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Soak wood or not??

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bigboy

bigboy

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Apr 22, 2010
151
14
Delaware County, Pa
I have some split logs of hickory, maple and oak that I use with my Brinkmann smoke n pit. I made a charcoal basket and now I don't have to put the wood right on the coals. Now these logs at roughly 12-16 inches long and about 2-3 inches thick. When I don't soak them they seem to burn up faster for some reason. I thought I read somewhere that you shouldn't soak them. Is this true? Does anyone else soak them?

Thanks!
 
About the only time I use chips, is if I'm smoking on the gasser, or doing a cold smoke. Even then, I don't find much difference between soaking & not soaking.
 
I love this quote I stole from another site:

"There is a reason why quality boats are made with wood...it doesn't absorb water!"

If you soak bigger size wood chips for 24 hours or more, and then cut through one to get a cross section view, you'll see the water doesn't really penetrate much at all.

Plus, you throw wet chips on hot coals...you get a little steam (not the same as smoke) and you in effect are cooling the coals just a tiny bit...

Seems counter-productive to me.

I suppose someone on this site could give an example why it might be better to soak...but personally I've always used dry wood.
 
The idea for soaking wood, is that it will tend to smoulder & produce smoke, rather than burn up quickly.

A good idea in theory, but the reality is that wood doesn't absorb that much water in the short period of time that we tend to soak it. What little it does absorb, steams off in no time once it's put on the heat.
 
Nope dry wood only.

In the GOSM gasser I put my wood in a pan an cover with foil an poke bout 5 er so holes in the foil. Don't get the flare ups thata way.

Chips er chuncks, all dry fer me.
 
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