I want smoke!

[Tim]

I don't feel I am getting enough smoke in the meat. I have a Smokin-It 2 smoker and use chunks and chips and put those in an open boat of tin foil 3 layers thick. When the smoke is over I always have ashes left. What do other owners of SI smokers do to get more smoke?

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[old sarge]

I get plenty of smoke.  I don't use the boat.  I do not expect 5, 10 15 hours of smoke. 3 to 4 hours  of smoke gives the meat plenty of flavor.  I generally have all ash but sometimes tiny bits of charcoal.  Please see the link below and welcome to the forum Tim.

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science-grill-and-smoker-setup-and-firing-what-you-need-know-about-wood-smoke-and/

[swthorpe]

I have a #2 as well, but I do not use chips, just chunks.   For the chunks, I usually go with 4-6oz total, and the smoke flavor seems to be plenty for us.   I also don't use the foil boat method, I just lay the chunks in the smoke box.

Normally my wood ends up as black chunks when I am finished, and some ash.   I am wondering if you might be experiencing combustion when you start the first smoking cycle.  Do you see heavy dark white smoke in the beginning of the smoke, followed by a burst of smoke (we call it the belch)?    If this is the case, your wood is likely catching on fire.   If so, then the wood chips may be contributing to the wood catching on fire rather than smoking.

[Tim]

Thanks for the answers! I just don't think I am getting enough smoke flavor in the meat.

[Lonzinomaker]

Are you starting with a cold smoker and cold meat?  Smoke absorbtion really slows down when meat gets to 140 deg.
I don't preheat my smoker at all.  And I might let the meat sit on counter for 1 hour if I'm busy, otherwise it is straight out of the fridge into the smoker. 

[mt.man511]

Hello Tim I know this sounds a little crazy but here goes, if you eat something you smoked the next day or so does it taste like it has more smoke? This is because if your around the smoker your breathing in part of the smoke and you will have the smoke on your clothes and you won't be able to taste the smoke flavor as much.

[old sarge]

I like that explanation. Makes sense!

[LarryD]

I have a number of questions for you that might help us zero in a little bit more.  I'd also suggest skipping chips entirely.  As someone else (effectively) said, those are probably just acting like kindling and when they burn up they take your chunks with them.

* How many ounces of wood are you using?  It's far more often that we have to convince people to use less wood, but try anywhere from 5-10 oz. total of 2-3 oz chunks.

* What species of wood are you using?  Something like hickory is going to give you a stronger flavor than say apple or cherry.

* What is the source of your wood and how old is it?  If the wood is super dry then there's going to be a higher chance of combustion and possibly less smoke.  I successfully use big box store chunks, so it can be done. 

* Where are you putting the chunks in the fire box?  I tend to evenly space the chunks.  The element won't be the same temperature everywhere, so some of the chunks will smoke faster than others.  Spreading them out takes advantage of this and the isolation can help keep all of them burning up if one of them catches fire.

*  As someone else said/asked...  are you starting with a cold smoker and cold meat?  I only have a single recipe where I ever start with a warm smoker.  99.9% of the time you're just going to want it to be cold.

* These smokers do their best when you open the door twice... once to put stuff in and once to take stuff out.  If you're opening it any other time then you're letting out smoke, moisture, and heat which is going to adversely effect the result.  I say this as kindly as I can... if you're micro-managing it then leave it the hell alone.    Get a good meter and let it tell you when the internal temp of the meat hits an appropriate target.

* Is it safe to assume you're not doing anything that is impacting the airflow in the smoker?  Do you have the drain hole poked open if you've foiled the bottom?  Is the smoke hole at the top clear?  Not running any kind of fan that would be forcing a faster air exchange?

Other than not feeling you're getting enough smoke, how is whatever you're smoking turning out?  Is it moist?  Is it tender?  What are you smoking and what is the internal temp of the meat when you pull it out?  Are you resting the meat or are you going directly from smoker to plate?

[tpcdelisle]

I know that I’m way late for this question, being new here, but I have to agree with the answers. Like was said, cold meat takes up the smoke much better. And like with sausages, for example, I think when the meat is drier, it absorbs and barks up better. When I say dry, I don’t mean powder dry, just not dripping wet. It’s like when you want a good sear on meat, you pat the surface to get rid of excess moisture. Obviously, this is different than smoking, but it does somewhat apply to bark formation. The bark formation holds most of that smoke.

Also, like was said, if your wood is burning up completely, combusting, it will burn cleaner with less true smoke. In these smokers you need that continuous smoldering for 3-4 hours and that is about all of the smoke that the meat can truly absorb.

I guess if someone really wants to use chips, I would soak them for 30 minutes or so, wrap them in a foil packet with some poked holes and lay it in the smoker box along with some chunks.

Your next choice would be to add a Bella cold smoker box on the side and smoke hot with the extra added smoke. I wouldn’t think that this would be needed, but I have used one on a pellet grill to get more smoke flavor. It makes a big difference for my steaks on the grill.

I hope this helps and it’s just my opinion. The folks on this forum really know their stuff and definitely have so much more experience with a SI smoker. I’ll start getting much more experience starting next week. Best to you and good luck.