Loading Smoke Wood into WSM


 
Chris E

Chris E

TVWBB Pro
For longer butt and brisket cooks, I find I need to keep feeding little chunks of smoke wood into the WSM or it stops smoking after a couple hours.

I am using triple-split wood chunks on top of the original minion method with lit coals spread out.

I just got a bag of fist-sized chunks to try and see if they burn longer.

I wondered if I used the "can" minion method and put a chunk on top of the lit and more chunks towards the edge to be consumed later.

Should I wait to put the wood chunks into the cooker until after 15 min of stabilizing the temps in the smoker? I feel like the coals are burning hot and burn up the wood chunks too fast at the beginning and maybe but too much/strong smoke out. I read about a whisp of smoke is ideal. Thinking if I add the wood 15 minutes after starting the smoker the oxygen/temp levels of coals will not burn wood as fast.

Or maybe I just need to feed chunks in every few hours.
 
I've read, and experienced, that the smoke flavour clings to the meat during the very first period of the cook. To add smoke wood after several hours is a waste of smoke wood. It won't change the taste.

I have not experimented a lot with this, just what I have read, and one cook where I took out a sample after a couple of hours, wanted more smoke taste and added several wood pieces. It did not help at all.
 
For pork, I've had good luck putting in 3-4 chunks mixed in and under the coals. Then 3-4 chunks on top. Plenty of smoky flavor.
 
Meat will take on smoke as long as smoke is present, whether you actually see smoke or not. It is the smoke ring that, as I understand, stops forming at about 140* The formation of the smoke ring has nothing to do with actual smoke. It is a chemical reaction within the meat.
 
From experience I knew that the smoke "permeated" (for want of a better word) the meat only for the first few hours or so of the cook, depending on temperature. The wisdom here, and in various other places that I've read, says the smoke effect pretty much stops at 140 degrees, which jibes closely with my experience. Some have said that the smoke flavor will increase even after that point, but the only thing I've noticed is a bitterness I'm not fond of.

So, that said, adding wood might add something, or it might not, but my experience says it's not a positive affect, if any.
 
The smoke ring which is a chemical reaction stops about 140F but smoke flavoring continues.
That being said food that is too lightly smoked is still very good but food too heavily smoked is bad! Always better to err on too light. As a cook your taste becomes desensitized during the cook, so let someone else taste.
 
Just since I haven't seen it mentioned, you may want to be careful adding wood as ribs are easily oversmoked due to their small size. I just throw on 3 fist sized chunks at the beginning and it seems to be more than enough depending on your palate.

You'll know if they are heavily oversmoked as they will taste like a mouthful of campfire smoke
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As I understand it ...

The "smoke ring" will stop forming ~140º.

The "smoke flavor" will continue to adhere throughout the cook.

Oversmoking is an issue with all meats but more so with fish and poultry.

How much smoke flavor is best is purely up to you.

For me, when doing butt or brisket, I start with 3~4 chunks and toss in a chunk whenever I notice a light whispy blue smoke stops coming out the top vent.



"You'll know if they are heavily oversmoked as they will taste like a mouthful of campfire smoke
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"

I oversmoked some chicken breasts and everyone said they tasted like used cigarette butts!
 
When I first started smoking with my wsm, I thought it was actually pretty hard to oversmoke meat in it, maybe with the exception of poultry or ribs...and I'm still convinced it's much easier to ruin meat in an offset with a dirty fire.

However, I've learned that adding cold wood as needed is not the best way to go. I bury in the coals what I think I need, depending on what I'm cooking, and will occasionally stir the coals or turn over a chunk of wood if the smoke dissapates for too long. It takes a while before cold wood gives off good smoke, and this is good to remember at the start of the cook as well. Putting enough wood in from the start is ideal, but you don't need smoke for the entire cook, even for butts.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
However, I've learned that adding cold wood as needed is not the best way to go. ... It takes a while before cold wood gives off good smoke ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I recall a discussion about this long long ago. Can't seem to find it though.

I recall some place extra chunks on the grates to "warm up" before being tossed on the coals later on.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
However, I've learned that adding cold wood as needed is not the best way to go. ... It takes a while before cold wood gives off good smoke ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I recall a discussion about this long long ago. Can't seem to find it though.

I recall some place extra chunks on the grates to "warm up" before being tossed on the coals later on. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Makes sense. Lots of folks, myself included, like to lay a split or two on top of the firebox for quick ignition when cooking with an offset stickburner.
 
If you're using the minion method, then you can spread wood chunks throughout the briquettes and they'll slowly burn at the same rate as the briquettes burn.
 
For butts:
I use the MM. I put down a few briqs on the grate, 2 fist sized chunks, and fill up the rest with briqs. I then place the hot briqs on top. To finish, I put 3 fist size chunks on top of the hot coals and throw the WSM w/ meat together.

For ribs:
I use the MM with 3 fist size chunks, not burying any as I don't want to oversmoke.
 
When doing a brisket or butt I usually use 3 fist size chunks of wood. One burried in charcoal, two on top.

Remember that the different types of woods give different tast.
 
Thanks everybody for the great advice. I am going to bury some chunks in the coals for butts. this weekend I'm doing turkey breasts and ribs so I'll throw a few fist sized chunks of cherry on top and see how it goes.

Great comment about letting someone else taste since cooks are in the smoke during the cook and get desensitized. Maybe this is why Q sometimes tastes better the next day!

I love this board!!
 
Good luck with it, Chris. Remember that poultry and ribs don't take much smoke, and that hickory or mesquite smoke goes a long way, just in case you're using either.
 
Good advice. I've tried a few woods and my wife doesn't like smoky food so I tend to be pretty light.

I have liked pecan and cherry a lot for chicken and ribs. Apple is fine too but I am liking cherry just as much. Alder working well with fish. Hickory and mesquite not favorites. I want to try some oak as it seems to be a favorite. Did a turkey and chix with sassafras and it was good but didn't love it enough to keep it around.

It just seemed that throwing the wood on top of 3/4 chimney of lit coals burned up most of the smoke wood in an hour, and also seemed to create that billowing smoke rather than whispy. I have to use a lot of lit coal to get the smoker up to temp at altitude, then shut down the vents after a couple hours.
 
My obversations are similiar, and we're not even high elevation. If I want high heat, even with an empty foiled pan, the door has to be upside down, cracked, and propped up. Even then, I'd need to swap to another charcoal to get 350. Regular K just doesn't burn that hot in my little wsm.

Regarding the wood, yep, burying chunks is the way to go.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris E:
I've tried a few woods and my wife doesn't like smoky food so I tend to be pretty light.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>Have you tried no wood at all?

I've done chicken with no wood and it still has a noticeable smokey flavor.
 
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