Ideal "spent" wood

[Theslacker]

Hi folks. When you are done a smoke, what should your "spent" wood look like in the wood box? Should it be ash? Should it be a hunk of wood that is now black? I've attached a photo of what a chunk of peach wood looked like after my second smoke. I have the wood sitting on top of the chip screen in the box.

My first smoke was with apple wood (and seasoned the smoker with hickory), and that was reduced completely to white ash.

The second smoke, pictured here, had the wood towards the front of the box. It was reduced to a mix of ash and black wood pieces. However, the smoker didn't run quite as long as the first time I ran it (2 vs 2.5 hours).

The wood I'm using is new, high quality stuff.

Thanks for input!

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[swthorpe]

When I do long smokes, like a brisket last weekend for 11 hours, the wood is reduced to ash.  However, for short smokes like 2-3 hours, the wood is typically just charred, not ash.   I put my wood in the back of the smoke box (closest to the back wall).

[NDKoze]

There are hot spots in most of these smokers and you can find them by doing a test smoke with wood spaced from front to back and then note the results after a smoke.

My hotspot is opposite of Steve's. The hot spot on my element is in the back of my box. So, depending on how hot of a smoke I am doing I adjust my wood placement accordingly. For example for a low temp smoke, I would want my wood on the hot part of the element, verses a hotter smoke where I would want my wood on a spot of the element that is not quite as hot.

[SuperDave]

Aaron, the tell tale signs for me from your picture is that it looks like you had no signs fire.  For that piece of wood and those smoke conditions, it looks about as good as it gets. 

[drains]

My hot spot is in the rear of the smoke box which almost always turns to ash. In the front though, depending on the length of the smoke, is usually charred down to next to nothing. Yours looks good to me.

[Limey]

Aaron, if you want to quickly determine what the "heat map" of your smoker looks like I suggest covering the entire surface of the chip screen with a thin layer of chips. Switch it on, set to 250 with an empty box. Keep opening the door and monitoring where the chips are smoking. Wear gloves and be careful. This will give you a very quick and accurate picture of where the hot spots are.

[SuperDave]

How about a good old heat gun, no chips and the lid open?

[Theslacker]

Thanks all. Loving the advice. Doing a test to find the hot spots is a great idea. Now, out of curiosity, how can you tell after the fact if the wood had caught fire?

[SuperDave]

Now, out of curiosity, how can you tell after the fact if the wood had caught fire?

Maybe right or wrong but I usually associate heavy soot at the walls near the wood that full combustion occurred.  i.e. your picture showed spent wood without a lot of soot.  White ashes also tend to make me believe that the wood burned as opposed to smoldered. 

[DivotMaker]

Now, out of curiosity, how can you tell after the fact if the wood had caught fire?

Maybe right or wrong but I usually associate heavy soot at the walls near the wood that full combustion occurred.  i.e. your picture showed spent wood without a lot of soot.  White ashes also tend to make me believe that the wood burned as opposed to smoldered.

You'll also see a pronounced black area on the door, at the end of the smoke box.

[Theslacker]

Grape wood from tonight's chicken smoke .75oz.

[DivotMaker]

Looks pretty good, to me, Eric!

[old sarge]

So far, whether it is 5 - 5 1/2 hrs for ribs or an all nighter brisket, my wood has been reduced to pure ash.

[DivotMaker]

So far, whether it is 5 - 5 1/2 hrs for ribs or an all nighter brisket, my wood has been reduced to pure ash.

Great!  Where do you get your wood, Dave?

[old sarge]

Cookshack