Newbie question: Wood Quantities

[Sum1]

Hello all,
I'm new to smoking, and so far I've smoked only three times with my brand new #1.
I've been reading quite a bit on the topic, pouring over books and recipes, but I still don't know how to figure out how much wood to use. How does one go about it? I know that in electrical smokers the rule is "less is more", and the max is 8 oz. But I don't know much beyond that.
Does it depend on the amount of food (volume? weight?)? The type of food? The length of cooking? Type of wood? All of the above? Some of the above? Something else?
Is there some rule(s) of thumb I can follow?
I realize that this might be in part a matter of personal preference, with some liking a stronger flavor and some weaker, but I don't know where to begin, and how to gauge the amount of smoke that quantity X of wood produces. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I thought I would ask the pros here.
Just as a concrete example. Tomorrow I'm smoking a full chicken (3.75 pounds). It's resting nicely in the fridge in a marinade that I prepared from a good book. How much wood should I use? I'm thinking of using cherry.
Many thanks in advance!
Zvi

 

[smokeasaurus]

Doesn't matter what type of pit you are using..when it comes to wood...less is more. Smoke is just one of many flavor profiles. With these air tight ss smokers a little goes a long way. Also keep in mind that poultry is a sponge for smoke penetration.

Some more experienced Smokin-It users should be on there way to give you a hand  8)

 

[gregbooras]

Check out the link below, this is a good reference point for smoking

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0

Greg

 

[swthorpe]

My general rule is 2-3oz for short smokes and 5-6oz for longer smokes (like butts or brisket).  For a whole chicken, I like to go with cherry wood and about 3oz should work fine.  A whole chicken takes about 3-4 hours to reach 165IT in the breast with a bow temp set at 225-235F or so.

If you don't have one, I recommend getting a kitchen scale that you can use to measure the weight of the wood.

 

[AlinMA]

Check out the link below, this is a good reference point for smoking

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0

Greg

+1......I have found that it gets you in the ball park. Also invest in thermometer to measure  temperature similar to the Maverick ET733.

 

[Sum1]

Thank you all!
Greg, the guide is awesome!! just what I was looking for!
I have a kitchen scale, and the probe is arriving tomorrow..
Thanks again.