How much wood during a smoke?

jds62f

How much wood you guys use during a smoke of a brisket or a pork shoulder? Are you using chunks or chips? My inclination is toward chunks...

2Fategghead

jds62f, Welcome to the forum.

In my opinion it depends on a few things. I use Royal Oak lump and I get some smoke flavor from that alone. I also use 2 or 3 chunks of hickory for a brisket or Boston butt.

Keep in mind how much smoke flavor you and your company can tolerate.

One more thing is that certain meat will absorb smoke differently and the Boston butt will absorb smoke until the butt reaches around 140° and that is why some put their meat in the egg when the meat is still cold.

Others will chime in here with more experience than me. Tim

hope this helps

Misippi Egger

Tim is pretty "right on".

I put 4 dry chunks (about 2" square) in my lump when cooking boston butts. I mix the chunks into the lump so they are getting ignited at different times during the cook. Seems to give me just the right amount of smoke flavor for our tastes.

I didn't have any apple chunks for my Thanksgiving turkey, so I scattered several handfuls of apple chips throughout the stack of lump.

ENJOY !

Scotty's Inferno

I use 5 or 6 chunks and usually 1 or 2 don't get fully burned.

vidalia1

I try to use chunks where possible and I like to mix it throughout my lump. I use 2-4 chunks depending on what I am cooking, who is eating and what lump I have on hand...and like Tim said the lump does impart a smokey flavor on its own so do not overdo it...bananas foster with leftover hickory chunks in the lump does not taste good at all..
:ermm: :huh: :S :pinch:

fishlessman

three chunks works for me 2 cherry,1 hickory or pecan, maybe add a small handfull of mesquite chips as im likeing that more and more

Celtic Wolf

So you are the one who likes Mesquite...

fishlessman

yep, "the one". always hated it until about a year ago, still it has to be in small quantities. even on pork ribs