I had an interesting question from Tim the other day; He wanted to
know about smoke. More specifically, what type of smoke is best and how
to build the right fire to produce it.
Everyone knows that
different woods produce different flavor profiles, but the type of smoke
that comes off these woods is really what is important.
If
you’ve been around BBQ enough, you’re sure to have heard about “Thin
Blue Smoke”… and this is what you want to achieve every time you cook
BBQ.
What is Thin Blue Smoke?
Thin
Blue Smoke is the byproduct of clean-burning wood – at just the right
temperature – and it’s packed with pure “smoky” flavors.
Too
much wood will produce a thick, white smoke. If you’ve got this smoke,
your bed of coals isn’t hot enough for the amount of wood and it chokes
out your coals… There is too much carbon in a thick, white smoke and it
produces a harsh, bitter taste on your meat.
Coming out of my stacks, I want to see a trace of thin, blue smoke that has a great aroma and isn’t too heavy.
How to get the right smoke
A little smoke goes a long way, especially if you’re using a strong
wood like Hickory or Oak. Fruit woods produce a milder, sweet smoke but
you still can overpower the fire with too much wood.
Knowing how to build the
fire is the key to producing the right smoke.
First you have to
start with a good bed of hot coals. I use a natural charcoal to provide
the heat for the cooker. I get these “first layer” coals hot and
basically burn them off before I add any wood.
Getting My Coals Right Before Putting On The Wood
Next, I place on just a few chunks of whatever wood I am
cooking with. At a contest, I will almost always use fruit woods… apple
and cherry are my favorites at the moment. But you can use whatever wood
you prefer.
The wood will immediately start smoking when you
place them on the hot coals… as long as you don’t over-load your fire
box. When you overload, you’re going to get the thick, white smoke – and
that’s not what you’re aiming for.
Some people will soak
there wood in water before putting it on the coals to give it a longer
burn, and I’ve done that before myself. But I really don’t think it’s
necessary if your coal bed is the right temperature.
If you using a stick-burner type smoker,
you have to address your fire a little differently. You should always
burn your wood down to create the coal bed. Always remember that this is
where your
cooker is getting its heat. The fresh sticks you add on top are where
you’re getting your smoke and smoky flavor… and that should only be
added a little at a time.
With any smoker, as your “smoke” wood burns down they become part of your “heat source”. And this is when you add fresh wood.
Wood Burned Down and Now Part Of My Heat Source
Differentiating between heat source and flavor source is the key… with any type of smoker you are using.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten came from Mike Mills. He preaches that
you need to learn how to control your cooking temperature first before
you ever worry about producing smoke – regardless of the pit you are
using… that and a little smoke goes a long way.
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