How To Use A Charcoal Smoker With Wood Chips

Simply like sports, barbecuing and smoking takes practice. No one does information technology perfectly the starting time time.

There are and then many variables such equally fire control, cooking temperatures and times, smoking times, blazon of wood, dry out rub recipes, and sauces that bear upon the meat.

Different heat sources, either from charcoal, gas, electricity or forest can also make a difference to the stop upshot of your cook.

Just one time you primary these techniques, y'all'll exist treated like a celebrity. Friends and family can't expect to be invited over to your next lawn party. That irresistible aroma and flavor of classic smoky barbecue can be intoxicating.

Simply you lot can't accomplish that smoky barbecue flavor without wood. So, choosing the correct type of forest, and the right size to burn is essential too.

There are three sizes of smoking forest you can choose from:

Wood fries
Chunks
Logs

Fortunately, you can go them pre-packaged from your local stores such as Dwelling Depot, Lowes or fifty-fifty online, and so they're very like shooting fish in a barrel to source, readily sized and packaged for employ.

In this article, we're going to take a expect at just one blazon of forest specifically and concentrate on just how to use wood chips for smoking.

Wood Chips, Chunks or Logs?

Wood chips, chunks and logs in 3 photos in a montage

The answer depends on how long yous program to smoke. For brusque cooking time such as steak, fish or chicken, the forest chips work all-time because they are pocket-size pieces of wood that ignite quickly only burn out pretty fast.

If you are doing a long, slow fume for barbecue brisket, ribs or pork barrel, so chunks will be a better option. These fist-size pieces volition burn down steadily for hours in a smoker.

At present, if you're planning on barbecuing in a pit or using an offset smoker, you should apply logs. These total-sized pieces of woods are suitable for larger areas. Logs produce smoke, only they are besides role of the fuel source, creating heat from called-for.

The size of the wood matters and this article will focus on how to smoke using wood chips. We will follow upward with articles on smoking with chunks and logs soon. And yes, wood chips are traditionally used in electric smokers for the main part, but they can also be used in other types of smokers as you volition soon run into.

Now that we are talking about wood chips, and before getting into stride-by-footstep of smoking with wood chips, nosotros should first tackle the most mutual topic that comes up in discussions of smoking with forest chips:

You've probably heard of people soaking their wood chips before barbecuing. But, is it necessary? Let's see.

Should You Soak Wood Fries or Leave Them Dry?

Mesquite wood chips being soaked in water before use for smoking

There's plenty of debate on this matter, and it comes down to personal preference.

Because woods fries burn out quickly, soaking chips will naturally ho-hum down the procedure. Every bit you know, water boils at 212 °F (100 °C). All the water must evaporate before the forest can ignite at around 356 °F (180 °C). Soaking wood chips merely delays when the chips offset to smoke.

Meathead Goldwyn from AmazingRibs.com did some testing and claimed that wood chips only absorb about 6% weight in water.

According to him, when you lot toss dripping moisture wood on hot dress-down, the water just cools off the coals. He said:

The key to good smoking is to command your smokers temperature. The goal is to get to a target temp and concur there. Nice and steady.

Therefore, it'due south not such a good idea. And we recommend in our electric smoker tips and tricks guide, that you do not soak your woods chips. Even so, soak or dry out, it's up to you.

My suggestion, experiment for yourself and see what works best for you. If your meat turns out smoky and delicious, just go along doing what you lot're doing. The right fashion is the ane that works for you. But we would recommend Not to soak your wood chips; information technology is entirely unnecessary.

Reduce Oxygen to Make Forest Chips Smoke Instead of Burn

Two circular smoker boxes of wood chips on a grill

Wood smokes when information technology reaches temperatures between 570 and 750 °F (299 and 399 °C) depending on the blazon of wood.

Smoke is a complex mixture of compounds that create the aroma and flavors nosotros dearest so much. One grouping of compounds, Phenol, and other phenolic compounds impart antioxidant characteristics which slow bacterial growth and rancidification of animate being fats.

Every bit you know, burning wood produces generally rut and a niggling smoke. To reduce the flame, you need to lower the oxygen level so that the woods merely smolders releasing more than smoke.

One of the best means to restrict the oxygen is to put the woods chips in a metal smoker box, a wire mesh smoking bag or make a smoker pouch. These containers restrict the flow of oxygen, so the wood cannot burst into flames.

We have a guide on how to apply a smoke box, simply you lot can easily make your own smoking pouch using aluminum foil.

Making A Smoking Pouch For Woods Fries

A homemade foil packet for smoking wood chips in a grill

Take 2 layers of foil and put a handful of fries in the center. Wrap up the pouch squeamish, tight and not bad like you would a birthday present so that the fries won't fall out.

At present poke holes all over to permit some air in and the smoke out.

