Adding smoking wood to a cook

carson1

I did a cook the other day, smoked some beef ribs.  I had built my fire and had coals set and temp around 265, where I wanted it, and let set for 3-045 minutes until the smoke from the coals was faint.  Before placing the ribs on I added 3-4 chunks of pecan to the coals, added the ribs and closed the lid.  After a few minutes I had clouds of white smoke billowing out the DW and through the bottom vent as well.  I have had this happen a number of times so either that is normal, or I am doing something wrong.  Am I adding the food too soon?  too much smoking wood? soak it in water?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

luckyboy

It's hard to put a handle on your problem, I think i'd try doing something differently, alter your process.
Good luck

Brisket_Fanatic

I normally add the wood chunks and then wait until the white smoke clears. You are looking for a faint blue smoke which is "Good Smoke". Once you get the blue smoke then add your meat.

six_egg

I have had this happen all the time. I have even had my lid lift up a little on it's own. Kinda freaky. Food was great.

lousubcap

Sounds like you are steaming off the moisture in the smoke wood when you add it.  Smell the smoke-if it smells good then it is good.  Many will mix the smoke wood throughout the lump load so as the fire travels around the lump it will encounter the wood.  But there are many ways to get there-

Darby_Crenshaw

couple things...

even if you DON'T add extra wood, you will sometimes see the smoke take off after you add the meat and shut the dome.  why? nothing to do with the meat.  you simply gave it a lot more air to breathe when you opened the dome.  your fire grows, and the wood can now actually burn, because it has plenty of air.  after a few minutes, the air is used up and the egg is now running only off the air that is coming in the bottom.  it returns back to the normal stable fire you had before you opened it.

the other part is a lou says.  that white is steam.  the older wood has had most of it driven off probably.  the new wood not so much.

Ladeback69

carson1 said:

I did a cook the other day, smoked some beef ribs.  I had built my fire and had coals set and temp around 265, where I wanted it, and let set for 3-045 minutes until the smoke from the coals was faint.  Before placing the ribs on I added 3-4 chunks of pecan to the coals, added the ribs and closed the lid.  After a few minutes I had clouds of white smoke billowing out the DW and through the bottom vent as well.  I have had this happen a number of times so either that is normal, or I am doing something wrong.  Am I adding the food too soon?  too much smoking wood? soak it in water?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.


I like to add my wood of choice when I am getting the egg up to temp, that way the bad smoke is gone by the time I put the food on.  By putting on right before you put the food on will give you a lot of white smoke.  Soaking the wood in water will make it smoke more IMO.  If your worried about the wood burning up before the food goes on, that shouldn't be a problem unless you are waiting to put it on 2 to 3 hours after the grill is good to go.  

Try adding the wood in when you light the fire or shortly after it is established.  After about 30 to 45 minutes the smoke shouldn't be that much and you are good to go.  Now if you leave the lid open too long more smoke will come, but the VOC's by then should be gone and the smoke shouldn't be bad smelling.  Good luck.

Darby_Crenshaw

soaking the wood only makes it steam more.  that's the white billowing 'smoke' we are seeing