I found an old bag of mesquite wood chips that I'd like to use up. I read that some people that use wood chips rather than chunks wrap a clump of chips with foil and poke holes in the foil, so the chips don't burn up too quickly.
I've tried foiling the chips a couple times, but then the chips didn't burn all the way down during the smoking sessions, like they would if they weren't foiled.
Now I'm just considering putting the chips loose in the firebox. Granted, they'll burn quickly, but is there any disadvantage to meat absorbing the same amount of smoke quickly, as opposed to spreading it out?
In other words, would I taste a difference if I had a brisket absorb smoke over a 3 hour period vs. absorbing the same total amount of smoke faster, over a 1.5 hour period?
If there is a disadvantage to the wood chips burning up quickly, anyone have any ideas as to how best to use wood chips in a smoker?
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