Wood chunks on fire!


 
S

Steve W (Weave)

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I've made bacon about 10x now with my neighbor using his Landman side box smoker. Last weekend I smoked a single belly on my WSM to give to my friends and cure my itch to smoke.
I used the snake method with 2 rows around outside of the ring with apple wood on top of the kingsford. I lit 4-5 coals and started the snake locked the smoker in and things went great until a couple hours in I noticed something I haven't seen before.
My smoke wood was actually in flames and burning like it was in a fireplace vs smoldering.......HELP....is this normal???? Does it give an off flavor? Does this happen all the time and I've just never noticed?
 
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In smoking bellies, I don't use the snake method. Rather, I place four or five lit coals atop a pile of unlit charcoal (a chimney's worth) with smokewood mixed in. I split my chunks of smokewood, especially pecan, to the thickness of my thumb and that way they produce more smoke and result in less smoldering as it were. And so I've never had any problem with the wood catching fire and up to now, I've never heard of the snake method used in the WSM. Perhaps it's not setup for that procedure.
 
There must have been enough oxygen getting to the fire that it allowed the smoke wood to burn vs an oxygen starved fire where the wood would smolder. Ck vents, door seal, center section on bottom & lid on center section joints to ensure unintentional air was not entering.
 
How do you know the wood was in flames.. Did you open the door to check?
If so you gave it a breath of fresh air, any smokewood that was just starting to smolder can burst into flames when you stoke it with enough air.

Tim
 
timothy said:
How do you know the wood was in flames.. Did you open the door to check?
If so you gave it a breath of fresh air, any smokewood that was just starting to smolder can burst into flames when you stoke it with enough air.Tim
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I've never observed any flames in my WSM since I've owned it, from 2006.
 
Maybe I encouraged the flames by peeking as Timothy pointed out.
I'm curious as to how everyone else does their charcoal for bacon on the WSM?
I've always though that the snake method was the way to go......is that only for kettles?
TJ do you just pile the coals in the center of the ring? What do you get for temps?
You guys have great info!
Thanks
 
Steve W (Weave) said:
Maybe I encouraged the flames by peeking as Timothy pointed out.
I'm curious as to how everyone else does their charcoal for bacon on the WSM?
I've always though that the snake method was the way to go......is that only for kettles?
TJ do you just pile the coals in the center of the ring? What do you get for temps?
You guys have great info!
Thanks
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I pile the coals and wood chunks into the "center" of the ring. And I use a whole chimney's worth of unlit charcoal.
 
I like to use "the snake" in the WSM as well. Works great for me.
If the temps won't go up at the end, I just "cut off" the snake and finish the bacon in the oven indoors. The result is the same, noone knows that I've cheated, but then I think I tend to smoke my bacon at lower temps than most of you do. Living in Norway, I do not need to take the same precautions regarding food safety as you do.
 
If the wood chunks are literally burning, it's because of the amount of oxygen it's getting. I get that often on my kettle, but not so much on the WSM. I just close the bottom vents until I no longer see flames through the top vent, then crack em back open.
 
Thanks I figured I would choke it off with the vents as Chad pointed out.
Geir...what food safety precautions are you referring too? Trichinae? Just curious
 
Geir Widar said:
I like to use "the snake" in the WSM as well. Works great for me.
...but then I think I tend to smoke my bacon at lower temps than most of you do. Living in Norway, I do not need to take the same precautions regarding food safety as you do.
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"...food safety..." Please elaborate.
 
I think that if I elaborate too much, that would be too off- topic, but I do not need to bring the temperature on pig meat over a certain temperature to be sure that it is safe to eat. Raw pig meat is safe here in Norway.
The same applies to eggs, and also every other meat I can buy in shops. If I want to, I can eat raw chicken breast without any fear.
That does not mean that Listeria does not exsist here, but the chance of getting food poisoned is minimal.
 
I do not really know what to respond to your last post.
If you think my answer is out of line, inappropriate or rude in any way, please send me a PM. I was just trying to provide facts.
I can assure you that I can prove it. Every single pig (and game) sold as meat in Norway is tested for trichinella sprialis. :)
 
Steve W (Weave) said:
Thanks I figured I would choke it off with the vents as Chad pointed out.
Geir...what food safety precautions are you referring too? Trichinae? Just curious
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As far as I can see, you like to bring your bacon to temps over 170F.
I think that must because you want to kill listeria, e-coli and possibly trichinella sprialis. Very understandable.

Here where I live, i do not need to care about these things. I'm not trying to boast, beeing cocky or anything, but I can safely eat my bacon cooked at far lower temperatures without beeing afraid of any of these bacterias. Every single pig sold as food here in Norway is tested for trichinella sprialis, and outbreaks of the bacterias mentioned are very few, and years between any small outbreak.

Cold smoked bacon is different from hot smoked bacon. If I had to choose, I'd say "Yes please". It's still bacon, only a different flavor.
 
Here in Amerika, we're at the mercy of unkempt slaughterhauses with reputations worse than many countries in Europe.
 
Yes, this is a little off-topic from "why are my chunks burning"... :)

Here's an interesting, undated article on the USDA website about trichinae. It supports what Geir says...that there is basically no trichinae in some EU countries, and that we in the US still worry about things like trichinae when we shouldn't because the number of cases is very, very low, and usually not from pork!
 
Chris Allingham said:
Yes, this is a little off-topic from "why are my chunks burning"... :)

Here's an interesting, undated article on the USDA website ... in the US still worry about things like trichinae when we shouldn't because the number of cases is very, very low, and usually not from pork!
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Another severe problem we have in the U.S. is the media. It tends toward sensationalization, blowing a minor incident way out of proportion. And then the lawyers step in to grab their cut. WE ARE A COUNTRY OF LAWS. Yeah, right, laws that favor the rich.

I'll step down off of my soapbox. Sorry. Heh heh.
 
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