Adding More Wood During a Smoke

Smoke is an individual taste sensation. If the finished result needed more, do what you're thinking and add more next time.

As some point, around 140 (but I've no proof of that temp, yet) the smoke won't penetrate. You WILL continue to get wood flavor on the outside (but it could also turn dark/nasty) if too much.

Experiment and let us know what you think.

Smokin'

How did you know all the wood had burned through already halfway through? Sometimes it is clear and does not look like smoke or is barely visible and looks more like water vapor coming out. That is the good clean smoke.

I added more wood to a brisket once. I'll never do it again. And I like a lot of smoke flavor. The result was a bitter, overpowering smoke flavor. Now I just add more wood up front.

I added more wood at the halfway point of a packer cut brisket once and it was a bad idea. The result was a very bitter overpowering taste. I like smoke taste, but this was way too strong. I have never done that again. The great thing about Q...you constantly learn from your mistakes on your way toward perfection.

This thread has me thinking my method is not correct. This is what I do, (on my old smoker that I just replaced). I'll place maybe 40-50 briquets in the fire box and once those get going and are turning ashy, I place two or three peices of Mesquite on the fire. The temp usually climbs up to around 230F and will maintain for a couple of hours. Once the temp begins to slowly drop, I'll throw another piece or two on the fire to bring it back up. My briskets are definetly dark dark dark on the outside, but not bitter tasting, (very smoky, but not bitter). It sounds like you guys are saying one should prepare the fire with enough material for the entire burn, and not place any additional wood on it at all during the smoke? If this is the case, I guess I'd need to build one heck of a big fire up front then, huh?

Hendu, are you talking about using a CookShack smoker? We most times put 2-3 oz. of wood chunks in the woodbox and it does the entire cook. The electric heating element causes the wood to smoke and provides the cook temp.

gotcha. I'm not using a "cookshack" smoker. It's and OKJ "Longhorn" smoker.