First Attempt- Baby Backs! More Smoke?

lousubcap · August 2012

More smoke-more smoldering smoke wood...I use chips which I spread throughout the lump load. I unscientifically equate about a good handful of chips to a chunk. Figrue where there is fire there is smoke. And to be contrarian here, I always light my LBGE around bottom dead-center for low&slows then build up the lump in the center to the height of the rest of the load-usually into the fire ring. Never lost a fire (now jinxed). I have seen too many structural fires that much prefer to burn "up" as opposed to "down" (of course these were not air-flow restricted). FWIW-

gte1 · August 2012

, i don't have to buy wood, and i'm using as much wood (actually, less) than those who toss in three or four big chunks

Stike, If you're using less wood and still getting the same smoke sounds to me like it's burning faster (more completely) George

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fishlessman · August 2012

stike, im going to test your theory this weekend smoking a turkey for pull. dead center on the red coals ill place a baseball sized chunk and a thin chip and check after an hour or two. can ai put a paperclip on the chip so i know where it was when i check

)

stike · August 2012

gte1: nice try. i don't think you understand. you are talking about complete combustion, which involves flames. none of this involves flames. certainly not at lo and slo smolder temps. and rarely even at 800 degrees.

fish: your chip will be gone much sooner.

but you are equating one chip with one chunk. i've never done that, and i've agreed that A single chip will be used up faster than A single chunk.

no one in their right mind would say 'i am smoking ribs. i huess i'll use this one tiny chip, instead of this one chunk". no. you use chips (plural)

take two chunks. cut one into chips and use it for one fire. use the chunks for another fire.
your chips will NOT be long gone before the chunk is.

i'd even say that set up properly, you could actually get less smoke with the chunk if the fire burns away from it before it's used up. ever find chunks sitting high and dry the next day?

perhaps you misunderstood what i said. my fault maybe.

fishlessman · August 2012

well the question was stated as how to get a longer smoking time, not more smoke as he was happy with the amount of flavor he got, just wanted to see smoke for a longer period. bigger chunks will do it, not letting all the chips smolder at once by getting them away from the fire, i sometimes add pellets during the cook at anytime just dropping them past the inderect setup. theres also the problem that some dont under stand what wood smoke for cooking looks like, they see the steam burning off a wood chunk from moisture and equate that with smoke and yet that translucent almost invisibe blue smoke is what gives the nice flavor

Griffin · August 2012

Well, to get back to LongboardR's question. If you feel like you are not getting the smoke you want "during" the cook, ya got two choices as I see it. You can drop some wood chips in around the placesetter and use some kind of tool (I use an old metal skewer) and try and it push it towards some smoldering lump or towards the center. The other thing I've done on long smokes (which takes a bit more effort), is lift out the meat and the place setter, toss in some more chunks (or chips) and replace everything. Hope that helps and gets this back on topic.

gte1 · August 2012

gte1: nice try. i don't think you understand. you are talking about complete combustion, which involves flames. none of this involves flames. certainly not at lo and slo smolder temps. and rarely even at 800 degrees.

fish: your chip will be gone much sooner.

but you are equating one chip with one chunk. i've never done that, and i've agreed that A single chip will be used up faster than A single chunk.

no one in their right mind would say 'i am smoking ribs. i huess i'll use this one tiny chip, instead of this one chunk". no. you use chips (plural)

take two chunks. cut one into chips and use it for one fire. use the chunks for another fire.
your chips will NOT be long gone before the chunk is.

i'd even say that set up properly, you could actually get less smoke with the chunk if the fire burns away from it before it's used up. ever find chunks sitting high and dry the next day?

perhaps you misunderstood what i said. my fault maybe.

Don't want to argue about it. I do understand that we are not talking abut throwing these on an open flame, but there is some burning going on down there. I have had the lid closed and flames shooting out the top (not at 250). The lower the temp (air flow) the less combustion going on I fully understand that. How many of the chips touch burning lump? How much of the chunk is in contact with the same? So many varriables I don't think any quantitative prediction anyone can make would be very accurate.

Bottom line is as you stated eairler, both work fine. I use chips, chunks etc.. All seem to do the job. The chunks I buy from Fruita Woods, I actually split into thirds. Why? Cause, that's the way I like 'em. Others might like larger chunks than they send me, and others prefer chips. Like you said they all do the job.

More than one way to skin a cat.

George

First Attempt- Baby Backs! More Smoke?

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