<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBest Wood Chips for Smoking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Which wood chips give you the best flavor will depend on what you are smoking, as well as what type of wood you like best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m a big fan of oak. It’s a classic smoking wood, and it’s used extensively in Texas. Besides oak, hickory is another of my go-to’s. Both these woods infuse meats with a rich, sweet, woody flavor. They get you a show-stopping smoke ring, too. If I’m smoking brisket, pulled pork, or ribs, I’m probably using hickory or oak.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFruitwood chips are great with poultry and fish. Give apple, pecan, or another wood chip a try sometime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not use pine to smoke any meat or other food. <\/strong>It’s wet, full of sap, and will produce terrible smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Much Wood Chips to Use When Smoking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n I use a handful of wood chips and 3 or 4 chunks, depending on my cooker.<\/strong> With electric smokers, simply fill the chip tray mostly full. Depending on your smoker, you’ll probably have to refill it. Check the tray every hour or so and refill it as necessary. You should get a good handle on how quickly your grill is burning through wood chips after a few cooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’re using a foil pouch or smoking tube, check that every couple of hours and refill if and when necessary. In my experience, these smoking methods should last for the entire cook. Your mileage may vary!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nRemember, cooking at higher temperatures will burn through wood chips faster. <\/strong>Keep track of that tray!<\/p>\n\n\n\nI Don’t Soak Wood Chips for Other Grills or Smokers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n I don’t soak wood chips anymore, and that is not limited to electric smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charcoal smokers, gas grills, bullet smokers, you name it. If I’m smoking wood on it, the wood is not getting a bath first.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Long to Soak Wood Chips for an Electric Smoker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Soak your wood chips prior to cooking for at least half an hour. <\/strong>Just because I don’t use water-soaked wood chips in my smoker box doesn’t mean you can’t. Again, I used to soak the wood chips. That’s what all the cookbooks and the internet were teaching at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHere’s how I would soak wood chips: I’d grab a large bowl and fill it with water. Then I’d start adding wood chips until I had enough in there for my cook. A couple of handfuls of soaked chips usually did the trick, although how many wood chips you’ll need to soak will depend on your electric smoker. <\/strong>Some electric smokers are wood guzzlers. If that’s you, soak more wood chips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhat is Good to Soak Wood Chips in for an Electric Smoker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Again, I don’t think you should soak wood chips. <\/strong>That said, opinions differ – not everyone agrees with me. If you’re determined to soak those wood chips for outdoor cooking, it’s a free country!<\/p>\n\n\n\nSome popular liquids to soak wood chips in include hot water, apple juice, fruit juice, and beer. Other liquids that are flavorful can be used, too. BBQ enthusiasts who soak wood chips for an electric smoker in these liquids argue that it adds a richer flavor. While I think this is a waste of perfectly good apple juice, feel free to experiment and find the technique that works best for your electric smoker.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCan I Reuse Soaked Wood Chips?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Yes, soaked wood chunks or chips can be reused. Let them cool down completely before attempting to handle them. Then remove them from the chip tray, tin foil, or smoking tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unburned chips can be returned to the bag you store your wood chips in. You can resoak them, if desired, or just burn them dry like me. The choice is yours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrapping It Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Again, I do not add wet wood chips to my electric smoker. <\/strong>While it’s not the end of the world, I don’t think there are any advantages to soaking wood chips. But there are drawbacks, including a longer cooking time and food that doesn’t taste as smoky. Trust me. You want to maximize that good, smoky flavor on your electric smoker.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI hope this article cleared things up for you. Soaked wood chips aren’t bad. They just aren’t optimal.<\/strong> And in BBQ, we want to use every trick up our sleeves to crank out the most delicious food we can. Dry wood chips or wood chunks are one “trick” that I use every time I fire up my electric smoker. Happy grilling!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I do not soak wood chips for an electric smoker (or any other type of smoker). I don’t soak wood chunks, either. Soaking chips or chunks wastes your time by adding moisture to your cook, making it longer to complete. Wet wood chips also take longer to start producing smoke. Soak your chips, and you’ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":20971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20961"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21360,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20961\/revisions\/21360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20961"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=20961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}