Stop Soaking Wood Chips

The person who grills it is a human, but the person who smokes it seems to be a father. Smoke is the so-called “third leg” of BBQ. It adds flavor, helps to seek out bark, and makes BBQ taste like BBQ. Nearly all smoking tutorials explain that wood chips or chunks should be soaked in water before being tossed into the flame.

i have never done this.

I forgot to soak the wood the first time. my pork shoulder Anyway, without soaking, I was getting pretty crazy and didn’t see a reason to change my ways.I didn’t soak the wood when I smoked this turkey Also this lamb,They were both delicious.

Still, I wondered if I was missing something by not soaking the chips or chunks. Was my smoke too aggressive?Does damp wood give better flavor? To answer these questions, I went to AmazingRibs.comwhich always has the answers to my grilling and smoking queries and musings.

After all, it’s perfectly fine not to soak the wood.According to Meathead, the person was immersed in water, weighed and cross-sectioned. A few pieces of wood – Water will not penetrate hardwood (the kind of wood that is good for smoking).

To see how well water penetrates the wood, three pieces of wood were soaked for 24 hours in a solution of water and blue food coloring. The surface was then rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel. I took a picture of the exterior. Then I cut the wood in half and took a picture of the inside. As you can see in the photo on the top page, the dye has slightly discolored on the surface, and there are mainly pink fluffs from cutting and shaving, and water and dye have penetrated only into cracks. and cracks. The rest of the wood is completely dry.

Then there’s the issue of steam and heat. Wet wood gets very hot. Water boils at 212℉. That means the wood won’t get any hotter until all the steam has escaped. This allows the temperature of the coal to be reduced. If you’ve spent long hours cooking on a charcoal grill, you know that temperature control is important for consistent, reliable results.

Let’s say the surface of a coal or gas jet is 600°F. If the surface of the wood is wet, the wood cannot be heated above the boiling point of water, 212°F, until it turns into steam and evaporates. The wood surface temperature is maintained at 212°F. After the water is driven off, the wood begins to warm up and release gas when the surface reaches a fire point of about 575°F. It can then be burned to produce smoke.

Also, the whole point of putting wood on hot coals (or on a gas grill setup) is to keep that wood burned and release smokeIf you’re worried about the wood “burning too much,” use a small chip and spread it out a bit. (If you know me, you know I’m a big fan charcoal snake For this reason. ) According to Meathead, blue smoke is “the best-tasting smoke” and is “almost invisible, thin, and pale blue. Blue smoke is much better than white, gray, or black.” Blue smoke requires dry wood, hot fire, lots of oxygen and flame.”

I want to say that I was right to be lazy and forgetful. that too. (For at least this one thing, your Mileage may vary in other areas of your life. )