Tribeless Posted February 12, 2012 Report Share Posted February 12, 2012 On another thread (somewhere - can't remember where) this came up, so I thought I'd make a separate thread on it. Michael made a really good post to the aforementioned thread, to the affect that soaking your wood before smoking with it was counter-productive, as it meant some of the energy in your charcoal has to be used to first dry the wood out ... very good point. I said that I still thought there was a good use for soaking wood and putting in a foil pouch, when using the indirect cooking method, and access to put more wood in past grills, drip tray and refracting stone is not possible, meaning the soaked wood gives me about half an hour to get KK up to the constant cooking temperature I want before putting the food in, so the smoking starts when the food is there. But, I've also tried the following experiment with interesting and perhaps inexplicable results. I've found the best way to taste the differences in smoking technique is by slow cooking jacket potatoes. The relatively taste neutral potatoes makes it easy to judge the strength and taste of the smoking. So, I've now slowed cooked a jacket potato by using my indirect cooking method of soaked wood chips in foil, and yesterday I slow cooked potatoes on the top grill (not indirect method), and throwing in dry wood chips. In both cases I used the same amount of hickory wood chips. The chips that I soaked were soaked in water for one hour, not a flavoured liquid such as rum, etc. And the soaked wood chips gave a much stronger and nicer smoked flavour? I don't immediately understand why that has happened. Though, there may be one difference here. In New Zealand as far as I can find so far, I can only buy bags of fruit wood chips (almost merely shavings). I noted on a BBQ show on the food channel a BBQ'er saying that the real flavour came from the sap of the fruit wood. I'm wondering if soaking my chips is perhaps bringing out a residual amount of sap in the chips: but I have no idea of the science involved so I'm just guessing. So, from all this some questions and a request: 1) I'd be interested in as many forum members as possible trying my experiment with potatoes and posting to this thread so we could have an objective look at results. You need to use the same wood, and wood amount, one potato batch smoked with soaked wood, the other from burning dry wood. 2) How big a chunks of fruit wood are you all using? Are you actually using lumps of wood as big as your charcoal? 3) Are you burning this wood green, or aged dry. (Green would have the sap effect). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted February 13, 2012 Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Good thinking. I like the experiment. Why speculate when you can just get an empirical answer! But, in an experimental model we want to change only one variable, if possible. So you have to put both soaked and dry chip trials on the fire either direct or in a foil pouch, not a different way for each. And weigh out an equal amount when they are dry. If I get the energy, I'll try it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribeless Posted February 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question True Michael, to the new experimental condition. I'll try dry smoking potatoes with indirect method over next weekend. Also, I forgot to say in my first post how marked the difference was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcnich Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Well Mark, i guess this is the fun of bbq! Looking for that perfect flavor profile is so challenging. I don't know if you are aware of this, (i am sure Micheal is) some bbq places burn their wood down to embers first then that is put into the pit for the actual cooking part. Of course they say that this is the true bbq method! Maybe, maybe not, but its another technique to try, may not be for a kk, but for a "choo choo train" type cooker (i have one of those too) it could be done easily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Here in California, more often than not, it's smoke then soak! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribeless Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question No one given this a go yet? I'm currently low temperature cooking/smoking a lamb road via the indirect method. Because under this method I can't easily get to the fire pit to put more smoking wood on - remembering I can only get wood chips here - I've made a foil semi-circular tray that fits on the charcoal, and in which I've put try wood chips in one end, and wet in the other to extend smoking period - working well, it's been smoking pretty well for an hour a quarter so far. Also, some advice please. In a cook such as this lamb roast, I'm filling the trip tray half with water on the theory that it will help keep the meat moist. Am I being a bit deluded in this, or is the theory good? Also, I assume I'm doing no damage go any of the KK components, such as the grills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcnich Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Actually, you dont need the water pan. The kk enviorment will keep the meat moist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question The beauty of ceramic is you don't need the water pan. Thin metal grills flow far more air to keep temp. So the metal guys need water pans. We don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNakedWhiz Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Also, I've read that the reason folks use water pans in smokers like the Weber Smokey Mountain is not to add moisture to the air but to help keep temps more consistent. We should all know by now that cooking meat in a moist environment isn't going to make the meat moist. Try braising something and let it get a bit too over done and you'll have one very dry piece of meat. I know from experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribeless Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Re: To Soak and Smoke, or Not - That is the Question Lesson taken For record though, it was a lovely lamb roast. Tender, and I got a surprising amount of smokey flavour ... and moist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
