A Question about Wood and Recipes

[Breadhead]

I think Meathead's idea of keeping a cooking log and making notes about every cook is brilliant... Especially while trying to master a new cooking device. Meathead also made a statement about how much wood to use that instantly stuck in my brain. He said wood it like salt. If you use the right quantity it will greatly enhance the flavor of your food. If you use to much it can overwhelm your food so that is all you taste. You can add more salt or wood on your next cook but you can't take it out of this cook. Less is more until you find the prefect amount.

[Dewesq55]

Yeah, that's what I've been doing, but I just wanted to check.

[Dr ROK]

I know in a cookshack you don't want to use more than a few ounces. You can easily overdo it if you add much more. Like Huskee mentioned, use what works for your cooker. If you want a little smokier flavor try adding another 1/2 ounce each cook until you get it where you want it.

[Dewesq55]

Thanks. That's what I figured, but better to check since I have this "Amazing" resource.

[Huskee]

Usually Meathead is referring to chunks of wood on top of charcoal in a kettle or WSM. Use whatever you have to for your cooker, and for your tastes. For instance, in a stickburner 8 oz wood wouldn't heat it up to 100*, lol. He has this recommendation posted for those newbies that could easily overdo it and ruin their meat.

[Dewesq55]

Many, if not most, of MH's recipes on the public site call for a certain amount of wood by weight, usually 4-8 ounces, I think. My electric uses a tiny amount of wood chips (1/2 cup which only equals about 1 and a third oz by weight) at a time. I usually only add wood 2 or 3 times in total, which is barely 4 ounces. Should I still be looking to use the weight that MH suggests? Or, should I just use what's called for by the cooker - 1 1/3 oz 2 or 3 times per cook?

DEW