Smoke, or lack there of!!!!

johnrezz · May 2008

So, I have been not getting the kind of smoke I think I should be getting out of my chunks.... Let me first tell you that I am a cabinet maker so I have a ton of cherry drops that I cut up into chunks and use for smoke. I soak it for about 1/2 and hour get the egg up to temp (lets say 250) toss on the chunks and let it go.... From what I have read on the forums I need to let them smoke for at least 1/2 hour before I cook. It seems to me that after that half hour the smoke seems to reduce substantially and I am not getting the deep ring I want.

Before I got the egg I used my gas grill with a small smoke pot on the grease guard, I would put the wet chunks in there and it seemed to smoke alot......

Any advice?

John

Grandpas Grub · May 2008

I realize a lot of people will say don't soak and don't put on the food until the smoke from the wood has gone.

When I use cherry, apple or grape, I often do soak and also put on some dry 5 or so minutes before putting on the meat.

At times will will add more as the cook goes on. I am not sure what type of cherry I got last time but it does not impart as much flavor as my previous bag.

If you are using the same type as you used with the gasser you should get simular results.

I have been thinking of putting a cast iron chip pot with the fruit woods when smoking.

GG

FlaPoolman · May 2008

Try it without soaking. The EGG is very efficient about keeping things in like most men. The gassers are like most women and you'll definitely end up with a ring. :(
OK no flaming I love my wife REALLY.

Car Wash Mike · May 2008

The conversations I have had with wood eggsperts. Wood needs to be soaked for metal cookers not ceramic.
Also, 200 for a deep smoke ring.

Mike

Grandpas Grub · May 2008

Mike,

Was there any conversation about how long to wait after putting the wood on before adding the meat.

There has been a lot of chit-chat about acrid smoke taste, but I haven't experienced that with most of the fruit woods.

Kent

stike · May 2008

the smoke from starting the egg (starting the charcoal) is the noxious stuff. smoke from your chunk is good right off the bat though. start the fire, let it burn clean, THEN jam your chunk(s) into the coals just before you put the meat on.

i use chips, and as i put the lump in, i keep a concentration of chips in the middle in a few layers, so that all my wood is stacked in the middle, which is where my fire burns (pretty much straight down).

smoke will flavor the meat whether it's at the beginning or end. it's the smoke ring which forms very early in the cook. but the smoke ring doesn't mean there's more smoke flavor, since you can still add smoke even after the ring has stopped forming.

wet chips seem to smoke a lot. puffy white 'smoke' from wood is mostly water (steam). there's no need to soak chips in the egg. they don't burn faster dry. they don't treally burn at all like they would in a less-airtight smoker. the egg keeps the wood smoldering. you can skip the smoke.

stike · May 2008

i honestly think that the "wait for the smoke to clear" rule is for the lump itself. take a whiff at first ignition, and it is burning inefficiently and smells petro-chemically in a way. but when i toss wood chunks onto a clean burning fire, the smoke from the WOOD is good.

my new personal rule is "if the smoke smells good, it will taste good"

within reason, of course. you can always oversmoke

i think, though, that the good advice to get your chicken fire going clean for a half hour is right, but that doesn't mean WOOD smoke needs to burn clean. should be a nice blue/gray. white isn't necessarily bad, mostly steam.

Car Wash Mike · May 2008

Not really a time, just looking at the smoke. Fruit woods are very forgiving. No way would I put meat on a grill with Mesquite just put in.
If I had to guess 30 minutes. Tops.
Really depends on the wood, you CAN'T throw wood in the middle of lump, throw meat on and get a good result. Sugar Maple, my god. Give that 20-30 minutes. WOW!

Mike

Grandpas Grub · May 2008

Interesting thought. Possibly just my reading about the white smoke from wood.

I agree with if it smells good then it is more likely it will taste good.

Thanks, stike.

Kent

BamaFan · May 2008

I put the wood chunks on right before the meat. Makes for some smelly clothes but who cares. I have not had any bad problems with this method.

thirdeye · May 2008

The drops from your hardwood creations has been kiln dried and so differs from basic firewood.

I have never bought into soaking wood, as it will need to dry out before it begins to smoke anyway.

I do believe that the lump must burn off before it's ready for cooking. I also believe that the flavor wood needs time to settle down before adding meats, and 1/2 to 1 hour works fine for me, especially when using the small amounts most of us use (several splits or a few chunks). It is important to realize that thick white smoke is full of particulates that can precipitate out on the meat resulting in bitterness. So once you let your fire settle down and you have stabilized your target cooking temperature, you will usually have a light white or barely visible blue smoke coming from the top vent.

As far as a smoke ring goes, hands down I got the best ones when using hardwood coals, mostly oak, pecan and mesquite....but those were the "home woods", I did not have access to other hardwoods. I get very good ones with lump and flavor wood. Cherry is my all time favorite.

Bottom line is, use whatever flavor you like, on whatever meat you choose, whether it comes from wood, spices or condiments. Learning the combination of seasoning, heat, time and smoke flavor that suits you is what makes barbecue, or grilling, or smoking so wonderful.

johnrezz · May 2008

Good thread..... I am going to try another butt tonight. THis time I am going to try dry wood wait 20 min..... figured that is a good compromise for this discussion. The wood that I get is actually air dried and then steamed, this process yields a much more consistant color making my finish's more predictable. It is well worth it for about a buck more PBF.

I will let you all know the results tomorrow...

John

Smoke, or lack there of!!!!

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