What's smoking

[hOTSAUCE]

What do you all use to produce bestest/mostest smoke.

I recently been using wood pellets made specially for smoking, they come made from all sorts of different woods, their is even onion and garlic flavored pellets but I haven't tried those yet. I put them in a cast iron smoker box and lay it on the coals. I have had good luck with it and really like it, you can produce a lot of smoke. Anybody else using pellets?

What I really want to know is how to use those big hunky chunks of wood to produce good smoke. Do you start a few in a chimmney along with your lump? Throw a few wet pieces on the coals? I have not had good results with these big pieces, either they don't smolder at all or ignite into flames. What am I doing wrong?

[jdbower]

You can get a good smoke without ignition by restricting the oxygen flow. There was some information about a "smoke bomb" but this proved difficult to Google and get information that won't flag you for the "personal treatment" at airport security, so a smoker box is probably the way to go. The Smoke Bomb was essentially a home-made version that looks like a pipe bomb, but for $10 even if it only lasts a few cooks it's probably worth the expense.

Note for fun you can try soaking the woodchips in various liquids. Red wine is generally the fluid of choice but Sanny may have stumbled onto a decent idea with cranberry juice - it may be interesting to hear if anyone's tried it.

[Firemonkey]

I use the chunks of wood for smoke, with good results. You definitely do not want to light them with your lump, though. As JD states, the difference between smoke and fire is simply oxygen.

Depending on how much smoke you want, you can either intersperse a few chinks of wood through your pile of lump, or you can just toss a chink on a few minutes before your food. For example, on a low/slow where I want a smoke for several hours, I will put a few chunks at various places in my lump pile, and then light a pieces of lump and toss them on top. As the burning lump reaches a chunk of wood, it will smoke for an hour or two with no fire.

If I am instead doing a higher temp cook, for example a roasted chicken, I may just toss a chunk of wood on the top of the hot coal bed. Once the smoke is rolling, I will add the food. Realize that the air is limited in your cooker, even when running at 400*. You may get some flame from your wood if you hold the lid open too long, b ut as soon as you close the lid, it will go out and be just smoke again.

Some believe that you should soak your chunks of wood for an hour or 2 before use. I dont bother with this. The water does not penetrate into the wood. I once saw a website or video where they cut into a chunk of wood that had been soaking for hours, and showed that the liquid was only on surface. It barely went into the wood more than a millimeter or two.

[ThreeDJ16]

I usually use the easy way and just do what Firemonkey posted. If you spread them throughout your charcoal, it works out pretty good.

The smoke bomb idea is not bad either, but just seems threads corrode very quick on those. SS would not work well here either since it expands so much when heated (threads would seize up).

I experimented with smoke pots. Made my first one out of terracotta pans (the shallow pans you sit a planter in), but they do not hold up long to the heat. I have thought about doing it again with a cast iron pot (that is a popular container to use for this purpose). You really need one that seals tightly and drill a couple holes in the bottom. This allows the smoke to exit the bottom back through the fire and burn any chemicals off for a more pure smoke. The really cool part about doing this, when you get through with your cook, you will have some very nice charcoal in your smoke pot. You could also you pellets in your pot too. Harbor freight is a good source for very cheap cast iron pots.

FYI, if you need a cheaper source for your pellets, try http://www.cookshack.com/ or http://www.traegergrills.com/ and you can get very large bags, way cheaper than the little ones from say Walmart. I used to own a Traeger pellet feed grill many moons ago.

-=Jasen=-

[Sanny]

I've read (maybe on The Other board) of a little cast iron pot that someone drilled holes in. Put the wood inside, then use a flour/water paste to seal the lid shut. Easy enough to crack open when cooking's over, without harm to the little pot.

[ThreeDJ16]

I've read (maybe on The Other board) of a little cast iron pot that someone drilled holes in. Put the wood inside' date=' then use a flour/water paste to seal the lid shut. Easy enough to crack open when cooking's over, without harm to the little pot.[/quote']

Yup, there is actually a big discussion about it, but I didn't bring it up - hehe. One could search smoke pot there and find it though.

Also Sanny, the reason for the holes on the bottom is to burn off the gases through the fire, while I am sure no big deal, you would loose that effect venting on the top. Some claim the smoke can have a bitter taste if not burned in the fire. I can't say either way on that. But I do know that those gases will burn and you can get a fire jet out of the pot opening. Anyway, just a little extra info.

-=Jasen=-

[jdbower]

I trust DJ, he seems to be an expert at the whole smoking pot thing.

[ThreeDJ16]

I trust DJ' date=' he seems to be an expert at the whole smoking pot thing. [/quote']

Hey, I resemble that remark!!!!! Admit to nothing and deny everything!!

-=Jasen=-

[PaulR]

Did someone say pot?

I was born in Amsterdam ... say no more !

[DavidS]

Legal there. Been there, done that, but DID NOT inhale.

[PaulR]

Legal there. Been there' date=' done that, but DID NOT inhale. [/quote']

Sounds a likely story

I've been there.... Haven't done that.... No one believes me (then again I don't smoke at all..)

[gotwood]

cast iron smoke boxes can be found at stores.

many bbq'ers do not like to soak the wood, they feel you get an acridic flavoring

check out smokering dot com lots of tips there.

Personally I like cherry, apple woods for most smoking

mesquite for some beef cuts i.e. skirt steak

[primeats]

smoking

I can only tell you from using the smokehouse in my store, I only use dampened hardwood sawdust in a steel pan over a glorified hotplate. If you don't use dampened wood you will get a very acrid and pungent taste to the product. Plus the sawdust( only hardwood, fruit woods are included) smolders much better. Now my smokehouse will only get to around 250 degrees. This of course would not be the case with the kk. The worst thing that would happen is you would have to try again !

[hOTSAUCE]

I do some smoking in a homemade smoke house also, mostly I do jerky in it; and agree when using small chips or sawdust it is best to soak them.