Advise needed for wood choice and amount.

[Drayken]

I'm new to smoking, and plan to get my smoker soon. I'm trying to also get the other stuff I need, so I'm not scrambling later. Seems everyone suggests smokinlicious. Their 1 cubic foot box is obviously a great value, compared to the 1/4 and 2/3. BUT, I have no idea how much I will be using. I imagine, I will smoke, average, one to two times a week. Mostly chicken, then pork ribs and butt. I also want to try smoking cheese. (We are low carb, so we go thru cheese and meat like crazy, so the smoker should get used a good amount)

I'm not sure on the woods either. Seems like Hickory, and cherry are the go to? What would be a good 3rd? Thanks for any advice.

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[old sarge]

Best advice I can give is to visit the fruit - a - wood site and the smokinlicious site for woods.  You will want chunks. They offer advice on what wood works for various foods. They also have variety pks.  Prices are very reasonable.   You can also look at the wood section on the forum.  You might also want to get a digital scale and weigh your wood so as to not over smoke. A couple of ounces imparts good flavor. Some like a strong flavor and go 5 or 6 ounces. A lot of it is experimentation, starting with a couple ounces and adjusting from there depending upon the flavor you like. 5 lbs of each wood you prefer would be a good start.

[LarryD]

I'm not sure on the woods either. Seems like Hickory, and cherry are the go to? What would be a good 3rd? Thanks for any advice.

I use big box store wood and have absolutely no problems with it... everything comes out nice and smokey with good flavor. 

I like to keep a selection of Hickory, Pecan, Cherry, and Apple on-hand.  To me, this gives me four intensities of flavor from most intense to lightest.  I'll often do a mix, too.  For instance, for a turkey I'll use some cherry and pecan to give it some of the sweetness of a fruit wood and still a touch of stronger smoke.

[Drayken]

With all this talk about people getting dried out wood, it seems logical to pay a little more for the smokinlisious wood. I said I'd smoke about twice a week, hopefully, for sure, once a week. They suggested I try the small 1/4 box. I know it's by the ounce, but how many chunks on average do u guys use per smoke? She said the big box (1 cubic foot) had 100 or so pieces. So at 25 pieces, I think maybe the small box won't last me long? She told me, I don't want to hold onto the wood too long, since it will begin to dry out. How long does ur orders typically last u guys?

[old sarge]

but how many chunks on average do u guys use per smoke?

It depends upon the weight of the chunk and the smoke profile you want. If you are doing a butt, and want to use 6 ounces of wood, and your chunks average 4 to 5 ounces each, you are going to need to cut one of the chunks to add it's weight to another to get 6 ounces. It is not so much how many chunks you are using per smoke but the amount of wood weight you are using.  Weighing is good when you are getting started so that you can adjust for a lighter or heavier smokiness. Pretty much up to you.  You can split the chunks with a hatchet or use a mallet/hammer and a chisel to get the weight you want.  And make a note of the type wood and the weight so that you can either adjust or repeat, depending upon the results.