Foil packets are the easiest way to add smoke to a gas grill

Yes, both work, but I’d start with a foil packet—it’s cheaper, less cleanup, and you probably have everything in your kitchen.

A smoker box (those cast iron or steel boxes you fill with wood chips and set over a burner) does the job, but it takes forever to heat up and get smoking, and cleaning out the burned chips is annoying. Plus, if you forget to soak the chips, they just catch fire instead of smoldering.

Foil packets are dead simple: grab a handful of wood chips (soaked or dry—dry works fine, just keep an eye on flare-ups), wrap them loosely in heavy-duty foil, poke a few holes in the top, and toss the packet directly over a burner or on the grates. You’ll get thin blue smoke in a few minutes. Replace when it stops smoking. No dedicated hardware, no scrubbing.

The only downside? Foil packets don’t last as long—maybe 20–30 minutes versus an hour from a smoker box. For most cooks (burgers, chicken, veggies), that’s plenty. If you’re doing a long smoke, you’ll need to swap packets, but that’s easy.

Just don’t expect a gas