I have never soaked wood chunks but was reading the back of a B &B wood chunk bag (out of boredom) and it suggests either a 30 minute soak, or use them dry. They don't really say anything else about advantages/cons.
Every BBQ book I have read says to not soak them.
For those of you who do soak chunks (not chips), do you get better smoke, more smoke, longer, etc?
Thanks
- Never have soaked chunks etc.
- My BIL a great guy soaks the heck out of them and swears by it. Amongst other things BIL's are like Ensigns in the Navy "To Be Seen Not Heard And Never Trusted".
Big Joe III
Big Green Egg lg
Grill Dome lg (at camp and it sucks!)
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Kindling crackers (at home & camp), axes - Gransfor, other favs
Just like most everyone here, a lot of other stuff!
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
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to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
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There is no need to soak wood before cooking with it. Water doesn't penetrate wood. That's why they make boats from it! Discover the science behind wood combustion, smoke, and the best way to use chips, chunks and logs for smoking and grilling with wood.
I used to soak my wood chunks all my life until a year or so ago. I read that by soaking them, they absorb hardly any water at all. Not enough to make any difference in the amount of smoke or as to how fast they burn up. I quit doing it after that. And if anything, I’ve noticed a little bit more smoke flavor by not soaking them. This site, AR, also has confirmed that it doesn’t do any good to soak them, in fact they recommend not soaking them.
Last edited by Panhead John; February 3, 2021, 01:12 PM.
As everyone has commented, you want dry wood and not wet wood. In fact, heat your chunks up if you can. Hot wood is better than ambient temp wood. It's not the wood burning, but the wood is giving off sufficient organic vapor in air to ignite. The hotter the wood, the more vapors it's giving off. Think flash point.
Panhead John, I used to use a combination of rose water and battery acid - the acid helped with bunions, and the rose water complimented my last name. Now I go with a SPG combo, similar to my brisket rub. I won’t comment any further on that.
Just remember, the Ark spent a wee bit of time in the water, & it had some pretty valuable cargo, like everything. Wood is not a sponge. So be it. Why would you want to soak anything you want to burn?
Last edited by FireMan; February 4, 2021, 05:37 PM.
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