how much wood?


 
J

Jay Crihfield

TVWBB Member
One thing I'm a bit sensitive to is using too much wood or "oversmoking" my meat. I did that once with my gas grill using hickory and the ribs tasted like they were dipped in an ashtray!

On the gasser I used chips in foil packets, and only let the smoke packets go for the first hour or two of any cook (sometimes a bit longer with a larger piece of meat and a milder wood), but I've seen on here where people will bury the wood chunks along with the unlit charcoal when using a minion method, and then throw a couple of extra chunks on when they dump the lit coals on at startup. Wouldn't this produce quite a bit of smoke for the entire duration of the cook and risk over-smoking the meat?

So far i've only done chicken on the WSM and since the cook times are shorter, I've just thrown a couple of chunks on at startup and been fine. But what would you guys recommend for a longer 8-10 hour cook for proper smoke? Need to start practicing pork butts/shoulders/ribs for our kid's birthday party coming up next month!
 
I think the universal standard for a "Chunk" is Tennis Ball sized just to provide a standard measure. So when you hear a recipe or recommendation for a certain number or combinations of "Chunks", keep that in mind. The bags I get locally from Cabela's and Meijer's have a pretty wide range of sizes in their chunks so I add and subtract from the recommeded number accordingly.

BTW - Where in the Chicago are you?
 
For the life of me, I keep having a hard time getting a noticeable smoke ring on my meats. Im not sure if I not using enough wood or what the problem could be. Any suggestions?
 
Jay - once the fire is burning clean, I use a 1 or 2 chunks of oak or hickory maybe more apple or peach. I wait until the fire is burning clean to put the food on so I know all the TBS is what I added as smoke wood. I too don't like what I call "the ashtray effect".

Carlos - is your meat room temp? If so try throwing it on cold. I've found the wider range between the meat temp and finished temp the better the smoke ring.
 
Carlos Lopez said:
For the life of me, I keep having a hard time getting a noticeable smoke ring on my meats. Im not sure if I not using enough wood or what the problem could be. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

As I've been told, moisture is important. In addition to throwing it on cold (from the ice box to the smoke box, as it were), make sure there's enough moisture in the smoker. As it has been explained to me, it's not the smoke that actually causes it, it's a chemical reaction from the burning coals and wood. You've got to have enough moisture.
 
That's where I go wrong, I let my meat come up to room temp before putting it on. I will try putting it on cold/straight from the fridge. Thank you guys for the info!
 
General rule of thumb is thinner pcs of meat don't need the same amount as thicker pcs.
I split all my chunks into smaller pcs maybe quarters and add that over the top of the unlit, than rake the lit over the top.
IMO you get into the TBS alot faster.
In your case.. Less is more at the beginning. Than once you get a handle on you're taste you can always add more.
Proper moisture content in smoke-wood has a lot to do with flavor vs the ashtray effect IMO.:wsm:

Tim
 
Should I not throw the meat on while there is smoke billowing out from the charcoal? On my maiden voyage on Monday, I used the minion method and buried about 4 chunks down in the charcoal like I saw on an instructional video. So I know the initial smoke (and there was A LOT) was from the charcoal and not the buried wood. Do I wait to put the food on?

Funny tidbit about my minion method. The video that I watched used a #10 can in the middle of the unlit charcoal that he poured the hot coals into. Then he lifted the can out. I liked that idea so I went in search of a big *** can. We don't eat much canned food in my house and I HATE to waste food and money so this proved more difficult than I thought. I wanted something that we would actually eat. Best I could do was canned pineapple chunks. Kids aren't used to canned fruit so initially snubbed it until I explained that they eat it on pizza. So we ate canned pineapple on EVERYTHING for days and days..... I hope I never need another big can, and I don't want to see canned fruit again for a loooooong time. And yes, my husband thinks I am just as wacky as you probably do right now. :)
 
Alyssa, depends on you're choice of fuel. Some like the K and do wait for that heavy smoke to clear before they add the meat.
I don't do the K and load immediately.
Any fuel will smoke at the beginning, and some folks are more sensitive to that than others.
Experiment, and find you're way .:wsm:

Tim
 
The amount of wood used depends on what you're cooking, what kind of wood you're using and how seasoned it is, and how much smoke flavor you like. A generic answer like " 3 or 4 chunks" doesn't tell anyone anything really because that amount may be way too much hickory for a small chicken, but not nearly enough if it's well seasoned apple wood and you're cooking a 17 lb brisket and you like a strong smoke flavor.

The only way to learn how much wood is right for each person is to experiment and actually learn it for yourself. Nothing beats experience.
 
I'm new to the WSM, but not to Q'ing. For years I have used a Klose offset and have turned out great barbeque using wood alone. So, in a real sense there is no overdoing it with good hardwood if you can use 100% wood. :) However, I did burn the wood down to coals for a good base amount, and then I would add more wood for smoke. Something to think about is the type of wood you are using. Some woods will give a much stronger smoke flavor, like mesquite, and other woods are mild, such as apple and alder. If you want a strong smoke flavor, or a mild flavor, it is a matter of which woods you use and not so much the amount (many barbeque restaurants are 100% wood).

In my experience the typical reason for a off-putting flavor from smoke is that the food has gotten a film of creosote (and other compounds) from the wood smoldering inefficiently. Notice I wrote "inefficiently" because the most likely culprit is choking off the air in the smoker during the beginning of the smoke. Air flow is incredibly important and this could be one reason why you had the results you did from your gas grill, since it isn't designed to be a smoker which allows for a good amount of heat and gases to escape through the top of the unit. Covered gas grills typically (there are exceptions) don't have allot of venting through the top, but are designed to hold heat (and subsequently gases).

It is a good idea to load up your smoker (with all vents 100% open) and light her up. Get a good, clean, smoke going (a thin smoke, not thick smoke) before you put your meat in the smoker.

It is really about heat consuming gases efficiently and not so much about the amount of wood you are using.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top