Poll: wood chunks or chips on BGE?

SaintJohnsEgger · November 2016

Do you use chunks or chips for hot smoking?

OhioEgger · November 2016

Chips for short cooks, chunks for long ones.

RedSkip · November 2016

Primarily chunks, only use chips because I got them as an Xmas gift. Once I run out, chunks.

clifkincaid · November 2016

Chunks

Sea2Ski · November 2016

Chunks or sticks. I have been a big fan of sticks recently.

Chips if I am going really fast or only need the smallest hint of smoke.

pgprescott · November 2016

I use both for long cooks and just chips for shorter cooks or those I would prefer less smoke profile.

DoubleEgger · November 2016

Chunks. I use a hatchet to split the chunks into smaller pieces when needed. I'd rather do this than store a bunch of chips

txhawkeye · November 2016

Chunks

Hans61 · November 2016

Both

Elijah · November 2016

Chunks. I use chips when I get them, but I don't buy them.

JustineCaseyFeldown · November 2016

Whatever works and is handy. Chips, chunks, twigs, bark.

If the smoke smells good, it is good.

A chip may be used up more quickly than a chunk, but it doesn't *burn* any faster. Just more chips, as much as would amount to a chunk in total

i also find the smaller stuff easier to add later. And i work it into the lump in the center, so that as the fire travels, it encounters new material, rather than leaving a single chunk high and dry

lousubcap · November 2016

Both here and usually lean to the chunks on the long cooks. It all burns.

FATC1TY · November 2016

Chunks. Chips are a waste of time to me. They catch on fire too easy and do indeed burn up faster.

I'm also partial to fruitawood for my smoking woods and find their stuff is much higher quality than the dried up plastic bag stuff at your hardware stores.

JohnnyTarheel · November 2016

Chunks

WeberWho · November 2016

Chips are nice for poultry and chunks for everything else

bgebrent · November 2016

Primarily chunks but I really don't think it matters.

SmokingPiney · November 2016

Chunks

NPHuskerFL · November 2016

Both.
Chunks typically on L&S
Chips on hot & fast...especially poultry and fish

JustineCaseyFeldown · November 2016

How Would a roast know it's being smoked by chips versus a chunk?

if you have a chunk that fills your hand, and a handful of chips, it's the same amount of wood.

Given that a smoking fire is small, and travels, you need to settle that chunk into the fire and hope the fire doesn't burn away from it.

Or you can spread the same amount of chips in the general area of the fire

point is, when your chunk stops smoking, and the fire has moved on to new lump, your smoke stops.

With smaller pieces of wood, you can shotgun it a bit. And the fire will keep bumping into new wood

this isn't an open fire, like a campfire. Chips don't ignite and burn up. They smolder just like chunks do. They burn the same and at the same rate

It isn't about one being 'better', it's about how to use one or the other. And not to avoid one type just because it isn't available

use what you have, and understand how to use it, and you will have smoke without issue.

NPHuskerFL · November 2016

@JustineCaseyFeldown
Agreed.

YukonRon · November 2016

I'm use chunks, dry.
If I'm need smaller, I reduce the size of the chunks. I quit buying chips because I waste more than I'd use.

lousubcap · November 2016

@JustineCaseyFeldown ; right back to your Ford vs. Chevy discussion on the old forum. The circle of smoke wood completes another lap.

Teefus · November 2016

Chunks for 30 years with my Weber, and continuing the practice with the BGE.

SkySaw · November 2016

I put wood on the fire immediately before I put the platesetter and the cooking grid on. Using this method I only use chunks. I can see where to put chunks so that they will begin to burn sooner or later. When I've used chips I find that the chips immediately light on fire and many of them have burned by the time I get the platesetter and cooking grid on. By the time the Egg is stabilized with the platesetter the chips have almost all burned away. Chunks every time.

Hans61 · November 2016

SkySaw said:

I put wood on the fire immediately before I put the platesetter and the cooking grid on. Using this method I only use chunks. I can see where to put chunks so that they will begin to burn sooner or later. When I've used chips I find that the chips immediately light on fire and many of them have burned by the time I get the platesetter and cooking grid on. By the time the Egg is stabilized with the platesetter the chips have almost all burned away. Chunks every time.

Try mixing the chips in with your ash tool before lighting

lousubcap · November 2016

As above, I will mix the chips or chunks with the initial lump load. That way as the fire moves it will continue to encounter smoke wood.

pgprescott · November 2016

FYI. No need to have continuous smoke throughout the cook. I wouldn't worry if the smoke subsides part of the way into the cook. I run into this all the time at the shop. Guys worried cuz the smoking wood was used up. No worries.

HeavyG · November 2016

I primarily use chunks but I also keep pellets on hand for use with my Amazen tray and tubes.

One other thing about pellets is they will fall thru the grates of most of my grills so I have found it useful a few times to be able to scatter a handful of pellets on the grate to have them fall thru onto the fire if I wanted to create a bit more smoke.

SloppyJoe · November 2016

limbs

bigalsworth · November 2016

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

How Would a roast know it's being smoked by chips versus a chunk?

if you have a chunk that fills your hand, and a handful of chips, it's the same amount of wood.

Given that a smoking fire is small, and travels, you need to settle that chunk into the fire and hope the fire doesn't burn away from it.

Or you can spread the same amount of chips in the general area of the fire

point is, when your chunk stops smoking, and the fire has moved on to new lump, your smoke stops.

With smaller pieces of wood, you can shotgun it a bit. And the fire will keep bumping into new wood

this isn't an open fire, like a campfire. Chips don't ignite and burn up. They smolder just like chunks do. They burn the same and at the same rate

It isn't about one being 'better', it's about how to use one or the other. And not to avoid one type just because it isn't available

use what you have, and understand how to use it, and you will have smoke without issue.

the caveat, as you stated, is that the chips have to be spread out. If you dump a fist full of chips in the same spot where the fire is they will burn faster due to more surface area exposed vs a chunk.

Hans61 · November 2016

bigalsworth said:

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

How Would a roast know it's being smoked by chips versus a chunk?

if you have a chunk that fills your hand, and a handful of chips, it's the same amount of wood.

Given that a smoking fire is small, and travels, you need to settle that chunk into the fire and hope the fire doesn't burn away from it.

Or you can spread the same amount of chips in the general area of the fire

point is, when your chunk stops smoking, and the fire has moved on to new lump, your smoke stops.

With smaller pieces of wood, you can shotgun it a bit. And the fire will keep bumping into new wood

this isn't an open fire, like a campfire. Chips don't ignite and burn up. They smolder just like chunks do. They burn the same and at the same rate

It isn't about one being 'better', it's about how to use one or the other. And not to avoid one type just because it isn't available

use what you have, and understand how to use it, and you will have smoke without issue.

the caveat, as you stated, is that the chips have to be spread out. If you dump a fist full of chips in the same spot where the fire is they will burn faster due to more surface area exposed vs a chunk.

The chips should also be stirred into the lump with the ash tool before lighting imo

Poll: wood chunks or chips on BGE?

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