Your take on wood chips


 
Robert-R

Robert-R

TVWBB Diamond Member
I've done more than a few Weber "Jamie" recipies & they have been exceptionally good.

Curious here... a lot of the recipes have you add wood chips that have been soaked in water for at least one half hour.
When added to the coals... you get white smoke.

Thoughts? What do you do?
 
I use wood chips only for quick cooks burgers, steaks, BSCB, etc. Because they smoke almost instantly and they don't last very long. I use chunks for longer cooks and do not soak them.
Start out on the light side if you're just starting to use smoking woods, to much smoke can ruin a meal. I tell those just starting to try half of what's recommended and go from there to see if you even like it.
Most fruit woods are on the lighter side of smoke taste whereas Hickory and Mesquite and others can be quite powerful, use with caution.
Google smoking woods and I'm sure you will find recommendations as what woods to use with different foods.
 
The wood chips may have been recommended because many of Jamie's recipes were made to be used on Weber gas grllls.
The chips would work easier than chunks in that situation.
 
Thanks, guys.
I'll be using chips for the short cooks & dispense with soaking them.
I rarely use the gasser.
 
A majority of my grilling is with the lid off unless it's a thicker cut of meat where I have to cook indirect for a while. If I'm using wood chips I'll wrap them in foil, punch a few small nail holes in it for the smoke to escape while not allowing enough oxygen to enter so there will be no flames and burn the chips up too quickly. You have to place the bag where the ambient wind will carry the smoke over the meat. This seems to work well for me.
 
I use the Jack Daniels wood chips (soaked in water beforehand) when I grill wings. I sear the wings direct for a few minutes, and then move them all to the indirect side. I'll then add the chips to the coals and "smoke" for 10 minutes a side (lid on) before pulling them. Adds a great taste and color!!!

 
I use chips all the time............. It's usually chips (pecan, apple, cherry, hickory, mesquite) or apple chunks from friends & neighbors trees. For grilling I'll just throw on a handful on the coals, sometimes some even on the grate (22" grill); on the gas grill I have a stainless mesh pouch (mo's smokin pouch) that I'll normally fill & lay across the flavorizer bars, but sometimes I'll throw a few on top of that, or chunks & even chips on the grill itself. I like the color & taste that they give.
 
I don't use chips, but when I grill wings, burgers, or steaks I always pick up a handful of oak twigs out of the yard and toss them on the coals. With the lid on the grill they don't flame up, but they do provide just enough smoke flavor to the meat.
 
I've been putting hickory chunks in with my steaks lately and it has been adding great flavor. I will set up two sides of the grill for indirect. My gf likes hers well done and I like mine med to med-well, so I will put a wood chunk in and put the steaks on for about 15mins indirect, and finish over the coals. Has a great flavor to it. Same thing with hamburgers, adds just a bit of extra flavor. Besides hickory what would you recommend next to try for steaks? Mesquite? Pecan? Oak?
 
Kyle said:
I've been putting hickory chunks in with my steaks lately and it has been adding great flavor. I will set up two sides of the grill for indirect. My gf likes hers well done and I like mine med to med-well, so I will put a wood chunk in and put the steaks on for about 15mins indirect, and finish over the coals. Has a great flavor to it. Same thing with hamburgers, adds just a bit of extra flavor. Besides hickory what would you recommend next to try for steaks? Mesquite? Pecan? Oak?
Click to expand...

I love Mesquite with beef. I usually use oak, if I have it, for my briskets.
 
I use small chunks for grilling all the time. Chips are fine too, its just a good way to use up my smaller chunks. Any time I have something I'm going to be cooking indirectly for a while, I'll had some chunks. Pecan is my favorite.
 
I think we all started out soaking wood chips because that's what we read as the right way for grilling. I use a tinfoil pouch or an old tin canister with a hole punched in the top for chips or pellets for quick grilled foods.
But lets not confuse soaking wood chunks or chips with re-hydrating wood chunks or chips to a proper moisture content.
If you add the first "wet" to the smoker, than all you'll get is a lot of white steam, but if you " re- hydrate" and let the wood or chips dry naturally than you'll get more smoke flavor: ( depending on how dry your wood was from the get-go ):wsm:

Tim
 
I stopped using chips & only use chunks now. If I need smaller pieces, I have a small hatchet to chop smaller chunks for shorter cooks
 
timothy said:
I think we all started out soaking wood chips because that's what we read as the right way for grilling. I use a tinfoil pouch or an old tin canister with a hole punched in the top for chips or pellets for quick grilled foods.
But lets not confuse soaking wood chunks or chips with re-hydrating wood chunks or chips to a proper moisture content.
If you add the first "wet" to the smoker, than all you'll get is a lot of white steam, but if you " re- hydrate" and let the wood or chips dry naturally than you'll get more smoke flavor: ( depending on how dry your wood was from the get-go ):wsm:

Tim
Click to expand...

How do you do that "re-hydrate"? That could come in real handy.
 
Chips for short cooks, chunks for long. Stopped soaking after reading it doesn't really soak.

Been trying pellets and I'm surprised how long a handful of pellets can last. I think I might switch exclusively to pellets. Seems to burn cleaner, longer and has more flavour. I do notice it brings up the temp a few degrees.
 
I've been throwing in chunks w/o soaking them first and have not noticed a difference. If anything, I always get a decent smoke flavor, not too much.
My favs: mesquite, apple. If I had oak around, I'd try that.
 
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