Question about wood chips

[Mansquatch]

I've been browsing the various topics in here and I noticed some reference to using wood chips in the PBC, but putting them in an aluminum foil pouch. I attempted this technique on my recent rib cook this past holiday weekend and I think I'm getting it wrong as I now have a singed piece of foil with some unscathed wood chunks.

I monitored by temp for the whole cook and after initial heat up, it settled in nicely at 274 for the majority of the cook, so I'm assuming my fire was hot enough to get the chips to go, but maybe not?

The ribs still tasted good, but I was missing the flavor from my mix of Alder and Hickory.

Would someone be willing to educate me on proper technique for the foil wood chip packet as I seem to have utterly failed. Thanks!

Oh and a thank you to everyone who suggested the holler'in whisky sauce. That stuff was fantastic.

[JeffJ]

Skip the foil and toss them directly on the coals.

[doctorak]

Yeah I generally just toss a handful of wood chips directly on the coals near the start of the cook (if going by fzxdoc 's lighting technique, after the first 10 minutes I'll throw them on before closing the lid, gives the chips time to smolder a bit) and it ends up being plenty of smoke for my tastes.

I'd be careful about over-smoking with too much wood. My first two cooks I used too much wood and the food came out with that bitter, over-smoked taste. Obviously YTMV but in general the PBC imparts such a great, smoky, charcoal-y flavor on its own that it really doesn't need much help in the wood department. Especially with stronger flavors like mesquite and hickory, no more than a handful of chips is usually necessary.

[Mansquatch]

OK. Prior to this effort I had always just tossed the chips on the fire, so I can just go back to that. I was reading that this foil method would result in more / better smoke, so I was curious to try it and/or learn about it.

Has anyone had success use chunks? I've tried it, but it always results in higher heat which I've found undesirable. Again, I think I've read folks doing it on here with success, so if that is the case, any suggestions?

[fzxdoc]

Mansquatch , I use 4-6 ounce chunk of wood at the start of most of my PBC cooks. I get it from www.fruitawood.com . The chunks they sell are always the right size from trees that have not been treated with pesticides. It's a great company.

I never use chips because I don't care for the dense white smoke that results when I toss them on the coals. By the time the smoke has dissipated, the chips are all burned up. Some folks here use foil pouches with some success, provided the holes are very few and very small. The foil pouch I made once for chips in the PBC turned into a flame bomb because the holes were (presumably) too large.

I don't find that a 4-6 ounce chunk of wood either adversely affecting the PBC temperature (which I always monitor with two probes, placed on opposite sides of the barrel) or adversely impacting the taste. In fact a chunk of cherry on the coals with a couple of split chickens and a rack or two of sausages hanging from the rebars is just about the most perfect PBC cook ever, IMO.

I toss the wood chunk on before the last 10 minutes of my lighting procedure, so it's ~15--10--toss in wood chunk--10 for me.

Kathryn

[hogdog6]

I,ve tried chips, chunks, logs, small trees, and a cast iron smoke pot that creates incredible smoke in my BGE. But for me I've decided that the wood doesn't seem to make enough difference in flavor to deal with the concern of bad smoke, so on the PBC I'm wood free. Just MHO.

[Nate]

Do not use wood chips on your PBC....

Use wood chunks if you are going to use anything for your PBC cook.... That being said I'm starting to be more convinced that the unique taste created by the PBC may negate the wood smoke.... Also Alder seems to be a very delicate and/or light smoke and will more than likely not come through on the PBC.

[MBMorgan]

I rarely use wood in the PBC these days ... but I have in the past (and may again in the future) in the form of wood chips in a foil pouch. The trick is to use a double layer of foil to make the patch, sealed tightly around a handful of dry chips. Then, poke only a couple of really small holes in the pouch.

Basically, you want to turn those chips into charcoal in your oxygen-free pouch. If you make too many (or too big) holes, air will get in and you'll have a flame thrower on your hands.

Also, I carefully place the pouch on the coals where it won't get dripped on from the hanging meat. You want those drippings to go up in tasty smoke rather than just coating your foil pouch.

[Mansquatch]

Do you place it hole side up or hole side down?

[MBMorgan]

Up. Never tried hole side down.