To soak or not to soak?

ricer2231

Fire Starter

Original poster

Oct 17, 2016

37

18

Ohio

• Oct 19, 2016

• #1

Do you soak your chips or do you not soak your chips? Advantages/disadvantages of soaking and vice versa.

 

b-one

Legendary Pitmaster

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Aug 31, 2014

8,954

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Michigan

• Oct 19, 2016

• #2

When you smoke wood you get steam not smoke till they dry out. I prefer smoked meat over steamed.:biggrin:

 

gr0uch0

Master of the Pit

Apr 30, 2016

1,231

139

Displaced Texan in Door County WI

• Oct 19, 2016

• #3

X2 on dry wood. Grilling quickly at high temps, I can go with soaked chips. Long, low smokes and wet wood leads to creosote and bitter taste on the product.

 

chef jimmyj

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

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May 12, 2011

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• Oct 19, 2016

• #4

The concept of Soaking Chips goes back to tossing chips of a hot fire, charcoal or wood embers. The wet chips cools the surface of the fire and lets the chips smoke rather than flame up right off. So these wet chips have been used for generations and is useful with wood and charcoal smokers. Now, at some point, the New Fangled Electric and Gas smokers come out and folks keep soaking basically because, " that's the way Dad and Grandpa does it in their smokers. I guess I should soak my chips too..." And soaking just keeps being passed on even though it is not needed in the cooler chip tray of electrics and gassers because even dry chips are not likely to flair up ...JJ

 

gearjammer

Master of the Pit

Apr 6, 2015

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Central New York

• Oct 19, 2016

• #5

Ed

 

SmokinAl

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Jun 22, 2009

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Central Florida (Sebring)

• Oct 20, 2016

• #6

Agree with the above!

Don't soak!

Al