How Much Wood Should I Use?

[thomasdcruz]

I'm smoking a brisket flat, and I need some advice. I've got a gas grill, and I do my smoking by putting a smoker box under the grates. I make the smoker box either by using an aluminum loaf pan topped with tin foil with holes punched in it, or by just wrapping wood chips in foil. It works quite well. Anyway, the brisket I'm smoking is 2.87 pounds, so this will be a shorter cook time, between 3 and 3 3/4 hours. I'm planning to use mesquite wood, and I want to know how much to use. I've got a big bag of mesquite wood chips. I know mesquite is a strong tasting wood, and I don't want too much smoke, but at the same time I do want a noticeable smoke flavor in the meat. So, how much wood should I use? Usually I put two big handfuls of wood chips into the smoker box at a time, and add another two handfuls every hour. Since mesquite is so strong, and I'm not smoking a huge piece of meat, should I maybe use less than that? Or since more smoke will tend to escape a gas grill that's not designed for smoking (so I've heard) should I err on the side of using more smoke? Also, how long should I rest it before slicing it? One hour? Two hours? Any advice and input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[oldsmokerdude]

If it were me, I would make a few foil pouches with one big handful of chips in each. As the smoke decreases from a pouch, I would replace the used pouch with a new one, and would smoke the entire cook time. At some point as the surface dries out, the brisket will stop "accepting smoke", so while you may use a few more chips this way, you will ensure you get the most smoke flavoring you can.

As far as resting, I have a little different thought on that than most. It definitely needs to rest, but I think you will be okay with just a 15 to 20 minutes rest. Many on here rest for an hour or more with the meat wrapped and placed in a cooler to keep it warm. I think it all depends on how long you need to wait to serve it.

Regardless, let us know how it turns out.

 

[BC Buck]

Weigh the wood chips. Then you have a variable you can adjust for your own taste.