new smoker

[smokin cindi]

Hey y'all !

I'm a 57 year old smoking virgin ! LOL!  Never done it  in all my days, but am looking forward to a few pointers such as:

1. to soak or not to soak (wood chips)

2. use small chips or big

3. how long to smoke- for a short time or the entire duration of cooking

I'd surely appreciate any noteworthy tips or solutions !

Sincerely,

Smokin Cindi

 

[joe black]

Welcome frm SC, Cindi. You have come to the right place with lots of great folks who are always ready to share their ideas and tips. All you have to do is ask and keep on reading. I have a smoki' Cindy right beside me now. She's been beside me fro 14 years and is my very best cooking supporter.

I don't know what type smoker youhave, bt I will give you some generic answers.
1. Never soak wood. It takes too much heat to dry it out and it smolders and smokes too heavy.
2. IMO chunks give much better flavor than chips. Some cookers require chips, but I would rarher change cookers.
3. After about 150* IT, meat isn't going to take much more smoke' As long as smoke is clean and not heavy, it doesn't matter.

Good luck and keep on smokin', Joe

 

[sawinredneck]

Welcome to the site!
I'd always heard to soak chips until I came here, then I tried both ways. Yup, sure enough, soaked caused the temps to drop (a handy tool on a stick burner!) and the smoke got thicker.
I use chips mostly, it's easier and cheaper to get them than chunks. A neighbor had an apple tree shed a limb, I was more than happy to clean it up for them! Used it for heat and flavor! (Again, a stick burner)
The last one, I can't honestly answer! I've heard meat doesn't absorb any more flavor after two hour. I've heard the same about 150IT. I've heard it absorbs the entire smoke? I can't say. I need to do some experimenting and see, but right now I add flavor wood the entire smoke.
Good luck to getting a solid answer to that one!

 

[stovebolt]

 Welcome to the forum, Cindi. 

 To some extent the answers depend on what smoker you have and your personal tastes.

 I see no advantage to soaking the wood.

 Chips or chunks depends on variables as some smokers don't have room for chunks. Some people use smoke generators like the AMNPS (I use one a lot). Otherwise I like to use as large of wood as the machine will work with and I often make my own the size and length I want.

 I like a lot of smoke, some don't. Meat will take on smoke as long as it is exposed to it. If the smoke is thin and blue it seldom will overpower the meat, but may be more than you want. Time and experience will tell you when it's had enough.

Chuck

 

[smokin cindi]

I thank you Joe for your time and info !  :)

 

[smokin cindi]

thanks chuck !

 

[joe black]

Anytime Cindi, just ask.