What is the brethren consensus?.

[Bigmista]

I saw two different programs on Foodtv this week with people talking about wetting their wood to get some good smoke. This seemed contradictory to most of the things I heard here. I heard one guy say that he bought some would from the guy that supplies a bunch of people around Kansas City. The wood is seasoned (dried for a year and then the guy cooking wet the wood to "get the right moisture content." Didn't seem to bright to me.

Now I am just a guy who uses lump mesquite and a few chunks of hickory so I don't know didlly. What is the brethren line on "wetting wood".

Bill and Brian, assume we've already heard every "wetting wood" joke you can imagine.

[kcquer]

Mista, I can't decide what's funnier, your warning to Bill and Brian (AKA the Off Brothers; Whack and Jerk :P ) or the thought of a "Brethren Consensus :lol: :lol: "

<serious mod> For offset smokers, dry seasoned, but not old, wood is most desirable. In some cases, (gas, electric or some bullet users) soaked chunks of wood might be appropriate.
I know at least one members soaks wood for his offset. Not sure who it is so I won't guess at a name but they live N of Chicago, I just can't remember which Northern Brother it is.

[Saiko]

I mainly use a wood fire in the 'dera, but when I grill and want some smoke flavor I just throw a dry hunk of wood on top of the coals. Back when I used a WSM I also used dry hunks of wood without any soaking.

The only time I would ever soak wood is when using wood chips. If you don't soak chips, they will just ignite and flame out in a few minutes.

When using a wood fire the last thing in the world I would want is wet wood.

[racer_81]

I thought they were the Brothers Meoff? Russian I think?

Anyways - in a Bandera, or a WSM, wet wood is bad in my opinion.

It doesn't add any more smoke flavor - perhaps more visible smoke -
and it takes more energy to ignite, thereby requiring more fuel to
your smoking process.

[BigBelly]

I never soak any of my wood. As Saiko said, if I am grilling and want smoke I grab for a nice dry hunk of wood.

[Solidkick]

If I'm using the electric bullet, then yes, I soak my wood chunks for about 30 minutes to keep them from igniting because they lay right up against the element.

Bandera, dry wood, pre heated on the lid for quick ignition.

[BBQchef33]

If your cookin with all wood, no way.. adding some wet ships in a foil ball to a grill is ok.... but for real BBQ, no wet wood here, no way no how.. Steams, and smolders and makes white smoke

bad.. very bad....

[MrSmoker]

If your cookin with all wood, no way.. adding some wet ships in a foil ball to a grill is ok.... but for real BBQ, no wet wood here, no way no how.. Steams, and smolders and makes white smoke

bad.. very bad....Wet Ships? To much Jack Daniels me thinks.

[Solidkick]

If your cookin with all wood, no way.. adding some wet ships in a foil ball to a grill is ok.... but for real BBQ, no wet wood here, no way no how.. Steams, and smolders and makes white smoke

bad.. very bad....Wet Ships? To much Jack Daniels me thinks.

Phil's been smelling too many whiskey barrels this weekend! :twisted:

[jminion]

You can't increase the moisture level in the wood by soaking to dense, all it does is delay burn point but it produces bad smoke as Phil stated. If grilling a metal box or foil bag of chips does a better job of producing smoke than soaking IMHO.

[Wayne]

With an offset smoker wetting the wood does not do anything. You burn wood and let the pale blue smoke impart the flavor to the food. But if you want to smoke on a grill or in an oven smoker then you need wet wood. In those types of cookers you cook the wood along with the food and let the steam off the wood impart the flavor. Back in my pre-pit days I would use soaked hickory nuts on the coals to give my grilled meat a little smokey flavor. Worked great on super-steaks (slow-low grilled chuck roast).

[CinCity25]

We don't soak up here....used to when we first started (only 'cause we thought we had to) but it's all dry now.

[Bigdog]

I use the soaking issue to determine if the person knows what the fark they are talking about. I think that most of us agree that soaking wood is bad unless you are using gas or electric smokers, and even there, there is a lot of disagrement. Wayne is also correct when he reccomends soaking chips when smoke/grilling on a grill. But only a true smoker knows about the sweet blue.

