More Smoke

Add more wood, don't bother soaking it, keep it mixed in the lump in a column above the bottom of the firebox, spread through the lump from top to bottom.

This will sound crazy, but try not to breath too much smoke during the cook.  It can desensitize you to smoke flavor when you're eating.

@oldfella I do not empty after each cook. Generally speaking I just add as needed. Sometimes I can go 2-3 cooks without adding; just depends on the last cook (length, temp, etc)

Grambler said:

Does the wood smoke not go away before the lump is ready to receive your meat of choice?

The wood doesn't burn any faster than the lump.  In a low and slow, there's very little burning at any given time.   I light the top and the fire burns down and out, very slowly.  If you spread the wood throughout the fire, it will start burning when the fire reaches it.   Remember, we control the fire by controlling the air (oxygen) that we let in through the damper and out through the DW.

It might flare up when you open the lid to look, because you're letting a massive influx of fresh air in, but when the lid is closed it's a very slow moving fire.  It doesn't take much of a burn rate to keep the egg at low and slow temps - it's very sealed and the mass of the ceramic is a good insulator.

Not seeing a heavy plume of visible smoke doesn't mean the wood isn't burning.  That heavy smoke that you see when you dump wood on a hot fire is usually pretty nasty smelling (and smelling) and is a large part water vapor.  Wood contains around 10-30 percent moisture.  That moisture contributes to much of the visible smoke.

nolaegghead said:

Yep.  Mix it in like this graphic made by Stike and you'll have constant smoke.  Increase the ratio of wood to lump if you want more smoke.

I never understood why stike perpetuated the idea that air flow occurs "downward", as your stike drawing shows; he posted this as well a few times. It is obvious air flow is the opposite; smoke flows from the opening from the top of the dome, which, I think, is a gross indication of direction. This, combined with a double Venturi effect inherent to the design of the egg, contributes to the temp stability of the egg, and the main reason why I gave away my side draft. I typically lay the smokin wood on top of a stabilized bed of charcoal, just before putting the meat on. Other techniques clearly work well also. Would welcome stike's, or facsimile of, rebuttal.

The best way to light your lump is on the top.  It's like lighting a candle on the top versus lighting from the bottom.  The fuel is below, airflow from below.  The fire works it's way down at the interface between the richest air and the fuel.  If you light a candle at the bottom, you're cooking all the fuel above (and getting way more crappy smoke).

Air flow is not downward.  It's up.  There's a big misconception in how fire burns from the weber charcoal mentality where you'd use a chimney starter to ash all your coals before using them.  You wanted to do that because if it wasn't ashed, it was generating yucky smoke.  The efficiency in the egg is to hold a bunch of fuel in reserve for long cooks that doesn't have to be lit.  Having that fuel baking gives you excessive unburned pyrolysis gases.  Staring from the top minimizes this and gives you heat with a minimum of unburned pyrolysis gases.

The DigiQ manual, for example, states that you should build a pyramid and light the top of it and let it burn down (like a candle or incense).  You get better heat and smoke.

coh I find if I soak the wood first my food tastes way smokier, guess I am on my lonesome there! Maybe it's just in my head.

Actually, go with Lit on this.  I guarantee you'll get more smoke lighting on the bottom. 

"better heat and better smoke", why?

nolaegghead said:

Yep.  Mix it in like this graphic made by Stike and you'll have constant smoke.  Increase the ratio of wood to lump if you want more smoke.

I tried this method on my 10kg turkey and it turned out very well.  I also got rid of the soaking the chips.  I tested it first on  Cdn back bacon and wow what a difference!!