ON A PROPANE SMOKER DO I ADD WOOD ONCE OR TWICE ON A 5 HOUR CYCLE OR DO I ADD WOOD TO KEEP IT SMOKING FOR THE FIVE HOUR CYCLE? HEAT APPOX 225 TO 250 DEGRESS.
How Many Additions of Wood Chips in 5 hours? by: Bill
When you're smoking ribs, chickens or whatever else you go going for 5 hours, usually just one refilling of the wood chip pan is plenty. It's important that most of the smoke is created during the initial stages of smoking the meat, because when the meat is at a lower temperature, it will absorb smoke flavor better. After the surface becomes closer to "done" temperature (some say around 140 degrees), the additional smoke doesn't absorb inward, but it will give the surface a smokier taste.
A full pan of soaked woodchips should give off smoke for 1 to 1.5 hours, which will depend on the amount of heat under the chipbox, and the type and moistness of the woodchips. When the initial chips quit smoking, dump out the embers and refill with more chips.
Try it that way, and if it's not smoky enough for your tastes, refill the chipbox a second time next time you smoke.
The type of wood used will have some bearing on how many refills you'll want to use, too. If you're using something light flavored, like alder, more additions might be necessary to get the flavor you're shooting for. With something stronger, like hickory or mesquite, that initial filling of woodchips might be enough for you.
One other thing to consider is that your tastebuds will tell you, after getting some experience, just how much smoker wood to use to get the flavor you want.
