Adding Wood for Brisket Cook


 
JRAiona

JRAiona

TVWBB Gold Member
I have a question. I am planning on doing a brisket flat andI have read a few different threads/thoughts on when to add the wood. One recommendation was to bury the chunks in the unlit charcoal. Another was to set the wood on top of the unlit adding the lit coals on top. Another was to set the chunks on top of the hot charcoal after adding assembling the cooker and then waiting for the heavy white smoke to subside and then adding the meat. Which would be the best option?
 
I'm simple - I say A, B, & C. I use chips >70% of the time, other than when someone brings random apple branches or whatever (reminds me, I have a stack I need to cut into chunks). Early in, I'd oversmoke things pretty regularly (probably due to water in the pan & low/slow cooks). I haven't over smoked anything for years, even when I've tried.
 
JR.

I usually bury a few chunks in the unlit, then when the lit is put on, (10 or 12), I put on a chunk that is just touching one of the lit coals. Then assemble the cooker.
 
TonyUK said:
JR.

I usually bury a few chunks in the unlit, then when the lit is put on, (10 or 12), I put on a chunk that is just touching one of the lit coals. Then assemble the cooker.
Click to expand...

I don't even bother to bury the chunks, I just scatter them around on the unlit charcoal, with a couple pieces touching the hot coals after they're added.

Even after 8-9 hours, there are still partially unburned wood chunks.
 
I typically pour in a bag of kbb. I place 4 fist sized chunks around the edges of the ring and pour about 12 lit coals in the center to get started. I let my temp come up slowly and I don't put my food in until I'm almost up to temp. I get great smoke flavor, but I don't typically get the smoke ring some others do at least on my brisket. I swear people have to be using tender-quick or something. I've done Tony's method as well and it works about the same. My method is just lazier.
 
I don't even bother to wait for the cooker to come up to temp. Put on the meat, then assemble and catch the temp on the way up. I'm also lazy. :p

Dustin. How about pouring only half a bag in at first, a few chunks o' wood, then the rest of the bag? Chunks buried....voila! ;)
 
I like to take 3 or 4 wood chunks laying on top of unlit coals, close to where I'm going to pour the hot coals and throw one onto of the lit coals, after that I don't worry about it anymore. I used to over smoke the meat with to much wood, now I just worry about getting a light smoke on whatever I'm cooking the first couple of hours, I get a good complimentary smoke flavor that's not over powering and a good smoke ring.
 
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I put in my unlit and then put a few chunks in and when I put my lit in I try to get some of the wood going at the same time and then put my food on.
 
I do the bury a few chunks method to try and keep a consistent smoke going throughout the cook. I've heard others say only the first several hours of a cook matter smoke wise because a piece of meat can only absorb so much smoke so who knows. I find I get good results with the bury a couple and setting one or two on the edge of my lit at the beginning of my cook.
 
I like to put 2 or 3 chunks on the charcoal grate. For a long cook pour as much of charcoal as will fit in the ring. I pick out charcoal in the middle and put that in my chimney (30-40) briquettes. Light them and dump em right where they came from, throw another chunk on that lit and assemble to cooker.
 
What I'm thinking I'll do is partially bury 3 chunks in the unlit add the lit coals on to of the unlit not contacting the buried chunks and the place 1-2 chunks on top of the lit. Then once the heavier white smoke from them subsides put on the meat. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I do so appreciate you guys taking the time to offer your advice.
 
On a vertical white smoke isn't bad but typical. I don't know the explanation but I never ever had an off flavor on vertical with white smoke. My Longhorn (a horizontal) and white smoke equaled a really bad taste. For the Longhorn I preheated the sticks and used one or two chunks when I used them. The preheat did the trick.
 
I get the smoker up to temp. Then I put about three or four nice chunks on the charcoal, evenly spaced aroun the ring. When those are used up, no more smoke wood.
 
Smoke early. Cold, wet (refrigerator temp) meat will pick up smoke much better than warm and dry. Wood from the get-go, smoke for a couple of hours, then just complete the cook.

I get white smoke in my vertical all the time, no problem. Black and gray are bad news, white isn't a big deal, not as sweet as blue but not bitter either.
 
My way is the C way.
Not buried logs/chunks because I have tried both and seen that the not buried burnts much better ( to ash) than the buried.
I always wait 1 hour to 1,5 hour before adding meat.
Directly from fridge.
At that time no white smoke is billowing out!
 
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