[kcquer]

. Wayne is also correct when he reccomends soaking chips when smoke/grilling on a grill.

I disagree with soaking chips, at least partially. Might be good when using a Kettle or other charcoal burner. I cooked a lot of half assed Q on my gas grill using chips. After trying a lot of different methods with chips and chunks, I always got best results with dry chips in a foil pouch, with wet chips all you get is steam until the chips dry out, then you get some decent smoke. A piece of HD foil, about the size of and folded like a letter sized file folder works best, easy to reload, releases smoke well and doesn't restrict air so much that you get sooty smoke.
When it gets really cold this winter, I'm gonna try Q'ing on the gas grill again just for kicks. Armed with some knowledge of internal temps and wrapping techniques I think it'll make for some decent eats.

[willkat98]

Might be good when using a Kettle or other charcoal burner


Never

I use the kettle all the time for offset smoking. I'll throw on chunks or chip, it dont matter. let everthing light up on fire, then throw the lid on. Its a little white at first, but if you let it ignite for a few minuutes first, you get good smoke fast.

Chips or chunks, keep it dry

[BBQchef33]

Agree with bill.. kettle still gets dry chips and chunks...

Only time I wet the chips is when using the smoke box on the DCS commercial grill. the smoke box is a stainless steel drawers with a 5K btu burner under it. Even on low, the chips ignite near immediately. After a lot of experimenting, including covering the box with foil to reduce O2, the bet methood was to keep a few lava rocks in the box and cover them with wet chips. They dont steam, but just burn alot slower. the foil idea floopped cause ya cant open and close the drawer without wrecking the foil. the rocks seems to keep air flow down and stops them from igniting and coming in direct contact witht he hot steel.
For charcoal grilling, KC has it.. I jost roll dry chips into foil making a tube and puncture a few holes in the tube. lotsa smoke, no flames and works great.

[parrothead]

Same here. Only soak with chips using the grill. Otherwise it is dry as can be.

[Bigdog]

Same here. Only soak with chips using the grill. Otherwise it is dry as can be.

Thanks Greg. This is what I ment by my statement about soaking chips. I guess that I was not clear. :(

[Bigdog]

Agree with bill.. kettle still gets dry chips and chunks...

Only time I wet the chips is when using the smoke box on the DCS commercial grill. the smoke box is a stainless steel drawers with a 5K btu burner under it. Even on low, the chips ignite near immediately. After a lot of experimenting, including covering the box with foil to reduce O2, the bet methood was to keep a few lava rocks in the box and cover them with wet chips. They dont steam, but just burn alot slower. the foil idea floopped cause ya cant open and close the drawer without wrecking the foil. the rocks seems to keep air flow down and stops them from igniting and coming in direct contact witht he hot steel.
For charcoal grilling, KC has it.. I jost roll dry chips into foil making a tube and puncture a few holes in the tube. lotsa smoke, no flames and works great.

You are correct sir. No need for soaking chips if you wrap them in foil. In fact, that is the only way to use them IMHO if you are smoking. I was trying to say only soak chips if you are grilling and wanted some smoke flavor. There is a guy here in Kansas that has a decent business selling smoking chips in a can. He has about a dozen differnt types. They work great if you are using charcoal, electricity or gas.

[hornbri]

I just throw the wood chunks in, no soaking for me.

[Trout_man22]

Wood cells collapse during the drying process so no amount of soaking will increase the size of cellular cavity. What this means is what you have already stated. The wood gets hot produces steam, wood catches on fire gives off bad smoke, then starts to give good smoke.

What Wayne said about grilling with chips, I do agree with because of the small surface area of the chip the water will raise the grain of the wood causing the wood to burn faster imparting the wood flavor in the grilled food.


Trout

[Heath]

My experience is if you use soaked chips in the grill they kind of steam untill they dry then just burst into flames and burn up as if you put them in there dry to begin with. I bought a stainless steel box and found that it makes much better smoke for grilling.

As far as the bandera, I never soak.