The foil will restrict the oxygen, turning the wood into charcoal while giving off maximum smoke, instead of burning the chips and tuning them to ash.

Place the pouch on the fire the same way y'all do with the woods fries. Your smoke will concluding longer and employ less wood.

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Yous Tin Experiment with These Types of Wood

Wood fries come from different kinds of copse. Pairing the right kind of chips and food will further enhance the season of your barbecue smoked meat. You'll have fun playing "Mad Food Scientist" by mixing and matching these countless combinations.

Here are some examples for you to compare:

Woods Name	Fume Strength	Flavor	Uses
Apple	Mild	Fruity	Poultry / Pork
Pecan	Mild	Nutty	Poultry / Pork / Beef
Maple	Mild	Sweetness	Poultry / Pork
Cherry	Mild	Sweet	Poultry
Hickory	Medium	Smoky	Pork / Beefiness
Oak	Medium	Smoky	Pork / Beefiness
Mesquite	Strong	Smoky	Pork / Beef

There are many more than woods types. Sometimes less is ameliorate especially if y'all choose medium or strong categories.

Don't use too much, or it can overpower your meat. One time you're familiar with 1 wood'due south characteristics, y'all tin mix-and-match them to sample a variety of scents and flavors.

At present you have a decent idea near the types of forest fries, whether to soak them or not and how to make a pouch, the only thing left to do is to start smoking your meat.

8 Steps to Smoking With Woods Chips on a Charcoal Grill

A smoking charcoal kettle grill on a patio

Hither is my recommended method of smoking using wood chips on a charcoal grill or charcoal smoker:

Pick the wood chips flavor that will compliment your food (such equally cherry, hickory, mesquite or others).
Catch a bag of your favorite quality lump or charcoal briquettes.
Put some charcoal in the chimney and light it.
Create a pouch using several layers of aluminum foil, make full it with the forest chips, seal it and poke some holes for the fume to escape and to permit in air.
Pour the charcoal from the chimney and showtime the fire:
For fast cooking nutrient such as burgers, steaks, chicken breast or pork chops, place the wood chips directly below the meat.
For slow cooking meat such as ribs or roasts, apply indirect estrus by placing charcoal on one side with the wood chip pouch on elevation.
Identify your cooking grate over the fire followed past the meat.
Cover the grill. If you are grilling and don't accept dampers, exit a lid gap about an inch to allow the air in but don't lift it, y'all need the smoke.

Do remember to add more wood fries for low-and-boring cooking, with a regularity you can find discussed in our guide to using woods fries in an electrical smoker.

However, you don't need to smoke for the unabridged cooking time if going for 4+ hours (and potentially as long as 20!)

7 Easy Steps to Smoking With Woods Chips on a Gas or Electric Smoker

Wood flake pouches or boxes are one of the very best means to add smoke into dedicated gas smokers, or a gas grill y'all want to add smoke to. Here's how:

Pick the woods fries flavor that will compliment your food (such equally cherry, hickory or mesquite).
Fill up a smoker box with the wood chips or make a foil pouch as described above. Usually, gas grills come with the smoker box. Otherwise, you can purchase i or grab a dispensable smoker box from the store with the wood chips already inside.
Light the fire, identify the smoker box on the grill.
Wait until the chips begin to fume.
Place your meat on the grill and cover
Cook your meat using either straight or indirect heat grilling methods.

Pointers to keep in mind:

Commonly, 2 to three handfuls of chips on straight heat takes almost one-half an hour to surrender all the smoky goodness.

Soaking wood chips means slowing down the first of the burning process simply, it will add time via delay in starting to smoke, merely will not add together more fume.

Make sure to keep the smoky flavor in your meat. Lift the grill chapeau or open the smoker door every bit little as possible.

Video Demonstration:

Here'southward a quick video by Weber about smoking with wood chips.

Stay Away from Unfamiliar Backyard Woods

Woods from your backyard might expect proficient for smoking. Exist careful though. They could be poisonous with onetime toxicant ivy vines clinging to them or weed killer over spray. Never use pine forest as pine leaves sooty smoke that will make your food inedible.

Unless y'all know for sure, the wood is clean and the right blazon, stay abroad from it. Y'all can buy forest chips almost anywhere, and they're quite reasonable. Why have the chance?

The 2 Big Choices When Smoking Using Wood Chips

Call up when y'all are gear up to smoke your meat using wood chips you have two big decisions to brand. What blazon of woods "flavor" (cherry, oak, hickory and others) and whether to soak or not.

Half the fun of smoking is experimenting so have a adept fourth dimension trying them all. Make certain to keep a journal, and so you tin can proceed track of the good ones and avoid making the same mistakes.

I promise this commodity helps your smoking, and that you learned something today. Allow me know how it works for yous. Together nosotros can grill amend.

Happy smoking!