How To Use Wood In a BBQ Smoker

Wood is the very essence of smoking good barbecue. It's what adds the flavor. Back in the day wood was used exclusively, yet it's difficult to control the temperature and the level of smoke getting on the meat. Nowadays, the majority use charcoal, gas, pellet or electric smokers. The wood is added in chunks, pellets or sawdust which smolders and supplies good smoke.

Over smoking the meat is the most common mistake beginners make. Beginners should get started with just a little wood to start with and then work their way up. It's a common misconception that you need to soak the wood before you put it in, but soaking the wood doesn't make much difference. Wood doesn't absorb water effectively and quickly evaporates. If you place soaked wood on charcoal coals, it will cool off the coals and you need to maintain a steady temperature when smoking meats.The flavour you end up with varies according to the type of wood you have. The best kind of wood is dry non-green wood, It's important when choosing wood to not choose a wood containing sap content like pines, cedar, fir, Cyprus, spruce or redwood. The sap causes the meat to taste funny. Also, never use scraps of lumber because the lumber is normally treated with chemicals. Not suitable for smoking barbecue. Some of the more popular choices for wood are hickory, apple, alder, and mesquite. Hickory and mesquite impart a very heavy strong flavor on the meat so it is best for heavily spiced meat like ribs. Apple and alder wood have a sweeter, lighter smoke and it is best for not heavily spiced meat like chicken and fish.

With charcoal BBQ smokers, it is possible to toss the chips right in the mix with the charcoal. For gas grills, wood chunks work the best. If you can't get the chunks to smolder, then try wrapping the wood chunks in tin foil and cutting some slits on the top. Place the foil bag of wood chunks over the heating coals. The wood should start smoldering in a few minutes. It's important to add the wood early in the barbecue smoking process. Cold meat absorbs more of the smoke.You need to measure the amount of wood you put in everytime. That way you can adjust the amount each and every time to get the desired effect. The amount will vary according to the thickness of your meat. You should put in about 4 ounces of wood for ribs, 8 ounces for brisket and pulled pork, and about 2 ounces for chicken, turkey and fish.

Sometimes you need to get creative in the event the wood begins to burn or you have a long barbecue smoke. You may need to put the wood in an iron skillet over the coals to insulate it more. You can also create what's referred to as a smoke bomb for longer barbecue smokes. Put the wood in two foil pans and fill one with enough water to cover the chips. The one without water will smolder instantly. When the water evaporates from the second one it will do its stuff and smolder. That way you don't have to keep opening the door to add more wood.

Paul Stevens is author/publisher of a buyer's guide to BBQ Smokers