Whisky soaked Oak wood

[Thunderbird30]

I certainly do! How much would you like and of what type? Macallan or Benriach?

[Thunderbird30]

I do have some left. What type would you like? I'll be able to post it in the New Year

[Browser]

I'd like a kilo of the Macallan please. PM sent

[Thunderbird30]

i've sent you the details

[Thunderbird30]

I've just had another load of the wood chunks delivered. If anyone is interested,please PM me

[Browser]

Received mine this weekend, if the product from the UDS/Weber smells anything like as fine as the wood chips do I'll be in sweet blue heaven

[SmokerRH]

What meats have you smoked with this?

[Thunderbird30]

So far I've done Salmon,Rainbow Trout ,Pork Shoulder,pork ribs and Turkey

[SmokerRH]

How was the Pork Shoulder?

Do you need to soak these chips/small chunks before adding to the coals?

[Thunderbird30]

To soak or not to soak-That is the question!

Personally I don't soak them as I don't want to lose the whisky smell by diluting it,but the real reason I don't soak any wood beforehand is this:

I once soaked the wood chunks overnight, they gained about 3% by weight. Chips gained about 6%. I cut the chunks in half and penetration was only about 1/16" (or just under 2 mm if metric is your thing).

That must be why they make boats out of wood! Wood doesn't absorb much water. If you put wet wood on a hot grill, the small amount of water just below the surface will evaporate rapidly, negating any effect of soaking. On charcoal, the wet wood cools off the coals when it is important to hold the coals at a steady temp.

If you want to make your wood last longer without bursting into flames, then I would use a tinfoil pouch or smoker box.Another good tip is to keep the lid on of your smoker/bbq. That's good practice anyway to stop that precious heat and smoke inside the cooker (and to stop it looking as if you are sending smoke signals! )