Wood chunks - with or without bark on them??? Pellets question, also.

B

bbqnewbie

New member
I've read multiple remarks in Amazon's customer reviews of various wood chunk brands.  Some vociferously criticize the brand because the chunks contain many pieces of wood with the tree's bark on them while others say you WANT the bark on them for better flavor!  Is there a consensus of which is better?  Also, is there "agreement" on the top, say, five brands that most have been happy with?  I'm referring to brands here (Weber, Lumberjack, BBQ Delight, etc.) and not the favorite flavors.

Also, have any used the pellets to success if you have the chip screen?  And if so, what quantity of pellets should be used if one wants just a light-medium smoke taste?
 
I just used some sugar maple with bark on last night.  No problems.  Cant say if it made a difference, but didnt hurt.  Many here use.

http://www.mainegrillingwoods.com/


If you want a cheaper bulk route, search smoker woods on eBay.

John
 
John...I was thinking of trying mainegrillingwoods but the chunk size they list 3.5x3.5" seem a bit too large for the smoke box on the #2.  Is that true?  Are you using the chunk size wood from the company?  I would like to try them because they sell the wood in smaller quantities than fruitawood.
 
Steve,
My table saw does a great job making big ones into small ones.  Plus, I get to gather some sawdust.  Do you own a stationary power saw?
 
I use and have ordered from Maine. 

#1 get a digital scale.

#2 small camp hatchet or hammer with a wood framing chisel will do the job.

True Value has Collins camp hatchets former USA (mexico ARGH now) for pretty cheap.


Its easy to break these up.  I'd say 1/2 the bag of each what I ordered was ready for the smoker.  Some needed a light chopping.  Almost therapeutic on a concrete floor or thick work bench.

Hope that helps.

John

 
 
OK.  I ordered the sampler chunk package tonight.  No problem with splitting some of  the chunks, I have to do the same with some of the fruitawood wood as well. 
 
Arline, I order all my wood from either fruitawood.com, or mainegrillingwood.com - never a complaint from either!  Good, quality, properly-seasoned smoking wood.  Many of the brands you mentioned are also sold in the "Big Box" stores (WalMart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.).  They tend to be older, drier wood.  Fine, if you're throwing them in a stick or charcoal burner, but not so good in the SI smokers.

Bark is not an issue, as long as it's from a reputable supplier that washes it good.  Bark from wood that has been aged outside, with no cleaning? ...not so good!  The main problem with that bark is it has mold, fungus, dust, critters, etc... in it.  The sources I mentioned thoroughly wash their wood.
 
SuperDave said:
Steve,
My table saw does a great job making big ones into small ones.  Plus, I get to gather some sawdust.  Do you own a stationary power saw?
Click to expand...
No, I don't have a table saw; I have been using a chisel and hammer to split mine.  This has worked well with the fruitawood that I got, but I was a bit concerned by the size of the mainegrillingwood chunks.  We'll see what happens - I ordered the sampler box last night...time to try some variety in my life!  ;D
 
Some of the Maine Grilling Woods are too big for the box, luckily my girlfriends father has a Jet bandsaw to cut em down haha
 
I got a bit annoyed when I opened the bag of black cherry I got from Maine Grilling Woods and noticed mold on the outside of several of the pieces.
 
Yeah I could do that...I need to check some of the other bags. I got the sampler pack. Is the mold a big deal though? Its just a bit on the outside of a couple pieces figured I could wash it off or use the bandsaw to cut part of it off. I kinda figured only mold growing within the wood was an issue.
 
Touche, I used some pieces from the bag that had no mold so hopefully it won't harm my current cook. Although the temps should kill any sports in there. I will shoot off an email when I get the chance to MGW's and see what they say.
 
Mold or moss on the bark? 

Guess I'm asking what I should be looking for.  Some of mine had green moss on the bark, but wood looked fine.

Picture? 

Thanks for heads up
 
Being very new to this also, I appreciate all the info.  Just want to say something about Mainegrilling.  I ordered a sample box and they inadvertently sent me chips vs. chunks.  I contacted them and they immediately shipped a new box at no cost.  They have great customer service.  I can't imagine going anywhere else
 
Sounds a bit of overkill but I pressure wash the wood to make sure there are no mould spores (or as little as I can get) or bugs etc in the bark. Then leave in the sun to dry out for a couple of hours.
 
jcboxlot said:
Mold or moss on the bark? 

Guess I'm asking what I should be looking for.  Some of mine had green moss on the bark, but wood looked fine.

Picture? 

Thanks for heads up
Click to expand...

Super late reply, haven't smoked in awhile for various reasons. It wasn't moss and was on the wood itself. It was definitely mold. I never demanded a refund or anything. Was just too lazy to deal with customer service to get a replacement for a few chunks of wood haha.
 
kelvinator said:
I got a bit annoyed when I opened the bag of black cherry I got from Maine Grilling Woods and noticed mold on the outside of several of the pieces.
Click to expand...
That is unusual. MGW ships their wood between 5-10% moisture content specifically to avoid mold. Higher moisture content has to be special ordered and they consider it to be green. It comes with a warning regarding mold. I have ordered the sampler and specified Green....It came around 15% and contained no mold.
 
the only wood I use in my #2 now is the Mojobricks, they work very well in the smoke box of the cooker, last 3-4 times as long as wood chunks and don't produce the large smoke burps, they have several types and IMO well worth the price, no worry about mold, bark etc., try it, you might like em'
 
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