How to Use Smoke Woods

How to Use Smoke Woods (from a 5-part grilling guide by Josh Bousel)

Chips vs. Chunks vs. Logs

• Chips – scraps and shavings; ignite quickly but burn out fast. Widely available; short burn time makes them a last resort.
• Chunks – fist-size pieces; the author's choice. Slower to ignite than chips but burn about an hour on a grill and hours in a smoker. Cheap and easy to buy online.
• Logs – full pieces for pit barbecue or offset smokers; not much use for grilling, as they take long to burn down and produce excess smoke.

Types of Wood — always use hardwood; softwoods like pine and cedar create nasty, sooty, potentially dangerous smoke. Pick wood by smokiness level rather than obsessing over subtle flavor:

• Mild – alder and fruitwoods (apple, cherry); mild, slightly sweet/fruity smoke. Best for delicate meats like chicken and fish.
• Medium – oak and hickory. Oak is an all-around go-to; hickory is heavier and stronger, good for larger cuts and any barbecue. Both suit pork and beef.
• Heavy – mesquite, the strongest; the wood of Texas barbecue and brisket. Use sparingly, as it can overpower everything.

Start with one chunk and increase gradually to find your balance; combining woods works too.

Should I soak the wood? Rule of thumb: soak chips, burn everything else dry. Chips need moisture or they ignite and burn out before flavoring the food — soak them fully in water for 30 minutes before use. Chunks don't need soaking; the added water just delays ignition.

Ignition – Like charcoal, hardwood must be ignited and burning properly before adding food. Place wood on hot coals and let it burn until it stops flaming and is producing smoke (near-instant for chips; about 5 minutes for chunks). For grilling, the best results come from burning just enough wood over charcoal for control of both heat and smoke.

The Smoke Ring – a pink discoloration at the meat's surface, often mistaken for undercooking. During long smoking, nitrogen dioxide from wood combustion reacts with the meat's moisture to form nitric acid, causing the pink ring. It's a sign of proper barbecue — something to brag about, not fear. Happy grilling!