Wood Question

[Gene68]

Just got my SI2, seasoned it tonight, and now scheduled for some baby backs this weekend. Do you normally get wood chunks or the small pieces? Soak or put in dry? I plan to use foil to hold the wood in the box so I don't get the infamous "burp". Thanks in advance!

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[Pork Belly]

Small Pieces, do you mean chips? I typically soak chips up to 30 minutes  but I only use chips for low temp smokes and with a chip screen.

All other smoking is with blocks placed all the way in the back of the box with no foil. I do not constantly stare at the smoker while it is running but I have never seen anything that alarms me.

[swthorpe]

I use a chunk of wood, not chips.   For ribs, I would select a 3oz piece of hickory and wrap the bottom/sides with foil, and into the smoke box.    If they chunk is too big to fit, then I use a chisel to split it in half.

[DivotMaker]

Chunk(y?) guy here, Gene!  lol.  I have never used chips in these smokers (don't have a chip screen).  If I cold smoke, I just split some chunks into thin pieces so they smoke quicker.  I like the good, long, smoke that chunks provide.

[Gene68]

Thanks all...hittin some baby backs tomorrow for the initial smoke!

[Gene68]

Follow up questions regarding chunks...do you soak beforehand and put in foil "boat"?

[DivotMaker]

Follow up questions regarding chunks...do you soak beforehand and put in foil "boat"?

I don't soak, just a little foil on the bottom.  I'm going to try soaking without foil, just for an experiment.

[Gene68]

Thanks!

[Pork Belly]

I think it would, you only have until 140 to absorb smoke. By delaying the production of smoke you increase the meat temp before adding smoke.

Personally I do not worry about burps, belches or combustion I have done a lot of smoking with other smokers. Some of those smokers involved actual fires with logs. I am not concerned if that little block of wood starts a flame. I haven't seen evidence of it yet and am not going to worry about it.

As I have said before "if doing that makes you comfortable and confident, do it" I just weigh the chunks and toss them in the back of the fire box.

[NDKoze]

I tried the foil method with some chips and chunks last Friday when making some jerky and it took forever to get the first hint of smoke.

This may work well for smokes at normal smoking temps of 225+. But for a lower temp Jerky smoke, I won't be doing this anymore. I haven't looked in my smoke box yet, but I am guessing I have the bulk of my wood remaining. The jerky turned out pretty well, but could have used a little more smoke.

[Walt]

I use chunks, slivers & chips. Primarily chunks & slivers (long skinny pieces cut off of log with hatchet) but I will use chips for low temp smokes.  Like Brian, I don't use foil or any other trick.  The wood goes in the box & the temp is set to the desired level.  I have seen the belch when I 1st purchased the unit & it did not negatively affect the flavor.  Because of that, I have never really worried about it.  There are certainly things I'm neurotic over but this issue seems like fighting windmills.  For MY #2 the belch is not an issue.

[swthorpe]

For low temp smokes, you likely don't need the foil.   The foil helps me to avoid the belch, which usually occurred in my #2 at around 180F.    I use the foil for all smokes now and the temp rolls past 180F without an issue.

The downside for me regarding the belch was the amount of dark smoke that I would experience prior to the extinguishing the combustion (or the belch).   The dark smoke scared me in terms of what it might be leaving on the meat.   Now, with foil, I get a light white smoke, nothing dark and heavy.

[NDKoze]

Yeah, I think the foil trick is OK for higher temp smokes.

I think I will just go back to not using any foil for any of my smokes and ramp up my temp. That has worked great for me and I haven't seen any belches since implementing the ramp-up process.

For low temp smokes, I think I will use the chips with my chip screen and I should be good to go.

[DivotMaker]

Gregg, you're right.  I guess this should have been made more clear - the combustion I've experienced only occurs as the smoker passes around 180+.  Low-temp smokes have never produced this problem.  I know many don't worry about it, but I do.  I never experienced this in my #1, but definitely have in the #2.  The problem it creates is a) really nasty-smelling, dark smoke, and b) severely shortened smoke time (the wood burns up too fast, instead of smoldering to a slow death).  I don't care for either of these.   Thin blue smoke for me!

[Gene68]

I used foil with the wood chunks this past weekend. No soaking. Wood turned black but no burp.