# wood chunks @ chips wet or dry



## mudduck (Jan 14, 2010)

i have GOSM do the chips @ chunks need to be wet or dry
and do they need to be cover
i a'm trying a 9x9 metal cake pan for a wood box cover with tin foil
and punch holes in the tin foil 
thanks for any help
this site rocks 
i'm new here


----------



## solaryellow (Jan 14, 2010)

Who is going to get banned this time? 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






This can be a controversial topic mudduck. I do not soak my chips and haven't in quite some time as I didn't notice any real benefit. I would recommend trying it both ways and then go with the method you like best. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to personal preference.


----------



## rbranstner (Jan 14, 2010)

Yea the "soak or not to soak" topic has been a hot one lately. I have done both and I don't see any benifit either way. I do however use both chunks and chip of wood when I smoke in my propane smoker. The chips will give me some nice quick smoke and then the chunks will last longer so you aren't filling your chip pan all the time. That is what I have found works best for me. No on my UDS I don't know I am going to experiment with that for the first time this weekend.


----------



## the dude abides (Jan 14, 2010)

I'm staying out of the reasons why, but I do NOT soak.  I used to, but do not anymore


----------



## mudduck (Jan 14, 2010)

do you guys cover your wood pan


----------



## nwdave (Jan 14, 2010)

Like everyone has said, it's a matter of personal choice. I will give you my observations and you can take them for what they're worth. 

I have a GOSM and have been using it heavily for 8-9 years (it could even be longer, it's a ********* getting old and forgetful). I've done wet/dry both ways and pretty much have settled down to: if I'm GRILLING (propane) and it's something I want to hit with a dash of smoke, I use chips in a pouch and I'll wet them down, mostly because a grill usually operates at a much higher temperature, the chips will ignite sooner, and then ya gotta replace them more frequently. Now, when I'm SMOKING in the GOSM, I don't soak. The smoker is going to be running somewhere in the neighborhood of 225-250 (I hope). Much lower than the grill. I will mix chips and chunks. Chips to get the smoke started then the chunks take off (gently, of course), sustaining the smoke for awhile. Remember, you're looking for THIN smoke, not the heavy, rolling out all the sides kinda smoke. 

Since joining this site about a month ago, I've also changed some other practices regarding the smoke box. It's impressive and sure does a swell job of doing it's job BUT I saw it mentioned that a few people will dump those ackward to handle while hot boxes in favor of a cast iron skillet, sized to fit the smoke box rack. I changed over and it's been one of the best changes I've made. I don't worry about a cover because I've got a water pan above the skillet that protects it from grease droppings. I don't have to worry about the chunks fitting into the skillet now. And I've got a handle to grab when it's time to add some more wood. Makes for a faster changeout/add.

Well, there it is. It's what I do. I'm happy with it and it definitely helps do the other part of the smoking meat thing a lot easier.

Others have their own take on how to handle this situation and that's great. As long as the meat comes out the way you want it and you're comfortable with how you got there, it's all good.

Have you gone through Jeff's Course yet? If not, you ought to take a look at what he's got going. It's a good starting point. Welcome aboard.


----------



## mudduck (Jan 14, 2010)

thanks for the help guys
yes read the course and it help me alot


----------



## pineywoods (Jan 14, 2010)

My suggestion is to use some dry then use some soaked then since your pan is big enough use some soaked on one side and some dry on the other side in the pan. Then figure out which way you like the best as you'll find lots of different opinions


----------



## slareau (Jan 14, 2010)

I don't soak in my BB GOSM.  I'm still using the stock cast iron pan and it takes too long to start smoking if I soak chunks.  I do try to use a mixture of 70/30 chunks to chips, or in reality, fill it with chunks and fill in the gaps with chips.  The chips start smoking much faster than the chunks.  Soaking some of the chunks and not the others is an interesting idea though, in theory I guess it would stretch out the life of the wood in the box, then again, you would just be getting the same amount of total smoke over a longer period of time.  I prefer more smoke, so I rather just keep adding as much wood as I can.  

Like it was mentioned above, different things work for different people so just try some different approaches and see what works best for you.


----------



## brohnson (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks a lot for the info, I found this thread to be very helpful to me.


----------

