Any problem with smaller wood chunks?

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I'm doing my first smoking tomorrow and the only wook chunks I could find are considerably smaller than fist or tennis ball size. Should I add the wood in two batches, the second about half-way through, or just add more in the beginning, or? I'm sure it's not an earth-shaking issue, but all the directions call for larger chunks and I thought I'd ask.
 
It shouldn't really make much difference since you're using the same total amount of wood. Where a difference would come in is, if you're looking to form a good smoke ring, you would want to apply more smoke while the meat was still under 140*.
 
Aha, so for the baby backs I should put more chunks on early to get as close to the desired effect as possible. Right?
 
Just be careful not to over smoke. Those ribs don't need a whole lot of smoke. You didn't say what kind of wood you have so I assume it is hickory. Very strong. Just go easy.
 
The chunks of apple I have where cut from about 2 inch branches. I usually use about 4 of those small chunks for ribs. Only at the beginning and do not add more. Of course your results may vary. It all depends on your taste. I also like to add 1 small chunk of hickory with the apple. But I like a healthy smoke taste.
 
Wood that I've found locally availabe in the stores is all smaller than tennis ball size. I'm happy to have a few chunks half that size in any given bag that I buy. However, they seem to work fine with some adjustment to the recipe. I tend to add somewhat less wood in these cases because larger surface area means more smoke released at one time.

The other suggestion would be to feed in wood over time. Smoke quality seems to change from early combustion on through to coals. I don't know if having newly burning pieces of wood over an extended period of time would have an impact on the final outcome. I hear about people pre-burning their wood. Maybe a more experienced member could comment on this?

Then there's wood chips. I buy chips because there's a large variety of woods available. They work great when grilling. I have only used them a couple of times with my WSM and the results have been mixed. Start with much less than you think you need and go from there. Again, I'd like to see someone with more experience offer some advice on this one!
 
Almost all my wood is from smaller tree branches. Most are maybe about 1/2 size bigger then you thumb I'd say as far as thickness. I just split them with a hammer and punch down the center. They work fine for me.
Another method I've used before is to bury wood thru out your charcoal. So as the charcoal burns and new charcoal ignites. The wood buried at various depths will ignite along with it. This seems to work fine for me. it will give you a more consistant and constant smoke.
Then again I don't think I use as much wood as others use.
As far as how much to use and for how long. I think it all depends on personal preference. Some like a much smokier flavor then others. Me it does'nt really matter how much I throw at it. I can never taste the smoke flavor right off of the smoker. Let it sit for a few hours then I can taste it a lot. But never right away. Dont know why this is.
That's why I'd rather eat stuff like salmon and pulled pork much later in the day or even the next day.
 
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