To obtain your favorite smoke flavor, experiment by using chunks,
sticks or chips of flavor producing wood such as hickory, pecan, apple,
cherry, or mesquite. Most fruit or nut tree wood may be used for
smoke flavoring. Do not use resinous wood such as pine as it will
produce an unpleasant taste.
Wood chunks or sticks 3" to 4" long and 1" to 2" thick work best.
Unless the wood is still green, soak the wood in water for 30 minutes
or wrap each piece in foil and tear several small holes in the foil to
produce more smoke and prevent the wood from burning too quickly.
A lot of wood is not required to obtain a good smoke flavor. A
recommended amount for the Vertical Smoker is 5 to 6 wood chunks
or sticks. Experiment by using more wood for stronger smoke flavor
or less wood for milder smoke flavor.
Additional flavoring wood should not have to be added during the
cooking process. However, it may be necessary when cooking very
large pieces of food. Follow instructions and cautions in the “Adding
Charcoal/Wood During Cooking” section of this manual to avoid injury
while adding wood.
Flavoring Wood
11
Regulating Heat
To maintain or increase temperature, more wood and/or charcoal may
need to be added during the cooking cycle. Follow instructions in
“Adding Charcoal/Wood During Cooking” section of this manual.
NOTE:
Dry wood burns hotter than charcoal, so you may want to
increase the ratio of wood to charcoal to increase the cooking
temperature. Hardwood such as oak, hickory, mesquite, fruit and
nut wood are an excellent fuel because of their burning rate.
When using wood as fuel, make sure the wood is seasoned and
dry. DO NOT use resinous wood such as pine as it will produce
an unpleasant taste.
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