When smoking on a UDS...

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ruonfire

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 9, 2009
18
10
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
I've just seasoned my UDS and about 1.5 hrs into the seasoning I realized that not much of my hickory chunks have even begun to smoke. Should smoke be early on when cooking? Or is a little smoke throughout the smoke time ok?

I plan on smoking tri-tips and baby back ribs and hopefully pulled pork.

I added about 5 or 6 chunks of hickory to my basket of charcoal and then added about 12 lit briquets to get it going.

I'm wondering if the chunks of hickory need to be closer to the center lit briquets?
 
From what i understand is you do want the smoke right away, i always make sure i get a chunk of wood on the lit coals when i start the fire, but im sure an hour in would still be good.
 
since I use sticks ( not for cooking just for my smoke ) I place it as near the lit coals as possible. I actually place it there during the firing up of the coals.  I use hickory that is split and 8-12" long.  I just put one end on the fire and as the fire spreads during the cook more of the wood gets consumed. 

With your chunks you can do the same thing, one or two on the fire and some off to the sides that should produce smoke later on in the cook
 
I 'll put one on the middle on top and just shove 4 or 5 into the charcols evenly around the outside
 
I 'll put one on the middle on top and just shove 4 or 5 into the charcols evenly around the outside
What he said although I don't put one  in the middle.

I wouldn't worry about getting smoke right away.  It usually takes an hour or so for the yucky white smoke to clear up on mine anyway.

Actually, when it is humming along and all warmed up, you'd be hard pressed to see smoke.  But at the end of the cook, the chunks are gone.
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Dave
 
I agree with DDave I usually start my UDS around 45 minutes before I am going to start smoking so that my basket gets going nice and evenly and the thick white smoke is done billering out of the top. A little smoke goes a long way. Thin Blue smoke is the key not thick white smoke. Unless you like your meat to taste like a burnt stick that is. haha Trust me I have had a few of those smokes in my day and it isn't fun. If you can smell the smoke you are going to get a nice smoke flavor. Less is more in this case.
 
I give mine at least 30 minutes but I would rather see an hour before I load it. I burn kingsford lump and I use very little wood chunks, maybe 4 or 5 chunks the size of a small fist for every ten lbs.

I was not very happy with my burn today, maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the extra wood I used. Anyhow it almost had the smoked charcoal taste to me anyways. Then someone else said OMG thats great. Who knows.

Just beware, in my opinion, its easy to over do the smoke on a UDS.
 
Trust me I have had a few of those smokes in my day and it isn't fun. If you can smell the smoke you are going to get a nice smoke flavor. Less is more in this case.
You and me both. 
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  It does not pay to be impatient and put the meat on while the smoke is still thick.  Took me awhile to connect the bad taste with the startup smoke.  I have waited up to 2 hours for the smoke to clear if I had to now.  The food tastes MUCH better that way.
 
Just beware, in my opinion, its easy to over do the smoke on a UDS.
Yep, I would whole heartedly agree with your opinion.
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Being that the meat is in the direct path of the smoke, a little goes a long way.

Dave
 
 
Mine's a little different, I get the coals a going and when all settled down I open the hatch and feed it a wet chunk of what flavor i feel like depending on what meat I'm smoking.
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