new to smokin
- Thread starter Mike G
- Start date
rickne
New member
Welcome.
Smoke flavor (and amount of smoke flavor) is a personal preference. These tend to "lay down" alot of smoke on the meat. I don't like smokey food so I error on the light side.
Ribs and short cooks - 1.5-3 oz
Butts/brisket and long cooks 3-6 oz.
I stay on the light side of these numbers and actually weigh my wood chunks out.
No need to wet them. Put the dry chunks into a cold smoker along with your meat and turn the dial.
Smoke flavor (and amount of smoke flavor) is a personal preference. These tend to "lay down" alot of smoke on the meat. I don't like smokey food so I error on the light side.
Ribs and short cooks - 1.5-3 oz
Butts/brisket and long cooks 3-6 oz.
I stay on the light side of these numbers and actually weigh my wood chunks out.
No need to wet them. Put the dry chunks into a cold smoker along with your meat and turn the dial.
Walt
New member
Mike, for bigger cuts like a Boston butt or brisket, use 4 to 6 oz. 2 to 4 oz otherwise. The hickory dowels included are about 1 oz per inch. Some stronger flavored woods like mesquit use sparingly. After a couple outings you will get the feel if you & your family like more or less wood. I mostly use fruitwood like cherry & apple (mild) but also like hickory & oak (stronger). I havn't found a need to wet wood & I always use a juice pan. Experiment once you get comfortable after your 1st few smokes. These are really simple to use. With the right food prep, temperature & time the results are fabulous. Read through the forum when you have a chance there is a lot of great info.
DivotMaker
New member
Welcome, Mike! Congrats on the new smoker! I trust you've seasoned the smoker before your first smoke. One thing you'll find about these smokers is how efficient they are! It takes very little wood to get great smoke flavor. Here's my guidelines (based on chunks, not chips):
Ribs - 2-3 oz
Chicken - 1.5-2 oz
Brisket/pork butt - 5-6 oz.
I weigh my chunks with a cheap digital scale from Harbor Freight - works great! I weighed a hickory dowel (from SI), and actually got .64 oz per inch. Of course, that could vary with wood density.
One other thing about wood: Get good quality wood. The dowels, and the cherry and maple you get from SI are very good. Stay away from "big box" store wood; it's usually older and way too dry (you'll get flames instead of smouldering). For fresh fruit woods, I order from Fruitawood.com. Very good quality and variety, and you can request it in "cookshack cut," which fits in our smoker boxes.
Tell us about yourself in the Introductions section when you can!
Tony
Ribs - 2-3 oz
Chicken - 1.5-2 oz
Brisket/pork butt - 5-6 oz.
I weigh my chunks with a cheap digital scale from Harbor Freight - works great! I weighed a hickory dowel (from SI), and actually got .64 oz per inch. Of course, that could vary with wood density.
One other thing about wood: Get good quality wood. The dowels, and the cherry and maple you get from SI are very good. Stay away from "big box" store wood; it's usually older and way too dry (you'll get flames instead of smouldering). For fresh fruit woods, I order from Fruitawood.com. Very good quality and variety, and you can request it in "cookshack cut," which fits in our smoker boxes.
Tell us about yourself in the Introductions section when you can!
Tony
