Ten minutes of open flame is what decides whether a smoke tube works. Torch it for twenty seconds and blow it out, and an hour later you’ll find a cold tube of half-burned pellets, which is how most of them end up in a drawer. Lit properly, the $13 A-MAZE-N 12 inch smolders for about four hours and fixes the complaint new pellet grill owners make more than any other: the food doesn’t taste smoky enough.
This is one of our gear guides, and it pairs with the pellet guide, because the pellets in the tube shape the flavor as much as the tube does.
How the picks were chosen
Every tube and tray here is made of stainless steel, has a price I could confirm in October 2026 (or a long, stable price history where the retailer hides it), and has years of owner reports behind it. We haven’t run our own burn-time test yet, so the hours listed are the makers’ ratings, and owners generally report numbers close to them when the tube is lit well. When our test lands, the page gets the results and the date.
What to look for in a pellet smoker tube
Stainless steel, not plated or painted, because the tube sits in smoke and grease for hours. Welded or folded ends that won’t pop open when hot. Perforations small enough that whole pellets stay inside. A 12-inch tube suits most full-size grills; the 6-inch versions run about half as long and suit portable grills better.
Shape is the detail people miss. A round tube rolls on wide grate spacing, sometimes right into the grease channel. A hexagonal tube sits flat. If you buy round, plan to wedge it against the grill wall.
| Option |
Shape |
Rated smoke time |
Best use |
Price (Oct 2026) |
| A-MAZE-N 12 inch |
Round tube |
about 4 hours |
Hot smoking, any grill |
about $13 |
| Pit Boss Maximize Your Smoke Kit |
Round tube plus torch |
about 4 hours |
First-time buyers without a torch |
about $24 |
| LIZZQ 12 inch |
Hexagonal tube |
up to 5 hours |
Wide grate spacing |
about $20 |
| A-MAZE-N 5x8 tray |
Flat maze |
up to 11 hours |
Cold smoking cheese and fish |
about $40 |
Why pellet grills taste mild
A pellet grill burns a small fire in a fire pot with a fan blowing on it. That’s an efficient fire, and efficient fires make thin, clean smoke, which is good smoke, but not much of it. Above about 250°F the auger feeds pellets so steadily that they burn almost like a gas flame.
A tube is a separate, slow smolder that ignores the controller entirely. Meat takes on most of its smoke in the first few hours while its surface is still cool and wet, so a tube lit at the start of the cook does nearly all of its useful work before it burns out. By then the bark has set and the meat isn’t taking much smoke anyway.
How to light a smoke tube so it stays lit
- Fill the tube with dry pellets to about an inch from the open end, then tap it on the ground to settle them.
- Stand it upright on concrete, open end up, and hold a butane or propane torch on the top for 45 to 60 seconds, until flames are coming off the pellets and not just a glow.
- Let it burn with an open flame for a full ten minutes. This builds a bed of embers deep enough to keep going.
- Blow the flame out. Thick smoke should pour out within a few seconds; if it doesn’t, torch it again.
- Lay it in the grill and close the lid.
The most common failure owners describe is skipping step 3. A tube blown out after a minute has only a skin of burning pellets on top, and it goes cold long before the meat needs it to.
Where the tube goes in the grill
Put it away from the fire pot, on the grate or the drip tray, and out of the grease channel’s path. On most pellet grills the fan pushes air from the fire pot toward the chimney, so a tube at the chimney end sends its smoke out past the meat, while a tube at the far end from the chimney pulls its smoke across the whole chamber. Keep it a few inches from the meat so the heat coming off the tube doesn’t overcook one edge.
On a grill with the chimney on the right, that usually means the left end of the lower grate. On a Pit Boss, keep it clear of the flame broiler slide plate.
Watch out: Never set a lit tube on or next to the grease channel or the grease bucket opening. Grease that catches from a tube’s embers can turn into a grease fire in a grill that was otherwise running fine.
In cold weather the tube helps twice. It adds smoke, and it adds a little heat, which eases the controller’s job of holding 225°F on a 35°F day with wind.
What to put in it
Dry pellets, the same as the hopper. For a stronger flavor, use a 100 percent single-wood pellet in the tube even if the hopper holds a cheaper blend. Lumber Jack 100 percent hickory in the tube with Pit Boss Competition Blend in the hopper is a good pairing for a pork butt or brisket.
Wood chips work but burn faster and go out more easily. Chunks don’t fit. Heating pellets meant for stoves can contain softwood and binders, so keep them away from food.
Who should skip a smoke tube
Anyone who mostly cooks hot and fast. Burgers, chicken at 400°F and pizza aren’t on long enough to take much smoke, so the tube’s output goes up the chimney. A grill with a dedicated smoke mode, like Traeger’s Super Smoke, may already give you as much smoke as you want at 225°F, so try that first.
If cold smoking cheese or salmon is the goal, buy the tray instead. Its 11-hour rating and flat shape suit a cold grill, and a running grill’s fan is more likely to blow it out than to help it.
Smoke tube questions
Is a smoke tube safe inside a pellet grill?
Yes, when you light it outside the grill, let it flame, blow it out and only then put it inside. It’s a smolder, not an open fire. Keep it clear of the grease channel and the fire pot, and never add one to a grill that’s already showing a grease fire.
How long does a 12 inch smoke tube last?
The A-MAZE-N is rated for about four hours per fill and the LIZZQ for up to five; the 5x8 tray is rated for up to 11. For a 14-hour brisket, one refill around hour four is plenty. After that the meat has stopped taking much smoke and you won’t taste the second refill.
Can I use a smoke tube on a gas grill?
Yes, and it’s one of the few ways to get real smoke out of a gas grill. Light it the same way, set it over an unlit burner, and run the other burners low. The tube doesn’t care what’s making the heat.
Should a smoke tube make white smoke?
For the first minute after you blow it out, yes. It should settle into a thin blue-gray within a few minutes once the grill’s fan moves air around it. Thick white smoke that keeps going means the pellets weren’t lit long enough or they’re damp, so pull it out, torch it again and let it flame longer.
A tube does its best work on long cooks, so start with a recipe that runs five hours or more. The ribs are a good first test, and the smoke time calculator will tell you when to light the tube so it burns out as the bark sets.