Soaking wood is a NO NO

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This case boils down to a case of Wet's v. Dry's just like the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act. As we all learned there is no cut and dried solution. Pun intended.

I have been smoking on a basic Brinkmann "Smoke n Grill" for 30+ years and am still learning every day so what follows are methods based on the observations accumulated over that time. This is not Gospel!

My main goal is to infuse whatever I am smoking w/ the flavor of the wood which is best imparted by producing as much smoke as possible. I also need to regulate the temp. of the smoker, generally adhering to the ideal of Low and Slow. Soaking wood sticks approx. 4"x1" in water in (4) 18 gal. Rubbermaid containers for as long as possible (min. 2 weeks) and changed out regularly makes this possible. The initial hot temp of the coal bed is moderated by the soaked wood. For long smoke projects (over 5 hrs) temps will decline but can be corrected w/ the addition of dry wood along w/ a few briquets so for my purpose a COMBINATION of wet and dry wood meets my goal . Flare-ups are controlled by the addition of soaked wood.

My observations indicate that even the most waterlogged sticks I use produce smoke (not just steam) within 5 min. of placement on the coal bed.

Soaked wood imparts at least as much smoke flavor as dry. I'm no chemistry major but I'm pretty sure smoke is that part of the wood emitted due to a failure to reach a temperature sufficient to achieve a flame so the more smoke the more smokey flavor.

Soaking wood in anything other than water to achieve the infusion of another flavor beside the wood is inefficient. If you want, say, a hint of lager flavor utilize the juice pan and allow the smoke and steam to mix and caress the object of your smoking affection. Lager is best consumed orally as is vodka, bourbon etc. My juice pan contains water and sliced pieces of fruit (apples,oranges, pineapples etc.) so I am smoking and steaming w/ what amounts to a fruit stew. Does it make a difference? Your guess is as good as mine. Will it make it taste horrible? I doubt it and it might help so what the heck! To help you think about it drink some vodka or other beverage of your choice.

If you smoke on a regular basis cultivate a relationship w/ somebody who cuts down trees who will then deliver smoking wood to you and repay that person with samples of your handiwork. I cannot remember the last time I paid cash money for smoking wood.

Remember....any day spent with your smoker is a good day!

If you ever have a chance go to Lexington Ky. and check out the smoke house Henry Clay built on his estate (Ashland). Lucky S.O.B.
 
It really depends on the cooker / smoker you are using and the end result you are trying to achieve I use LUMP hardwood charcoal to smoke some times and sometimes I use a combo of lump and wood Iv been cooking on the same smoker for 15 years and still learning ,if you want an easy way to do this ,I dont think you will find it no matter what you cook on or with its an art to get it done right and watching that cooker is part of it ,a remote temp gauge is a good tool to have .Ihave never used a propane smoker or an electric one so I cant give an opinion about them and soaking your wood is merely delaying the smoke effect also most of your pro bbqers dont soak the wood before using it .
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I like to soak the wood and mix with some dry wood and place it in the feeder. I have been using this method  for over two years. By the time the dry wood is used up the soaked wood is just coming on. I use an electric smoker MES30. I hope this may be of  help some one.
 
It depends what I am doing with the wood as to if I soak it or not. When grilling over high heat and I want a little bit of smoke flavor I will soak my chips. When smoking meats I use dry chunks or whole logs. I control my temps and burn times by adjusting the air flow to the fire box. I have also learned over the years that you will find what works best for you, so if your BBQ tastes good to you then you must be doing something right.
 
Sounds like you got the right combination Ice. I have dry wood or old wood that is not suitable for flavoring with, I use this for starting fires and building coals. Most of my wood is not fresh cut from a standing tree, but i do leave it in logs that my tractor can handle and cut off them at cooking time, it,s not green but not dry either. My cherry takes some curing time because it is so rich in sap and is overwhelming if not aged a bit.
 
MasterCraft recommends "pre-soak wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes. - Applies to models 20070211 and 20070311 ONLY", so it doesn't apply to most units. 

