Maybe I'm not using enough wood???


 
James Lake

James Lake

TVWBB Emerald Member
I was at WallyWorld the other night and happened through the grill section and I noticed they had some cherry wood chunks which made me very happy since this is the first time I have seen cherry wood available.

The wood is from Western BBQ Products and they were kind enough to post the instruction of using wood on their display.

Their instruction are as follows:

1. Light the charcoal using your preferred method.

2. Several minutes prior to cooking, add 3 to 5 dry chunks to the coals. Add more for larger smokers. (Well at least they didn't tell people to soak the wood)

3. When the chunks start smoking, you are ready to put on the food. (Well....maybe....maybe not)

Continue to add chunks every 20 to 30 minutes as needed during your cooking process. (Really.....really?? Maybe that is where I've gone wrong, I've always enjoyed my food with just a slight kiss of smoke, not the overwhelming power of the smoke.)

I guess they are in the business of selling wood and the more you burn the more they sell, that is until you stop using smoke since no one will eat the food.

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Just wanted to share this with you all. I am going to use the cherry wood to smoke a Citrus-Marinated Pork Butt this Sunday.

I hope you all have a happy Friday.
 
Depends on what you are smoking as to how much smoke it can take. Harry Soo suggests starting with 3-4 then adding one chunk every hour until meat is foiled.
 
J Hoke said:
Depends on what you are smoking as to how much smoke it can take. Harry Soo suggests starting with 3-4 then adding one chunk every hour until meat is foiled.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information, I will try that, but not every 20 to 30 minutes.
 
This is what Harry said in his Q&A on this forum in 2010.

Wood
Ribs & Chicken = apple
Butts = 50-50 hickory and apple
I don't have a preference between green and aged; bark on or off. So long as the wood does not have gunk or mold on it, it's OK for smoking. For hickory and apple, these attributes don't really matter.
My wood process:
Brisket and butts - 6-8 tennis sized chunks
Ribs - 3-4 tennis sized chunks
Chicken - 1 tennis sized chunk
That's all you need for wonderful bark and deep pink smoke ring.

Didn't mention the one every hour, but I believe I have seen that on his website.
 
I've only ever done 5 chunks max for a pork butt smoke, and the smoke ring has always been decent but not ultra deep or anything.

 
I use 3-4 chunks of wood at a time and have great results. More than that and I feel like i'm eating an ash tray from the after taste.
 
I would not add as much as the bag indicated. Sounds like they want to sell more of their product.
Personally, I would rather "undersmoke" than to have too much smoke flavor.
Ray
 
I'm in the camp that less is more when it comes to wood. I usually start with three chunks on top with the starter coals and two buried for tbs throughout the smoke. I've never had an issue with lack of smoke ring or flavor. I don't have any science to prove it, but I think the meat does a better job of absorbing smoke in the first 2-3 hours but smoke throughout the cook is still productive. I only foil ribs, so everything else is continuously cooked with smoke and heat.
 
Agreed, Ray.

If what you're doing already - whatever it is - gives you good flavor then there's no need to modify. If not, modify up or down depending on whether your current results are not flavorful enough or too smoky.
 
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