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Aluminum foil or nothing for wood

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    #16
    Dry chunks for me.

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      #17
      Wow...thanks for all the input. I threw a chunk on my cook yesterday and it worked great.

      One nore question....do you throw chunks on as they burn down or do you put all the chunks you may use at the beginning of a cook? I’ve seen different methods but assume all at the beginning would be too much smoke and then none.

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      • OSB
        OSB commented
        Editing a comment
        Burying my chunks under charcoal seems to work best for me. Experiment and go with what works for you.

      #18
      Yeah just grab yourself a couple of chunks of whatever wood you prefer, throw them on as soon as your charcoal is hot, done deal. No need for foil or any of that stuff. Cooks under 2 hours, probably one is enough, longer stuff like ribs or brisket, 2 or 3 depending on the size of your cooker and how much food you've got in there.

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        #19
        Originally posted by Sfdrew28 View Post
        Wow...thanks for all the input. I threw a chunk on my cook yesterday and it worked great.

        One nore question....do you throw chunks on as they burn down or do you put all the chunks you may use at the beginning of a cook? I’ve seen different methods but assume all at the beginning would be too much smoke and then none.
        Sfdrew28 Here's what I do, FWIW:

        Kettle: I space the wood chunks out over the coals. In the SnS, only the charcoal at one end is initially lit so if you space one chunk of wood close and another farther from the lit coals you'll have smoking wood throughout much of the cook.

        Kamado (WSCGC): With the kamado feature of my WSCGC I do the same thing; light the evenly-distributed charcoal on one side only and space the wood at different distances from the initial lit side.

        PBC: Toss the wood on top of the unlit coals so they start burning when you add the lit coals. Add wood as needed for longer cooks.

        I usually weigh the wood used for a cook, which is easy to do since the Fruitawood chunks come in roughly 4 oz pieces, easy to put on the kitchen scale.


        ******************
        Here's what Meathead has to say about the merits of weighing wood:

        ************************************************** ***************
        Less is more and enough is enough


        One of the biggest mistakes we make is using too much smoke. Too much smoke can make your meat bitter or taste like an ash tray. I cannot give you a precise amount because each cooker is different and the amount of wood to get the right flavor will depend on the volume of the cooking chamber, the airflow, leaks, how often you peek, the kind of wood you use, basting, humidity, the weather, and of course, your preferences. You will need to experiment, but a good rule of thumb is start experimenting with about two ounces of wood, regardless of the cut or weight. For dense, thick cuts of meat such as pork butts for pulled pork or beef brisket, you can double or triple the amount of smoke. If the results are not smoky enough, you can add more wood on your next cook.





        In any case, it is best to weigh the amount of wood you use so you can increase or decrease it as you wish in future cooks. Kitchen scales are very useful tools especially for flour and salts for curing. My favorite is the OXO Good Grips Stainless Food Scale with Pull-Out Display. It can weight accurately up to 11 pounds as well as fractions of an ounce. Push a button and it converts to metric. Put the bowl on the scale and push a button and it zeros out so the bowl's weight is not included. The top comes off for easy cleaning.

        Here's where to start your experiments: On charcoal, start with no more than 8 ounces of wood by weight for pork and beef. Use no more than 4 ounces for turkey and chicken. Add it in doses. Put on about two ounces when you put on the meat and add another two ounces when you can no longer see smoke. On gas grills, double the amount because they have a lot of ventilation. Take notes. If you want more smoke after tasting the meat, add it 2 to 4 ounces at a time on subsequent cooks. Keep records of your experiments on a cooking log.

        Unless your cooker is designed for it and unless you have a lot of experience, do not try to cook with wood for both heat and flavor. It is too hard to control the temp and the amount of smoke. When you become an expert, you may be able to cook with wood only, but at the outset stick to charcoal or gas. If you are ready to try, read this article on smoking with wood first.

        ************************************************** ***************


        Kathryn
        Last edited by fzxdoc; January 30, 2019, 07:16 AM.

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          #20
          Not a kamado owner, but wood is wood...

          chips for fast smoke, where you need a hit of smoke on something going fast or where you don't want to heat much. Chunks for slow. Chunks right on the coals. If you want to slow their roll, go for a smoke pot, but proper fire management should give you adequate smoke from a proper amount of wood as detailed in fzxdoc's post.

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            #21
            I've been burying chunks in the lump and that seems to work great. With limited oxygen, because they are buried, the chunks smolder instead of bursting into flames and I get a steady blue smoke.

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