4 oz wood ??

[C-Mac]

So new to this. Rib recipe from Meathead says use 4 oz at a time. If one is using chunks what are you using to estimate this weight ? Thanks

[Mr. Bones]

Depends a whole bunch on yer smoker, as to what's th' Ideal Size.
Fer all but my stickburners, mostly, I utilize approximately 3" chunks/sections of split.
Some of 'em can take bigger...
Think about two chunks, fist-sized, to start with...
Lemme know what cooker yer usin', when time permits, please, Good Sir...

[C-Mac]

Thanks, my question is really what 4 oz of wood looks like......a normal fist? , half a fist ? I have a weber kettle with slow n' sear

[Mr. Bones]

My knuckles are ~3" wide, so, to me, a fist-sized chunk is ~3"
I start with two on my 22" webers, add more, as needed...

Reckon, what I'm tryin' to say, is it depends on th' size of yer fist, amigo...
Put on a couple chunks; if it seems too smokey , then use 1 similar chunk, next time.
Experiment around, with what woods ya' have available...it'll become second nature, after a while...

[Steve R.]

C-Mac personally, I like to use chunks that are about 2" cubes (kind of golf ball sized). You could go a little bigger, but this does the trick for me in the 22" weber kettle and Slow n Sear.

[Spinaker]

Don't worry about the exact size. Just throw a few chunks in the fire and you will be good to go. Fire management is much more important. If your fire is hot and maintained well, the amount and type of wood you use, matters little.

[texastweeter]

I like a lot of smoke on my food. from smokiest to least beef, pork, chicken, fish, veggies/nuts/casseroles. I use a mixture of red oak and mesquite for beef; hickory on pork, pecan on poultry, and fruit (apple, cherry, pear, and persimmon). in some instances almond or muskedine vine is used, but they are special applications. Looking for some camphor/menthol to do some tea smoked duck currently.

[Jon Solberg]

Weight it on a kitchen scale until you can estimate it. At least that is how I started. Soon you can gauge chips or chunks easily.

[HawkerXP]

Agree with Jon. 4 oz is smaller then I thought in the beginning. The key is to start low and see how you like it. Smoky flavor is not something everyone loves.

[Steve R.]

Just be sure to knock the bark off and preburn those chunks. Otherwise, it could cause a serious glitch in the matrix.

[Jon Solberg]

Let me go one step further and say when following a recipe you need to follow the recipe right? You don’t estimate 1/3 teaspoon salt you measure it. So I say measure 4oz wood. At least until you know what that is.

[CandySueQ]

Hear, hear! Always weigh. Small digital kitchen scale is a great add to the kitchen.

[scottranda]

Eyeballed at first, but now I have a scale (which is useful for more things than just the kitchen). I still eyeball it though. I normally error on the side of too little.

[Jon Solberg]

Mind if I ask how you eyeball 4oz of wood? Lol lol lol

[DWCowles]

I agree that kitchen scales are very useful.

[Spinaker]

You ever do any baking? Hehehehehehe

[DWCowles]

Yes I have, made some hamburger buns back in the Summer.

[fzxdoc]

I always weigh the wood before I toss it into the smoker and adjust accordingly. For me, it's part of good quality control.

Kathryn