When do you put the wood on and the meat?

[Frank Eriksen]

Assuming you've started your WSM using the minion method, and your cooker is at the temp you desire --- how long do you wait after adding the wood to add the meat? Or do you add meat and then wood right away? Thanks for your answers?

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I let the fire burn clean before adding anything. That usually takes an hour from the first spark under the chimney until no visible smoke after dumping it onto the unlit pile, assembling the cooker, and letting the lit heat up the unlit enough to quit smoking. Then, I add the meat and the smoke wood. That way I know all visible smoke is from my smoke wood.

 

[JRAiona]

I pretty much do as Dwain outlined also.

 

[ChuckO]

I have found that large apple chunks seem to make too much white smoke, so if using large apple chunks, I put them in from the get go, otherwise I too do like Dwain

 

[David C]

A clean fire is the objective but I don't find it effects the meat that badly to put the wood and meat on at the same time. I don't use a lot of wood either. I'm cheap....

 

[Matt H.]

Throw the lit coals on the unlit. Put the wood on the lit coals. Assemble smoker. Put on the meat immediately. Don't even wait for it to come up to temp. Laziness is a virtue

 

[Tommy B]

When I dump my lit charcoal into the WSM to start the cook I add wood. When the wood and charcoal smoke has cleared and is not thick and white I add meat. Typically 30-40 minutes for me.

 

[Bob H.]

When I dump the lit coals into the basket I add the wood and assemble the rest of the wsm. After about 20 minutes
it seems ready to go for me. Did it that way for the last 3 cooks and like the way it works out for me. There are no
written in stone rules for cooking on these, experiment and enjoy.

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

I use ATC.
So I light the charcoal with electric fan. Before that moment I have organized the charcoal ring + chunks/logs buried in the charcoal.
I light the charcoal with the electric fan and let the ATC does his work for 1,5/2 hours before let the meat in.
As said i put the smoking wood at the same time of charcoal.

 

[DBWallis]

I add the lit coals to the unlit, toss on some wood chunks, assemble the smoker, and add the meat when the temp at the grates hits about 200, usually 20 or so minutes after dumping in the coals.