How to get just a hint of smoke

[Theslacker]

Hi folks. I got my #2 last week and have tried my hand at a couple smokes. We mostly eat poultry, so my first smoke was boneless skinless chicken breasts. I put a rub on them and smoked them to 165F using about 3.5oz of apple wood. They picked up a lot of the apple wood smoke flavor. Not bad or harsh, but just way too heavy for us.
I did throw some potatoes in (russets) during that smoke, and I really liked the result. 3-4oz of wood for 2.5 hours on the potatoes tasted quite good - they picked up a taste of smoke but nothing obscene.

For my second smoke, we did a meatloaf and put in a single large peach wood chunk (all wood from Fruitawood) - it was probably in the 2.5oz range. I wasn't a fan of the meatloaf result - the outside of the meatloaf picked up a lot of smoke flavor. The inside cooked great though.

So, I'm realizing - either I don't like smoked poultry enough or I'm using way too much wood, even at the 2-4oz range. I'd love some advice - I think I only want to get a "kiss of smoke". Maybe just a touch to start out to see what I think. Should I scale the amount of wood I use way back to like 0.5-1oz? I really just want to start with a hint of smoke perhaps and then go from there. Thanks for advice!

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[BedouinBob]

Aaron, the amount of smoke for anyone is very subjective. For poultry, try 1 oz and see what you think and then go from there. The original you did was probably a bit much for poultry. The same will be true for other types of meat. They all take on smoke differently. That's the fun of the hobby!  Post pictures and let us know how it goes.

[Theslacker]

Thanks Bob! Here's some picks of my first smokes

[SconnieQ]

No reason not to try 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce of wood. Even with light smoke, these SIs are fantastic low and slow cooking instruments, maintaining great moisture. I have even heard of people who once their smoker is well seasoned, will occasionally do a smoke without adding any wood, and the smoke flavor still comes through in a subtle way.

[NDKoze]

Aaron, I would try a 3/4-1.0 oz the next time.

The problem is on a chicken breast there is so much surface area for the smoke to adhere and penetrate into that it can be easy to over smoke them. Even on a whole bird 2.0-2.5 is still plenty.

You have found what many find hard to believe which is that the SI smoker really take very little wood to provide adequate smoke flavor. That is why we measure in ounces verses pounds.

[Theslacker]

Funny, I was just telling some colleagues how efficient these things are with wood. It's amazing that one little 2.5 oz chunk can add that much smoke flavor. Pretty crazy. I think my supply is going to last me a long time What I will try doing for my next poultry smoke is using something in the 0.5-1oz range and will report back how it goes. Thanks!

[RSNovi]

If the smoker is nicely seasoned try it without any wood.  I also have over smoked almost all of my poultry smokes.

[Theslacker]

I've thought about running it with no wood - almost feels wrong! If 3/4oz is too much, that will be the next test.

[DivotMaker]

Aaron, you are using a scale to weigh your wood, right?  Only reason I ask is you said "it was probably in the 205 oz range."  A digital scale will tell you exactly, and not in a "range."  The only reason I mention this is wood chunk size can fool you, depending on the wood.  Some are more dense than others.  Go by weight.

The other thing I want to mention is the type of wood you're using.  Personally, I do not like apple wood at all.  Although it smells great, when smoking, it imparts a flavor profile to the meat that I just don't like.  Because you are not dealing with smoke flavor effected by the heat source, you are getting a much more "true" smoke flavor than you will with most smokers.  I treat the choice of wood no differently than I do any other spice.  Different woods impart totally different flavors, and sometimes even conflict with the rub we use.  Also, those flavors are very subjective!  There are thousands of opinions on the "best" wood to use for particular meats, but it really boils down to what the best wood is for you!  The only way to find your favorites is to try them!  Darn...it means you have to smoke more, but fortunately it's in the name of science, so it's OK.

[Theslacker]

Good points. I do have a scale but I only weighed that first smoke. The second smoke I did one chunk and guessed the weight on that one.    Interesting what you said about the apple wood. I definitely have a ton of experimenting to do. But I enjoy that part and hopefully I start to hone in on some settings that I really like.  Right now I have plenty of Apple, peach, and grape wood from fruitawood. Only a small amount of hickory that came with the smoker. Also a variety of pellets and a-maze-n pellet smoker both coming this week to play with too. We'll see what I dig! Not sure applewood is my fav.

[swthorpe]

Experimentation is a beautiful thing!    You will find the sweet spot.

[DivotMaker]

My favorite on poultry, for what it's worth, is cherry.  Beef is hickory, mesquite and oak (both red and white).

[NDKoze]

Definitely cherry wood for poultry.

[Theslacker]

I'd like to get a small amount of cherry. Places such as fruitawood require me to get 10lbs and that is a whole bunch of wood given how efficient these things are with wood!

[DivotMaker]

Check out smokinlicious.com.  Great wood, and you'll eventually use it all!