2 - 4 ounces of wood

[prudentsmoker]

I have seen many posts suggesting 2-4 oz. per smoke. My question is- can you really have too much or is this just a way to save $ ? After all, Traeger certainly uses more than 4 oz. And while I am at it, is it still conventional thinking that meat cannot absorb smoke after it hits 140?

Thanks in advance.

 

[LarryD]

I personally tend to use 25-50% more wood than specified by most, but not more than that.  I've not used so much to experience the problem personally, but the general wisdom is that more actually gives an unpleasant taste.  Likewise, most here do seem to ascribe to the idea that you're not going to get any benefit after ~140 degrees and a couple hours.

 

[Walt]

I haven't weighed wood in years. Long smokes, my fire box gets filled with a mix of chunks & a handful of chips. Short smokes, a handful of chips and slivers. About half a box full.

 

[Pork Belly]

You can get by with less wood in these smokers because they are so efficient. They are pretty airtight and the smoke does not quickly leave the unit. Open your door at any time and you will see a box FULL of smoke.

Your personal tastes need to dictate how much wood you are using. To me Bacon and Jerky can never be too smoky but other foods I like less.

 

[gregbooras]

I have seen many posts suggesting 2-4 oz. per smoke. My question is- can you really have too much or is this just a way to save $ ? After all, Traeger certainly uses more than 4 oz. And while I am at it, is it still conventional thinking that meat cannot absorb smoke after it hits 140?

Thanks in advance.

It really depends on what you are smoking, for Brisket, I go for 5-6 oz. but for chicken I use around 3 oz. or less. I would also suggest buying some decent wood and skip wood from Lowes, Homedepot etc....
Best Greg
Best Greg

 

[Grampy]

I have seen many posts suggesting 2-4 oz. per smoke. My question is- can you really have too much or is this just a way to save $ ? After all, Traeger certainly uses more than 4 oz. And while I am at it, is it still conventional thinking that meat cannot absorb smoke after it hits 140?Thanks in advance.

YES! You can get too smoke. Before I started weighing my wood I just "guessed" about how much to use and ruined some meals. If you use too much wood you can definitely leave a very bitter acrid taste on your meat.

 

[prudentsmoker]

I guess what I am really saying is that it strikes me as odd that the BBQ places use nothing but wood for the entire cook and have great results. I know their cookers are not as air tight as ours, but surely their meat is exposed to more smoke.

 

[TX Gent]

Think in terms of volume and compare and contrast ...

Barrel type smokers as an example have much more volume to fill and more importantly keep filled for the same amount of cooking/smoking time. Small insulated boxes with a small ingress/egress smoke system don't. Take the same size brisket/butt and the air volume/smoke requirement over the same length of time is much less ... 6oz verses 12pounds of corresponding wood as an example. It's about matching the amount of smoke to the volume of air to be moved ... no combustion required (electric) equals less oxygen/air burn needed to have close to the same results.

Keep Smokin

 

[old sarge]

Brian - I used 12+ ounces hickory in my Cookshack Amerique on the second butt I did because I felt the first butt, although great, just was not smokey enough. I did the wood in increments about every 3 hours, give or take. Ruined a butt. One never knows how much "flavor" they will like till they give it their personal touch.