I think what we have learned in this discussion is there is a preference that many smokers swear by and it's nothing more than a preference and just a single step in their total BBQ process..  Something that might get someone a half point over the edge in a state competition where every minute attention to detail counts, or something they feel makes their bbq offering a bit tastier.   

Be the wood soaked or dry, the smoke will come when it's ready to come.  Moisture will steam before wood begins to smoke.  Elvis is not dead but living in retirement in Canada.  His impersonators are true body clones that he commissioned from his own DNA.  I only know this because I dated his wife in a previous life.

Wet or dry seems like a win/no win argument.  It's all a mater of preference and a step in the process.  Nothing more and nothing less.

Thanks for listening,

Ron
 
Try this:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act

Neither the Volstead Act or the 18th Amendment were good for home BBQing since they basically delayed the development of the BBQers favorite accessory, the red plastic cup.  I can't imagine sitting back and relaxing while the blue smoke rises without my faithful red cup, half filled with some manner of refreshment.

It says, "Here's to a job well done." 
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18th Amendment and the Volstead Act?  For the slightly under educated could you have used a hyper link?   LOL
 
Well after reading all the posts on this page it seems that its about split about fifty fifty. I wonder if local humidity has anything to do with it? we are in he high desert with only six percent humidity so I tend to soak my chips most of the time for that added moisture. Any thoughts on this?
 
“Modernist Cuisine” suggests that ‘cuers in the Southwest do their business in the evenings or at night, as low humidity during the day is detrimental to the development of the pellicle – the surface layer of the meat that absorbs the smoke flavor.  Abundant humidity is an important component of smoking quality.  70-80% inside the smoker is ideal.

Also, according to the authors, the best temperature for smoking wood is 750F.  They state that lower temperatures generate acids and acrid flavors and aromas.  At 750F, you have to be careful not to let the wood burst into flame.  It’s not quite as simple as it sounds, because choking the heat by reducing the airflow will reduce the generation of desirable aromatics such as vanillin and enrich the carcinogens.  As they put it, “Just as there is an art to controlling the heat of a grill, it takes special skill to manage  smoldering fire so that it produces the most fragrant and healthful smoke.”

BTW, they’re definitely on the side of not soaking the wood, as the reduced temperatures of wet (including green) wood lowers the temperature below optimal.
 
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“Modernist Cuisine” suggests that ‘cuers in the Southwest do their business in the evenings or at night, as low humidity during the day is detrimental to the development of the pellicle – the surface layer of the meat that absorbs the smoke flavor.  Abundant humidity is an important component of smoking quality.  70-80% inside the smoker is ideal.

Also, according to the authors, the best temperature for smoking wood is 750F.  They state that lower temperatures generate acids and acrid flavors and aromas.  At 750F, you have to be careful not to let the wood burst into flame.  It’s not quite as simple as it sounds, because choking the heat by reducing the airflow will reduce the generation of desirable aromatics such as vanillin and enrich the carcinogens.  As they put it, “Just as there is an art to controlling the heat of a grill, it takes special skill to manage  smoldering fire so that it produces the most fragrant and healthful smoke.”

BTW, they’re definitely on the side of not soaking the wood, as the reduced temperatures of wet (including green) wood lowers the temperature below optimal.
Now that's another county heard from.  Where have you been hiroller173?  Just when we think we are ending this conversation you throw another log in the fire.
 
Forgive me for the 18th amendment and Volstead act mention w/o including any explanation. I confess that I do not know what a hyper link is or how to post one. I thought my references to booze and wets v drys were sufficient inferences to identify the amendment and act referenced. A previous reply talked about liquid refreshment which inspired the Prohibition theme along with those who favor soaking (wets) and those who dp not (drys) which were the descriptions used to identify the opposing sides in that debate. Yet another attempt at humor falls flat!

Speaking of liquid refreshment, a hard and fast rule I have imposed on myself is to refrain from adult beverage consumption until the end of the smoke session is near, say 3-4 hours prior to breaking down the smoker. And until the session is over the consumption must be at moderate levels. Once everything is put away however, give me 2 red cups!  Most of what I smoke is consumed by others and I feel I owe them my full, sober attention.
 
