Wood chunk size

[terry13111]

How big should my blocks of wood be? I am seasoning my new 3D right now,  and out of the whole bag of wood that came with it, only two pieces were small enough so that the lid would sit properly. Does the wood box top have to be seated correctly? I can go through the trouble of cutting it down if need be...

 

[Durangosmoker]

I usually cut my chunks so they are no larger than, say, 1.5 oz. Perhaps a bit larger for a long smoke, but I like the lid on the wood box to close. Not sure why, but that's what I do.

 

[old sarge]

Steve used to send out dwells with the smokers. Not sure when he switched to chunks. I split mine with a hatchet if they do not fit. And yes, I recommend that the lid close completely but there is at least one member of this forum whose box lid does not close completely and he has not had any problem.

 

[LarryD]

The wood chunks I use are typically around the size of an child's old alphabet block.  I bought a hatchet so that I could split larger chunks, as needed.  The question of the lid closing came up a while back.  For seasoning it shouldn't make any difference
if the lid closes all the way and I don't recall that it was a big deal otherwise.

 

[jbird5784]

I just ordered a #2. My question is the sample chunk wood that comes with it, how much does it weigh? I've been reading and can't find that answer. I more than likely missed it would be my guess.

I see most smokes call for oz of wood so I was just wondering what one of those blocks weighed.

 

[JustChillin]

I have no idea what they weigh but you will definitely want to get a kitchen scale for weighing your wood for each smoke.

 

[old sarge]

jbird5784 - Wood chunks of identical size can vary in weight based upon wood species and within a particular species moisture content. Also, heartwood is denser than that closer to the bark and will be heavier. Depending on what I am smoking, I find 3 to 6 ounces of wood produces plenty of smoke flavor. It is easy to over smoke meat, that is so much smoke that the meat becomes bitter. An inexpensive digital scale can help you avoid the bitterness and fine tune the smoke profile to your liking with repeatable results.  Just split the chunks to the weight you want. 

 

[SuperDave]

Use the wood provided with the smoker for your initial 4 hour seasoning with an empty smoker.  The kitchen scale and your own purchased wood for future meat smokes.