Wood inside WSM

[brucehere]

I am about to start cooking on my WSM, and I was wondering if you could use a couple logs together with charcoal use?
Reason being is I'm wanting to create a bit more smoke.
I'm a newbie here so forgive my ignorance ;)

 

[gmc2003]

The WSM wasn't designed to be a stick burner. I'm not sure if you would get the air flow to burn logs. You may either wind up with no smoke or a full fledged campfire. I've only used chunks in my 22.

Chris

 

[yankee2bbq]

Why size logs are we talking here? Like traditional fireplace logs? (16 inches in lenght un split). If so, might be too much wood for the WSM.

 

[yankee2bbq]

I’ve used big chunks of post oak in my WSM. Split from a 16 inch piece of firewood.

 

[dward51]

I don't know why you can't use hardwood chunks in a WSM. You could use a portion of a lit chimney to get things going and then fist sized chunks of split hardwood to fill the rest of the fire ring. Not sure how the burn time would go as it's a different media but it should work. First time might have a little bit of a learning curve on damper adjustment, burn time, etc... but it should be pretty similar to a regular WSM smoke IMO. Once the wood it lit, it's a lit coal just like lit charcoal.

The trick would be to use fist sized chunks instead of "logs" to keep them in the fire ring and manageable. I would think air control would be about the same especially if you have a power draft like a BBQ Guru.

I've actually thought about trying this one day, and have just never gotten around to it.

 

[noboundaries]

I've used one log amongst the charcoal. Oak cut from the tree in my backyard. The mesquite I bought recently is all small logs, like 2-3" thick, 8" long. One, maybe two logs buried in the cold charcoal with the hot dumped on top will work fine.

Chunks work great, use them all the time, but so do small logs.

 

[wahoowad]

What do you guys about about the amount of smoke from the significantly larger amount of wood?

 

[noboundaries]

First off, lets talk the right kind of smoke. Remember, you don't want to load the WSM with meat until you see hints of blue in the smoke. The white/grey stuff is nasty and it will make your meat taste like an ashtray. Be patient and let the blue appear. Don't be surprised if it takes up to 90 minutes for that to happen. Factor that into your smoke timing.

Next, figuring out how much smoke taste you like on your meat is the next challenge. If you use water in your water pan, more smoke will adhere to the meat. I dry smoke (no water in the pan) and use 8-10 chunks of wood, half buried in the cold charcoal when I'm adding cold charcoal to used charcoal from a previous load. If I'm starting from a bare charcoal ring, I bury it all in two levels in the cold charcoal. That way it pre-heats nicely and burns cleaner (blue smoke).

My wife is a "super-taster" and won't eat meat that has been smoked with water in the water pan. She can tell the difference between wet and dry smoked meat. Trust me, I've tested her. On a dry smoke I can load up quite a bit of wood in the charcoal and she loves it. So do I.

For beef I use only heavy tasting wood, like hickory or mesquite.

Poultry and pork I use a 50/50 mix of hickory and a fruit wood like cherry, apple, peach, or pear.

I will substitute oak or pecan for the hickory or mesquite on occasion. They're fine, just not my favorites.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Well said noboundaries

 

[brucehere]

These are all really helpful comments. Thanks!
Ya reason I ask is that we don't get nice chunks here in South Africa. We have to mission to find even decent hard wood. All different types of wood compared to you guys in the states.

I am going to experiment with a variety of kinds of hardwood, which are mainly from Namibia :)

Whats the difference between using chunks of hardwood and a full log embedded within the coals? Surely, they both give off smoke? Or is it to do with the amount of smoke it gives off, or the rate of smoke?

I get my smoker next week, so I'm looking forward to playing!

 

[SmokinAl]

I use splits all the time in my WSM!
They work just fine.
Al

 

[SmokinAl]

 

[yankee2bbq]

Hey al, what’s that empty can in there for?

 

[chopsaw]

Hey al, what’s that empty can in there for?

thats a tip jar so he can pay for that Mustang .

 

[brucehere]

Next, figuring out how much smoke taste you like on your meat is the next challenge. If you use water in your water pan, more smoke will adhere to the meat. I dry smoke (no water in the pan) and use 8-10 chunks of wood, half buried in the cold charcoal when I'm adding cold charcoal to used charcoal from a previous load. If I'm starting from a bare charcoal ring, I bury it all in two levels in the cold charcoal. That way it pre-heats nicely and burns cleaner (blue smoke).

That sounds like more chunks of wood then what I've sen others doing, and I like it.
Do you find that with less say 3/4 chunks of wood you'd use the water pan? (Cause don't you find your meat needs a bit of moisture to cook?)
So are you just not using water, because of the amount of smoke being generated by 10 chunks of wood not requiring it?

Is it something like:
More wood, less charcoal = no water
Less wood, more charcoal = use water

Obviously each to his own, but I'm also aware meat can taste too smoky and want to avoid that :)

 

[SmokinAl]

Hey al, what’s that empty can in there for?

It has the bottom & top cut out so I can put about 12-14 light briquette's in it, then remove the can & then the lit charcoal is down to the bottom of the pile & that is how I start the fire.
Al

 

[yankee2bbq]

It has the bottom & top cut out so I can put about 12-14 light briquette's in it, then remove the can & then the lit charcoal is down to the bottom of the pile & that is how I start the fire.
Al

Ohh, I see! So, you don’t do the minion method...

 

[SmokinAl]

No your wrong, that is the minion method!
Al

 

[troutman]

It has the bottom & top cut out so I can put about 12-14 light briquette's in it, then remove the can & then the lit charcoal is down to the bottom of the pile & that is how I start the fire.
Al

What a clever guy. Is that enough to get you started, how long? My only fear on the splits is the amount of smoke, I sometimes get too much before it calms down to a nice blue with just chunks.....

 

[motocrash]

I do the same but can in the center,pour cold briquettes around can,remove can and dump hot coals from chimney in hole.