Oak dowels....or any oak for that matter

[Jboom]

Been reading the post and consensus is less wood, and use a quality wood that's not popcorn fart dry!

So I have not smoked using oak ever and have read on some other forums which people are using stick burners and say that oak gives good heat, but they use other woods for flavor.  Any thoughts on the SI series and oak?? 

I'm planning on doing some baby back porkies this weekend and was thinking about using the supplied wood but now reconsidering.  I have a bunch of chips and "shredded"wood of various flavors but worried about screwing up my FIRST SMOKE on the SI 3.....everyone wants the first smoke to be good, ya know what I'm saying... Besides I've talked this thing up and some have some people coming over (I know my own fault, but I'm excited). 

I've read the foil trick and know I'll be experimenting quite a bit coming up but if anyone has some suggestions I would love to hear them

Thanks guys, and happy smoke trails!

 

[GeeBee]

Jboom,
Welcome to the forum. I'm still new at this myself, but I can definitely tell you that with these smokers, less wood is better. It only takes ounces of wood to get the flavor you seek. Most of us here (I believe) weigh our wood before putting it into the smoker. I've not personally used oak yet, but I have some Texas Post Oak that is waiting for a brisket. ;D If you've got people coming over for your first smoke, I'd stick with tried and true. I try to save the experimenting for me, then when I find the right combination (keep notes), I'll invite friends over to share in the spectacular results. I'm not sure what you mean by "the foil trick". I'd recommend reading as many posts as you can on this forum, searching for specifics, and of course, asking questions! Keep us up to date on your endeavors and don't forget pictures. Have fun!

 

[NDKoze]

I along with most people here prefer chunk wood. But, many of us have chips/shredded wood from our previous smokers that we want to be able to use. My plan is to save my chips for my low temp smokes because they will start smoking at a lower temperature. For longer smokes where you don't want to open the smoker (like for ribs/butts), I would stick with the chunks.

I am guessing the "foil trick" you speak of is wrapping the wood in foil and poking holes before smoking?

For your first smoke, I think I would stick with the hickory dowels (2-3 ounces) for ribs (5-6 ounces) for Butts. But that's just me.

For Baby Backs, 2-3 ounces of wood, cold meat (pre-rubbed) into a cold smoker, add a mini-loaf tin pan with some apple juice or beer, set temp at 225, and do not open the door for 5 hours. Add another hour or two depending on how fall off the bone you like it.

Some people sauce at the 5 hour mark, but I prefer to sauce and caramelize under the broiler as I hate scrubbing that baked on sauce off of my smoker grates. Or sometimes even better, just eat them dry depending on how I am feeling.

For chips/shredded wood, you would want to use the foil or the chip plate from Smokin-It. I may save that for a time down the road when you can experiment and don't have friends/family you're trying to impress.

 

[DivotMaker]

I agree 100% with Greg.  I'd stick with the hickory dowels for your first smoke - excellent hickory flavor.  I, personally, never use chips.  Not bashing them, I just like the consistent results I get with chunks. 

As for oak; I love it!  Oak is a little milder than hickory, but is outstanding on beef.  I've also done pork with oak, with great results.  Here's the oak I use:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1328.0

You can also try red oak for a little different flavor.

 

[Jboom]

Thanks for the replys and info.  I was actually mis-informed, I thought the dowels sent with the smoker were oak, come to find out they are Hickory. 

Thanks again.

 

[DivotMaker]

I wish they did have oak dowels!

 

[NDKoze]

Yeah, I would buy some Oak dowels.

 

[rickne]

Yeah, I would buy some Oak dowels.

You could buy them from a local lumber yard.

 

[DivotMaker]

Yeah, I would buy some Oak dowels.

You could buy them from a local lumber yard.

You could, but I believe you would have to soak them to get the moisture content right for smoking.  Lumber yard dowels are typically kiln-dried for stability, so they have very little moisture.  It would definitely be worth a try, though.

 

[NDKoze]

I may have to try that.

Maybe put some in a vacuum sealer bag with a wet paper towel and seal it up to keep the air out.

 

[DivotMaker]

I think you could do the same thing in a plastic container with a lid.  I think a little air space would help the airborne moisture absorb in the wood more evenly.  Just thinking out loud...

 

[NDKoze]

I was just thinking of sealing it, not vacuum sealing it. But the container may work better because it would allow me to just put the cover back on whereas the sealer bag would decrease in size every time I would reseal it.