I gave up trying to save folks from themselves a long time ago. People are going to do what they're going to do. Self-imposed ignorance is axiomatic.
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Just stop soaking the wood already!Comment
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[QUOTE=Mbmorgan;n198707.... So much for seeking free advice then taking it ... perhaps I should start charging? Sigh ...[/QUOTE]
When I was an engineering student I had a professor who helped me with a design for a competition. It failed miserably.
When I complained to him "Your design didn't work" he responded "I'm paid $100 an hour as a consultant. When you pay that you can complain -- til then you need to come to me and say "please help me understand how I screwed up your excellent design."" I've never forgotten the advice.Comment
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Here's a couple of reasons why, this is from a bag of Weber Apple wood chips:
"Soak wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before using. Wet wood will produce more smoke and more flavor"
And this is from a bag of Kingsford Hickory chips:
"Soak two to three cups of chips in water. After 15 minutes start charcoal fire. Once coals are covered in ash remove chips from water and drain excess. Spread chips evenly over ash covered briquettes. Chips will smoke for about 15 minutes."
I rarely use chips so these bags have been laying around for a while. Maybe they've updated their instructions?Comment
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I actually appreciate when they raise their hands to state they have no clue. Saves me the time I would have spent reading the rest of their bs.Originally posted by ecowper View Post
My take: let them keep thinking that way, it just makes our way seem so much better in comparison.Last edited by Steve R.; July 22, 2016, 09:20 PM.Comment
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Guess they haven't changed their instructions. Here's a link to Weber's wood smoking page:
And here's Kingsford's:
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I don't understand how these folks can't comprehend that putting wet chips on a billion [approximately] degree fire will dry them out in seconds, or maybe a minute max, and then they'll be burning dry wood chips anyway.
I think it stems from people's experience of trying to burn wet wood on a bonfire (we've probably all been there), and how the wood just 'smokes' but won't burn. People just arent' educated to the real differences in this scenario (all the fuel is wet and wont sustain a hot burn) and cooking with a handful of chips (most of the fire is a hot, billion [approximately] degrees fire, and only a small portion of the added wood is wet, for only a tiny bit of time.Comment
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I got my Weber email today -Barbecued Chicken with Bourbon-Bacon Sauce - Step three - soak your wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes
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People confuse water vapor (steam) produced by water in the presence of high temperature with smoke.
Einstein is reputed to have said that the two most common things in the universe are hydrogen and human stupidity.
People are herd animals. We've been conditioned to do as we are told as witnessed by all the instructions of soaking chips documented above. Very few people think and even few consider the basic premise of what they read or are told to do.
About 99.99% of the money we spend on education at any level is completely wasted.Comment
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That's EXACTLY right, Breadhead. In fact, it's worth maybe $25,000,000 in the right fields!
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I also think that the visual of "smoke" or in this case "steam" gives the uneducated a feel good feeling... they will think it isn't working if they can't see it. Also the same people that ask the question "where's the smoke" when I telling them I'm smoking ribs (or whatever) and they look at the stick burner and go "where's the smoke?".
By weber and kingsford adding these instruction it probably saves them countless of customer service calls and returns by people claiming them and complaining their product is defective.Comment
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Exactly. Not knocking the occasional backyard griller but my guess is that most of them will add some soaked chips, see the steam and think "Woohoo, I've got smoke!" If the meat is on long enough and actually takes on a smoked profile they'll think it's because of the initial steam that they witnessed, not the actual unseen smoke that occurs later.Originally posted by Nate View PostComment
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I have read countless recipes that call for soaking wood chips and some of them are from so called pit masters. So, not only are people getting bad advise from friends but also from big companies like Weber and Kingsford and others that are supposed to be masters of this hobby that we call BBQ'ing. I for one don't use chips anymore only chunks for adding smoke, the only chips I have are from the chips and splinters that fly off the wood when I am splitting it, so every once in a while I throw them on the fire just to get rid of them. I also used to just throw the chunks on top of the hot coals but now when I am using a 2 zone setup I put the wood chunks at the edge of the charcoal pile just close enought to start burning but not just go up in flames like they did when I threw them on top. Just my observations anyway.Comment
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TRADITION!!! An incredibly strong (and often baseless) force that is extremely hard to overpower even with science on your side! At least it's just in BBQ and not medicine... Oh wait...Comment
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Them - "You going to soak those chips?"
Me - "Yup." I then put chips in a plastic container, put water in it, and then put a top on it and sit it prominently near the kettle.
When I'm ready to put chips on the coals, I take the lid off the container, dump the chips and water over the deck rail into the hyrdrangeas, put dry chips on the coals, then take the empty container inside and tell them, "All done."
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That's called "learned" knowledge. Remember this story?- A group of scientists placed 5 monkeys in a cage and in the middle, a ladder with bananas on the top.
- Every time a monkey went up the ladder, the scientists soaked the rest of the monkeys with cold water.
- After a while, every time a monkey went up the ladder, the others beat up the one on the ladder.
- After some time, no monkey dare[d] to go up the ladder regardless of the temptation.
- Scientists then decided to substitute one of the monkeys. The 1st thing this new monkey did was to go up the ladder. Immediately the other monkeys beat him up.
- After several beatings, the new member learned not to climb the ladder even though he never knew why.
- A 2nd monkey was substituted and the same occurred. The 1st monkey participated on [sic] the beating for [sic] the 2nd monkey. A 3rd monkey was changed and the same was repeated (beating). The 4th was substituted and the beating was repeated and finally the 5th monkey was replaced.
- What was left was a group of 5 monkeys that even though none had ever received a cold shower, continued to beat up any monkey who attempted to climb the ladder.
- If it was possible to ask the monkeys why they would beat up all those who attempted to go up the ladder ... I bet you the answer would be ... "I don't know — that's how things have always been done around here"
Best regards,
Jim
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