Fumbling Frequent Smoking Chips Add'ns

Dr. Eggstein

So, I'm about to smoke a brisket with some wild cherry chips. I expect to add soaked chips about every hour. BUT, what's an easy way to do so, considering I'm using a platesetter, normal grate, and considering a v-rack for the brisket, too? Do I remove all three of these hot pieces every hour to add fresh chips? What do the eggsperts advise? Thanks and Happy 4th!

Jeffersonian

Probably a better way, if you're dead set on using chips, is to mix them up with your lump so they catch as the lump burns down. Then you don't have to worry about how to slip a few in around the plate setter every couple of hours.

fishlessman

mix them in with the lump from the top halfway down into the lump. you can skip the soaking as well, if you keep the dome closed they wont burst into flames, they will just smolder like you want them too.

Weekend Warrior

If you add chips every hour of a brisket cook, I think you'll end up with a very smoky piece of meat IMHO. I mix chips in with the lump like the others have said and that's normally enough smoky flavor for me. Mark

stike

i build my fire with chips in the middle up through the lump so as the fire burns down it finds new wood. i tried a big chunk, and sometimes the fire burns away from the thing, so tend to stick with chips.

no need to soak

Dr. Eggstein

Thanks for the fast feedback. I'll temper my chips so as not to get too smoky. BTW, would the chips smoke if I put them in the drip pan? I'll place the foil drip pan on the inverted platesetter beneath the grate.

East Cobb Eggy

I don't think you need to keep adding smoking chips.

After about the first 20 minutes, the meat no longer accepts the smoke.

Greg

Jeffersonian

That would depend on how high your fire is and, if you're planning on smoking, that probably won't be very high. Putting them in the drip pan won't get you the results you're looking for.

Dr. Eggstein

Is that a fact! No pursuit of the smoke ring past 20 minutes. I kinda thought that the long smoking times meant keeping billowing smoke (from the chips) out the BGE.
Also, why not soak the chips? The instructions TO SOAK the chips are so commonplace. Insatiable insight appetite.

Grandpas Grub

oops, wrong place

Grandpas Grub

There are a lot of ideas wiht chips. If that is what you have availible here is another idea.

As stated above scatter them around up and down in the lump. AND... make some chip pouches our of foil. I do soak mine and make a pouch out of foil. 3 or 4" long and 2 or 3" wide. I put the wet chips in the foil and carefully fold up the sides to prevent holes. Before sealing I put some water inside the pouch then seal. Take a fork or knife and poke a few holes in the top of the pouch above the water line. I place the pouches towards the out side of the egg equally spaced.

3 or 4 of these pouches should do the trick. You will get some smoke from the chips mixed in and then later in the cook the water will steam off, chips dry out and start to smoke slowly out of the pouch.

I use this method with any light fruit woods, grape vine, Jack Daniels Old No. 7 barrel chips on meat only. Fowl will take the smoke flavor easier and the cooks are usually shorter. Most of the time no pouches are needed unless you are looking for a heavy smoke flavor.

Harder wood chips, I mix in with lump, not soaked, and then make 1 or 2 pouches.

However, I do prefer to use chunks if available.

I don't add chips after this first initial setup.

GG

Weekend Warrior

You won't get any more smoke ring after the early part of the cook, but you will make the meat smokier tasting the longer you're actively smoking it. Some soak, some don't. It's more a personal preference. I have done both with no noticeable differences in flavor. Mark

Grandpas Grub

I agree with Mark.

Smoke ring - early part of the cook.

Smoke flavor - throughout the cook.

GG

stike

it's the smoke ring that stops forming, but the smoke will flavor the meat even if you only smoke at the end.

the ring stops forming when the meat surface (where the ring is) hits 140 or so.