Backsmokin....

Well said - logical, an even scientific approach.....Well done! I cook by the philosophy of adding moisture to the meat in a number of different ways - but I do not like to use artifically wet wood. It isn't just steam - it is wet soot that collects on the meat. Not good.

T
 
Forgive me for the 18th amendment and Volstead act mention w/o including any explanation. I confess that I do not know what a hyper link is or how to post one. I thought my references to booze and wets v drys were sufficient inferences to identify the amendment and act referenced. A previous reply talked about liquid refreshment which inspired the Prohibition theme along with those who favor soaking (wets) and those who dp not (drys) which were the descriptions used to identify the opposing sides in that debate. Yet another attempt at humor falls flat!

Speaking of liquid refreshment, a hard and fast rule I have imposed on myself is to refrain from adult beverage consumption until the end of the smoke session is near, say 3-4 hours prior to breaking down the smoker. And until the session is over the consumption must be at moderate levels. Once everything is put away however, give me 2 red cups!  Most of what I smoke is consumed by others and I feel I owe them my full, sober attention.
Ummmm.... o.k..........................Are we talkin' BBQ - or a 12 step program in  progress?
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I'm done.  I'm convinced that either way is just another process in the creation of great bbq.  Neither is more right than the other is wrong, since it is a process we are allowed to disagree on and either way gets great results..

I've just fired up my smoker and started a chuckie.  Same way I did my last except no Q-View.  The only difference, this time I mustarded the beast, added rub, and then drizzled mustard and ketchup over the drapped fat.  Pretty to look at raw and I'm figuring all the mustard and ketchup flavors will be totally out of there come serving time.

Wooo whee.  I ran out of wood chips so I did a double dose of Todds amazing pellets, both in his tray and the wood chip tray.  Bad move.  People were stopping their vehicles outside my house to see if it was on fire.  Those pellets were asmokin and I have never had so much smoke coming out our the MES!   Looking through the glass door (which I just cleaned yesterday) you could see the smoke just wooshing around like a cyclone and the dang meat wasn't in there yet.. 

The strangest thing.  When I opened to door to insert the meat the fire went woosh and put itself out.  Now I'm not getting any smoke at all..  I just added more of Todds pellets to the wood chip tray.  We'll see if the smoke returns . . . and it is..  I did my standard low-tech adjustment and inserted a fork in the lower door to allow enough oxygen for the pellets to burn.

Ah, yes.  Much more manageable right now.  Todds tray came back to life and the chip tray with Todds pellets is producing a great smoke.   I don't think this is the recommended procedure.  I'm only using the chip tray with the pellets because I'm out of wood chips.  I'm getting a very good smoke the first hour. 
 
Thought this to be interesting.
[h3]The Combustion Process of Burning Wood[/h3]
  1. Wood heats up to approximately 212 [sup]o[/sup]F (100[sup] o[/sup]C) evaporating the moisture in it. There is no heating from the wood at this point
  2. Wood solids starts to break down converting the fuel gases (near 575 [sup]o[/sup]F, 300 [sup]o[/sup]C)
  3. From 575 [sup]o[/sup]F to 1100 [sup]o[/sup]F (300 - 600[sup] o[/sup]C ) the main energy in the wood is released when fuel vapors containing 40% to 60% of the energy burn
  4. After burning fuel vapors and evaporated the moisture, only charcoal remains burning at temperatures higher than 1100[sup]o[/sup] F
From http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustion-heat-d_372.html

This interesting too.

http://www.heartheat.com/flameworksOLD/index_WoodComb.htm
 
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This is a lot like talking religion: everyone has their own interpretation of what it all means. The same cook can move from one grill to another and his whole strategy changes. I have my old reliable "big trailer smoker" and am building a new trailer unit. They are like day and night as far as wood goes. Basically the same design but one likes damp wood , the other doesn't care. The big unit will burn a wet mule if that's what you have to fuel it with. The new unit does best with drier woods. Then again, it depends on whether you are cooking long and slow or toasting buns. Just keep the fire burning and you will find your happy spot.
 
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