Help with wood

[Trae Brown]

I am new to smoking and have used my new propane smoker only twice. The first time I made wings with wood chips and the second I did a pork shoulder with chunks. I feel like the wood is burning way to fast because I am using an entire bag for each smoke. Is that the norm to go through that much wood? Will placing the wood in aluminum foil help to slow down the burning process? I have even read that soaking the chips help. I have a Masterbuilt propane smoker. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks y'all!!!! It may be that Wal-Mart has cheap wood and that is why it is burning easy. Is there a place that anyone prefers to get wood that may be of better quality?

 

[zwiller]

Welcome! Do a search for gasser mods, there are a few and probably the most well known is using a small cast iron pan on top of the burner to help with what you are experiencing. An entire bag of wood is alot. You want thin blue smoke (TBS). Barely visable. TBS gives food a good smoke falvor. Heavy white smoke gives food a rough taste. When I ran my gasser I did the CI pan mod and tried lots of things with chips etc and preferred larger chunks for the best smoke.

 

[Jeff Wright]

I have the MES electric, but assume your propane is basically the same. Many of us use the Amazn products and pellets to get our smoke. Never used wood period, and definitely no water, in the pan or anything.

I have the Amazn maze and love it. I have gotten up to 10 hours TBS on mine with no changing or adding pellets. Lots of folks like the tube, but I have not used one of these.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[SonnyE]

Hi Trae!
Welcome to

Like Jeff said, many of us use an AMNPS or an AMNTS and Pellets to smoke with.
I use an AMNPS myself, because it can burn Pellets (Widely available), or the tray can be filled with Dust (Sawdust, or my personal new favorite, Dissolved and Dried Pellets.)
Today I just started my Canadian Pepper Bacon smoking and I'm cold smoking it with dust (Applewood) in a MES 40 I was given, and using my "Mailbox Mod", and Inkbird PID for Sub-100 degree temperature control.
With Pellets, I typically get 11 hours of smoke. With Dust, typically 6 hours of smoke.
But I've become a total Dust convert because I really, really like the flavor I get with it.

Either, or both, Amazen Products could help you a lot. They separate the smoke makin part, from the temperature part of the process.

 

[Preacher Man]

I'm just here as another voice for the Amazen Pellet Smoker. I use the 12" tube myself, which some say works better with propane than the maze.

 

[chilerelleno]

Which make/model of smoker are you using?

How are you burning the wood, that is too say, where and on what?
Is the wood chips or chunks?
A whole bag? Yeah, something not right.
Do not use wet wood.
Using foil pouches is usually done on a grill, can be used in a smoker, but there shouldn't be a need.

I use a CCSV24 which is a gas smoker.
I normally use 3-6 small fist sized chunks over the course of 6 hour or longer smoke.
A lot if the time I'm only applying smoke the first 3-4 hours.
The smoker gets prepped with wood in the cast iron tray, and maybe a water pan, then fired up and brought to temp quickly.
During this period the wood is igniting and generating thick smoke.
Once the smoker and water tray are hot the temp is adjusted, which is almost always down.
The wood will generally be about half burnt and smoldering nicely, and generating a thin smoke.
This ideal and all I need to do is toss in a chunk atop the already lit wood every couple of hours.

 

[Trae Brown]

Thanks for all the help y’all. It’s a master built propane/charcoal. I smoke it on the dish that domes with it. Should I try putting on edges so the fire doesn’t get to it?