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Submitted by: Bill

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Yes, you are correct that smoking is done at a lower temperature than grilling. Smoking is done at a maximum of about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, down to a low of 70 degrees or so for cold smoking. The reason is that meats cook differently at lower temperatures than they do at higher temps. The extended cooking times at smoking temps tenderize the meat by melting the connective tissue and fats. Quick grilling just doesn't do that. I wouldn't worry about the BTU rating too much. That is a measure of how much heat the unit produces, but doesn't take into consideration how well the grill or smoker holds that heat and focuses it on the food. A poorly built grill or smoker may lose those BTU's before they reach the food. Efficiency is the  name of the game here.  Less than perfect smokers can be modified and made more efficient. You could get a grill and use it to smoke foods, but in reality, grills are not meant to be smokers. They are designed for higher temperature cooking, and can never really be "smokers". Sure, you can put the charcoal to one side and the meat on the other, but that's indirect grilling.  It's difficult to maintain a steady, smoking temperature with the fire in the same compartment as the food being cooked. A smoker gives you much better temperature control ability. Vertical smokers usually have a water pan between the heat source and the food, which makes it easy to maintain an ideal smoking temperature. Wood smokers (which can use charcoal, too) have a separate firebox attached to the smoke chamber, allowing for great control of the temperature. A propane grill can be used as a smoker with pretty good results. I have a three burner grill that I use on occasion to smoke foods.  It does a passable job at smoking. But because it's a grill, there are hot spots and cool spots. A real smoker would have a much more consistent temperature in the smoke chamber.

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