To soak or not to soak


 
James Lake

James Lake

TVWBB Emerald Member
Purchased some Weber wood chunks the other day and they actually come with instructions. The instructions say to soak the chunks and they will put off more smoke. I have never smoked wood chunks does anyone and if so what are the results?
 
Soaking, in my opinion and experience, is a complete waste of time. Honestly, you could soak a chuck of wood for 24 hours and the water is only going to penetrate an eighth to a quarter of an inch.

Now, that having been said, if you are ever in a situation where you have to build a smoke pouch using wood chips, soaking about half of the chips will be very helpful as the moisture will cover so much more surface area on the wet chips and will make the pouch slower and more even smoke time.
 
I read that article from Amazing Ribs a couple of years ago and haven't soaked my wood chunks since. Below is a quote from Fruita Wood Chunks regarding soaking their chunks.

"DO I NEED TO SOAK THE WOOD IN WATER PRIOR TO USING THEM?

NO!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

DO NOT !!!! soak our wood in water. There is enough moisture in our wood to allow for extended smoking period. Soaking in water will only create a sooty smoke making your meats bitter and less desirable to the judges."
 
I think that the soaking thing is just an old wive's tale that keeps getting regurgitated.....over and over.
Same goes for soaking corn on the cob.
Throw the doggone smokewood in and get to smoking.
 
Well.. It does depend if your smoke-wood has the right moisture content. Smokinlicious & Fruta wood sell gourmet chunks that have the right moisture content.. Bagged stuff from the big box stores could have set on the shelf for how long?
If you think of smoke-wood as a spice, than fresher is better in some of our opinions. You could try and re-hydrate a few chunks from Weber and see if it makes a difference, to you.
One link on proper moisture content. http://www.smokinlicious.com/index.php?Moisture
And one on re-hydrating. http://www.smokinlicious.com/index.php?Moist%20Table

HTH

Tim
 
I accidentally left some wood chunks out in the rain. I'm cooking a brisket tonight. I'll let you know if it makes a difference, lol.
 
For anyone wanting longer smoke....

If wood chunks don't smoke long on your wsm, use fresher, as Tim suggested, or denser wood chunks. Hickory, oak, and pecan will smoke a lot longer than fruit wood. Another way to prolong smoke is not to put the wood on the top of the coals until after putting the meat and dome on. (Also less smoke in the eyes!) Pouring lit coals in the middle with wood around it works great, and if cooking overnight I bury some wood chunks down in the unlit.

For the kettle, I put wood chunks on top of the cooking grate over the hot coals to keep them from burning up when smoke roasting chicken. For low and slow in the kettle, this is the big plus for the fuse method.
 
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Joe F said:
No soak.
It's an official memo.
Do not soak.

I repeat, do not soak.
Click to expand...

Well, I do remember a thread awhile back where a member felt his smoke-wood was lacking in flavor. I gave him that same Info that I mentioned upthread, and after a day or so of soaking he was quite happy with the results.
To each his or her own, and like my sig says..
Tim
 
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John Wheeler said:
All your doing is steaming the chips/chunks until combustion takes over=smoke!
Click to expand...
Yep, this is how I see it.

But different strokes for different folks.
Similar to the water/no water in the water pan controversy.

Do what works best for you.


I'll add this...
I'm a woodstove user...burn about two cords a season.
I want a clean burn and want my firewood seasoned and as bone dry as possible to avoid creosote build up.
I definitely do not want creosote on my food.

So green wood is out and I believe that when my seasoned wood is "rain wet" I am developing creosote buildup, although not as bad as unseasoned wood.
 
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