smoke tube first. Baby steps because I don’t want to overdue it. I do prefer cooking on the top rack and I’ve found placing the food on when the Searwood is cold and not up to temp yet brings out more smoke flavor due to the Searwood pumping out a lot of smoke right at the beginning as it warms up.
Good thoughts and ideas here. Now I get to experiment some more. Hehe.Comment
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LegoMySearwood Let’s stay in touch on our progress. I am loving the Searwood and the app, but not happy with what I consider a deficiency of smoke flavor. I’ve used the smoke boost, but it doesn’t seem to add much smoke flavor. What kind of pellets are you using? Are you cooking on the XL 600?Last edited by LA Pork Butt; January 6, 2026, 12:14 PM.Comment
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LegoMySearwood Do you have the 600 or the XL 600? I have the XL 600 and am wondering if the size might be a factor in amount of smoke. -
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LegoMySearwood I think the only difference is size. It is a beast. The bottom rack is 36” X 17.” I am betting that the difference is the length of the rack.
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Love my Silverbac and it has produced some amazing food. One of the cookers in my mix that I would not want to be without. But with that said, if I want charcoal or smoke flavor, it goes over charcoal and open fire.Comment
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Your findings on the Searwood about a too-mild smoke flavor is exactly what holds me back from purchasing one. I'd love the convenience of a pellet cooker, but wouldn't love giving up space in my outdoor kitchen to something that does not produce a good smoky flavor even comparable even to a simple kettle setup. Supposedly, the Searwood is said to produce more smoke flavor than comparable pellet cookers. So if its the Searwood's smoke profile is too mild for you, LA Pork Butt , I'm betting it would be the same for me as well.from LA Pork Butt : I am loving the Searwood and the app, but not happy with what I consider a deficiency of smoke flavor. I’ve used the smoke boost, but it doesn’t seem to add much smoke flavor.
Have you tried an A-Maze-N tube on it?
KathrynComment
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RlsRls That’s one of the things I will explore if I can’t get some improvement from changing pellets. -
My father has an older Traeger…so no smoke boost of any sort. I sometimes think that the pellets are too efficient for their own good. So it produces a like smoke flavour. (Which Mum likes.) To boost it, I purchased an A-Maze-N tube and that was a big improvement IMO.
I use one on my WSCG for smoking cheese because there’s almost no heat doing it that way.
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I used to have a little metal box I picked up for about $20 at Lowe's that I'd fill with wood chips (soaked back then -- I know) and put on my gas grill, directly on the burner. It looked like a mini version of this Roll Box thing. I previously used the foil packets. Is there a place on a pellet grill you could put these things to get them smoking?
It wasn't that effective on a gasser, so I added a pellet tube on the other side, which helped a little. Overall, it was unsatisfactory, but where you are just trying to boost a pellet grill, it might work.
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I had one, too! Instead of one of those pellet tubes I have one that is like a tray that can burn from both ends in a kind of S shaped snake. If I don’t get good results from changing pellets I a going to split some wood strips and burry them in the pellets and see if they won’t give me some smoke. -
Smoking tube should work. I smoked cheeses this fall for the Holidays. You light the tube separately from the grill let it smolder for hours if you wish. Of course, with cheeses, the grill stays off, but on a gasser or even a Masterbuilt smoker, it's a great way to enhance the smoke affect.
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