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How long should wood burn for/smoke keep smoking?

FM Former Member
I got my new Amerique and have been messing with it. The first thing I did was season it for 6 hours. I then did some jerky which did not come out that great. It pretty much boiled the meat instead of smoke it. I plan on trying this again experimenting with some of the members on here tricks, only using a pound of meat at a time so I don't ruin 6 lbs of meat this time.

The next thing I did was a tri tip which I think I actually oversmoked. I smoked it in the amerique for about an hour and a half, then threw it on the charbroiler of my pg1000 for 15 mins or so until it reach my desired IT. It came out with an OK texture but it just tasted oversmoked with mesquite..lesson learned...haha

I then did some St. Louis style spareribs that I bought from our local grocery store. I did not have time to season them so I bought the preseasoned ribs. Put them in for 4 hours on 225 with about 2.75 ounces of hickory. Took them out and put them in foil with BBQ sauce. Put them back in for another hour at 250. They came out pretty good but did not have a ton of smoke flavor.

One thing that I notice about all of my cooks so far is that the wood seems to be burning up too quick. It will smoke for about 30-45 minutes(I will have to get an exact time next time) and then the smoke is gone. It just cooks after that.

Is this normal or should it be having smoke for longer?
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FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by BBQnCali:
...

One thing that I notice about all of my cooks so far is that the wood seems to be burning up too quick. It will smoke for about 30-45 minutes(I will have to get an exact time next time) and then the smoke is gone. It just cooks after that.

Is this normal or should it be having smoke for longer?


One thing to note. Just because the smoke disappears doesn't mean it's not smoking.

KEY thing to focus on is smoke taste, not how much smoke you see. In actuality, there are two parts to smoke. Gray/white some is not the best because what you are seeing are the impurities burning off. After that you'll get clear/blue smoke which is the best for BBQ.

That's why you should never soak your wood, leads to white smoke.

Concentrate on how it tastes, not how much you see.

I would also weigh it to be consistent.

And food may taste like it has more smoke on the next day.
M maxqMember
Verify that your heat elements are making direct contact with the bottom of the wood pan. They should be just touching the bottom.

Woods smoke - initially, you'll see white smoke billowing out of the top vent. This normally lasts about 30 - 60 minutes...consistant with what you've described. The white smoke changes over to a thin blue smoke and lasts several hours, depending on the size of the wood chunks. Blue smoke does impart smoke flavor. Use the find feature and look up white & blue smoke for more discussion on the subject.

Jerky - I've never smoked any...not a huge jerky fan. Sounds as though your meat was too thick or your heat was too high. Perhaps a jerky fan can better advise you.

Tri-tip - Mesquite is very potent in flavor. Sounds as though you used too much. Perhaps try Oak next time?

SL Ribs - hard to say. Maybe the paper skin was left on, maybe the seasoning and the duration in CryOVac blocked the pores. Once you foil meat, smoke no longer penetrates.

Check the wood pieces after a smoking session. They should be grey and crumble easily. A hard, black wood chunk wasn't receiving enough heat transfer.
FM Former Member
Thanks guys.

I do weigh out the wood on a scale each time I use it. I have been experimenting with different weights.

Not sure what happened on the jerky but I will try that again..trial and error until I get it right, just not with 6lbs of jerky this time..lol

Not sure about the ribs either. I am actually not a big fan of foiling but I still thought the texture was not done at the 4 hour mark. I also think that they did not take the membrane off. I bought some Rib Tickler that I will try next time around. I used the Head Country BBQ sauce to finish them off in the foil for the last hour.

As far as the wood, I have checked it an hour into the cook just to see and found that both chunks were already completely ash only an hour into the cook at 225. Does this seem right?
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by BBQnCali:
..

As far as the wood, I have checked it an hour into the cook just to see and found that both chunks were already completely ash only an hour into the cook at 225. Does this seem right?


So, how did it taste? That's the key. If it's taste great, then yes, that's enough wood. If you think it wasn't just add some more (at the beginning preferrably).

Meat only takes on smoke (penetration) for a small period of time but smoke will continue to adhere to the outside as long as smoke is present. That's where people that add too much wood get the "creosote" taste, from too much smoke and it leaves a bitterness/acidic taste on the outside.

You CAN add wood after the smoker has burned up that first batch but be warned everything is very hot. Also, when you open the door, you will lose heat and thus extend your cooking time.

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