smoking question

Animal Eater

I have yet to smoke in my BGE so I'm curious how you folks add wood chips/chunks to the fire after the smoking process has started... Do you remove the cooking grate and drop them in from above?

Unknown

Animal Eater,
You could do it that way, or you could buy pellets that would fall through the grate. Personally, I place chunks of wood at random points within charcoal. As the coal burns so does the wood. I also place some chips over the coals that are first lit to ensure smoke buring the initial portion of the cook.[p]Matt.

Charcoal Mike

<p />Animal Eater,[p]Ditto what South-O said. I also used a Dremel to cut a notch out of my grid, so I can add chunks or chips later during the cook if needed.[p]Picture from Tim-M's website.[p]Cheers -[p]Mike

Zip

Animal Eater,[p]You can also pick up a Weber 18.5" fold up grill top. Target had them on closeout down in Gainesville Florida for about seven bucks so you may want to check out the local Target.[p]Ashley

Cajun

Animal Eater,[p]I do things a little differently. I will get a chicken, sometimes brine, sometimes only seasoning, and put it in the freezer for one hour right before I want to cook da bird. About 30 minutes into the "freeze" I will start soaking my chips and chunks in water.[p]When the hour is up, I light my fire (cubes) and get a decent fire going. Then I will cover the red coals with unlighted coals, put the wet chips on top of these put on the grill, put on the chicken, close the dome and keep the temp below 200° for 30 to 45 minutes. [p]Some say smoke penetrates cold meat better than hot meat and I cannot disagree with this. After the meat starts heating up, it seems to not take in any more smoke flavor. Dunno if that's correct or not, but it seems to be the case.[p]If, after about 20 minutes you don't see any more smoke, I usually bump the temp up to 225° until my 45 minutes are up. Then its temp up to 350° (direct) til my temp probe indicates its ready for removal.[p]This method works very well with spatchcocked (sp?) chicken[p]Good Luck

Spin

Animal Eater,[p]All of the possibilities offered below are quite correct and very useful for adding smoke flavoring to the meal being cooked. It is just a matter of experimenting with what works best for you and yours tastebuds, and your cooking method. Lots of possibilities are available.[p]Smoke is a spice flavor that is applied during the cook, thus the flavor and application method need to be understood. The BGE home page offers a link to a good description of the many smoking woods, the flavor added, and an offering of meals that can benefit from their use.[p]Understanding how to apply the smoke (thus the method used) requires an understanding of how meat absorbs the smoke flavor. Smoke enters meat best while it initially heats up, providing the deepest smoke "ring" (the pinkish coloring), and the best distribution of the flavor through the meat (mildest flavor). As the surface of the meat reaches 140°F, the flavor tends to start to collect on the surface of the meal, with less penetration, increasing the flavor nearer the surface of the meal. Above 160°F, the flavor only collects on the surface. Too much smoke applied to the surface of the meal can create the smoke "bite", a bitter taste.[p]The lump charcoal itself adds its own smoke flavor to the meal throughout the entire cook. Lots of fun with experimenting with the possibilities. Different smoking woods can be used at the same time. A 50/50 mix of hickory and apple wood adds the well known taste of hickory offset by the sweetness of the apple smoke.[p]Have fun with the spice called smoke.[p]Spin