Homemade hickory for the smoker...advice.

Slacker

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I have some super dry shagbark hickory for my wood stove. Found a small stainless box to put chips in on the grill, then saw the price of chips!

Anyway, I sliced up a few chunks of firewood.
The plan is to soak in water, then out in the stainless (vented) box then put on the heat to make smoke.
This will be attempted on a propane grill.

Please give me some wisdom on what to cook and how to do it. I figured to use one side of the grill to make smoke and leave the other side off. Letting the low indirect heat deal with the meat.

Thoughts?

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I buy my hickory chips at Walmart for my smoker. They are reasonably priced and work well. I tried soaking them but found the wet chips didn’t create enough smoke to actually flavor the food.
When smoking I usually start out with about 2 cups of dry chips and add a handful every 2-3 hours. I stop adding chips after about 7 hours.
 
I’ve tried similar on a gas grill & it didn’t work. Without a separate fire/smoke box, proper cooking temp is way too low to get the wood smoking.
 
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My Weber gas grill has a seperate smoke box for chips and a burner dedicated to it. It ain't a smoker but does OK adding a little smoky flavor to grilled meats. I cook on my charcoal grill more than anything. The smoke box does do a decent job with smoked appetizers you are really just warming up like smoked cream cheese.
 
Slacker said:
Using both sides (separate burners)?
Click to expand...
Yep. Even on a 3 burner. If you got the one side hot enough to smoke, the temp inside the entire grill would be way too hot for smoking. I tried it with deer jerky & at cooking/smoking temps, the wood just doesn't get hot enough. If there were a way to maybe put some chips in a tinfoil envelope & get 'em right down on the flame, it might work, but otherwise, no love.
 
Crazy Carl said:
Yep. Even on a 3 burner. If you got the one side hot enough to smoke, the temp inside the entire grill would be way too hot for smoking. I tried it with deer jerky & at cooking/smoking temps, the wood just doesn't get hot enough. If there were a way to maybe put some chips in a tinfoil envelope & get 'em right down on the flame, it might work, but otherwise, no love.
Click to expand...

Damn.
The interwebs would lead me to believe it's easy peazy. Maybe they are using a giant grill.
 
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Personally, I use this:
Amazon product ASIN B094QX45JJand use pellets. That gives me consistent burning. If you grind your wood up fine, something like that could work well, so you're only burning a little of the wood at a time, make the wood last longer during the smoking. Fill the small one up, set on fire with a torch. Let burn for about 5 minutes to get going, then blow out the flame. It'll be hot enough to keep smoking everything. At least, that's how it works with pellets. Might be the same with wood.
 
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I use an old Brinkman (10 years old +) electric smoker with a small metal chip box (chips soaked). Place chips in box, set on coils, add meat, cover, plug in, walk away. Temp goes to 225 and stays there. All my friends have all these new fancy grills and pellet smokers and they are always screwing around with them and generally messing up their food. I smoke hams, turkeys, brisket, fish, never had a problem. I prefer pecan for everything but fish, when I use alder. With my setup, smoking is way easy with no mess. I still have some pecan from a tree that was blown over by a storm. I also have some apple from my trees. Always remove the bark. but I figure most of you know that. ;)
 
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I do it in a weber kettle alot but its charcoal and usually while grilling but have done it in my drum smoker as well with hickory or
Apple. Just cut a chunk about half to 1/3 size of block to right of your table saw blade. Worst case it burns up fast. I have tried soaking it and without and cannot tell much difference in burn time as it doesnt seem to take up much water once its already dried down but still gives good flavor.
 
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