Many people who are new to smoking meats often wonder how to use wood chips in an electric smoker. While it may seem daunting at first, it’s actually quite simple!
In this blog post, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about using wood chips in an electric smoker.
You can also check our articles on How to Make Masterbuilt Smoker Pork Butt, How to Make Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey, How to Make Smoked Chicken Quarters.
How to Use Wood Chips in an Electric Smoker?
Using wood chips in an electric smoker is easy! Simply place your wood chips in the wood chip tray or smoker box, set the temperature, and let the smoker do its work.
We recommend starting with milder wood for your first few smoked meats. Once you’ve gotten a feel for smoking meats, you can experiment with different woods and find the flavors that you like best.
Should you Soak your Wood Chips?
Now that you know how to use wood chips in an electric smoker, you might be wondering if you should soak your wood chips before smoking. The answer is that it depends!
Soaking your wood chips can help to prevent them from burning up too quickly, which can give your smoked meats a bitter flavor. However, soaking your wood chips can also leach out some of the flavors, so it’s really up to you to decide whether or not to soak them.
PROS of Soaking Wood Chips
1. Helps to prevent bitterness
2. Can make the smoking process easier
3. Can add more flavor to your smoked meats
4. Gives you more control over the smoking process
CONS of Soaking Wood Chips
1. Can leach out the flavor
2. It takes longer than not soaking
3. Can make the smoking process more difficult
4. Requires more planning ahead
Best Wood Chips for Electric Smokers
Now that you know how to use wood chips in an electric smoker and whether or not to soak them, it’s time to choose the right wood chips for your next smoke. Here are some of our favorite woods for smoking:
Applewood Chips
Applewood has a fruity flavor that pairs well with pork and poultry. If you’re smoking a pork loin or chicken breasts, applewood chips are a great option.
Hickory Wood Chips
Hickory is a strong-flavored wood that’s commonly used in barbecue smoking. If you’re looking for a chip that will give your food a real-smoke flavor, hickory is a good choice. Just be careful not to use too much, as hickory can easily overpower other flavors.
Maple Wood Chips
Maple wood chips give food a sweet, subtle flavor. They’re great for smoking salmon or other fish, as well as pork and poultry.
Mesquite Wood Chips
Mesquite has a strong, distinct flavor that’s popular in Texas-style barbecue. It pairs well with beef, pork, and poultry.
Oak Wood Chips
Oak is a versatile wood that can be used for smoking just about anything. It has a milder flavor than some of the other options on this list, so it’s a good choice if you’re new to smoking or if you’re looking for a more subtle smoke flavor.
Pecan Wood Chips
Pecan wood chips have a mild, nutty flavor that’s similar to mesquite. They pair well with beef, pork, poultry, and fish. Pecan chips are also great for smoking cheese.
Peach Wood Chips
Peach wood chips have a sweet, fruity flavor that pairs well with poultry and pork. If you’re looking for a chip that will give your food a slightly sweet flavor, peach is a good choice.
Cherry Wood Chips
Cherry wood chips give food a sweet and tart flavor profile. They work well with pork, poultry, and fish. Cherry chips also pair nicely with fruit pies or cobblers for dessert.
Alder Smoking Wood Chips
Alder is often used for smoking fish because it imparts a delicate flavor without being overpowering. It also works well with poultry and pork.
Orange Wood Chips
Orange wood chips give food a citrusy flavor profile that pairs well with chicken and fish dishes. You can also use orange wood chips to add zest to desserts like pies or cobblers.
Top 7 Best Brand Wood Chips for Electric Smoker
1. Camerons Oak, Cherry, Hickory, and Alder
These Camerons smoking chips are a great option if you’re looking for quality wood chips at a reasonable price. The set includes four different kinds of wood chips – oak, cherry, hickory, and alder – so you can experiment with different flavors.
2. WESTERN 80485 BBQ Smoking Chips
These Western smoking chips are made from 100% natural hardwood. They’re available in Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Cherry, and Pecan flavors.
3. Smokehouse Products Assorted Flavor Chips
These Smokehouse Products wood chips come in a variety of flavors, including Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Cherry, Maple, and Oak.
4. Western Premium BBQ Products Peach BBQ
These Western Premium BBQ peach wood chips are perfect if you’re looking to add a little sweetness to your smoke flavor. They’re made from 100% natural peach wood and contain no fillers or additives.
5. Weber Hickory Wood Chunks, 350 Cubic Inch
These Weber hickory chunks are a good choice if you want large pieces of wood that will last longer than smaller chips or shavings. They come in a 350 cubic inch bag and are made from 100% natural hickory wood.
6. Oklahoma Joe’s Cherry Wood Smoker Chips
These Oklahoma Joe’s cherry smoker chips are made from 100% natural cherry wood. They add a tart and fruity flavor to smoked foods.
7. GrillPro Smoker Wood Chips
These GrillPro smoker chips are an affordable option if you’re looking for quality wood chips. They’re available in Hickory, Mesquite, Applewood, and Cherry flavors.
How Often to Add Wood Chips to an Electric Smoker?
You’ll need to add wood chips to your electric smoker every time you use it. The amount of chips you’ll need will depend on a few factors. Here are a few of them:
What are you Cooking?
One of the first things you need to consider when deciding how often to add wood chips is what type of food you’re cooking.
If you’re smoking something that takes a long time to cook, like a brisket, then you’ll need to add wood chips more often than if you’re smoking something like chicken breasts. This is because longer-cooking items will absorb more smoke flavor than shorter-cooking items.
How Smoky Do you Like your Food?
In addition to considering what type of food you’re cooking, you also need to think about how smoky you want your final product to be. If you want a really smoky flavor, then you’ll need to add wood chips more often than if you only want a light smoke flavor.
It’s all up to personal preference. Just keep in mind that it’s always easier to add more smoke flavor than it is to take it away.
A Lot Will Depend on the Model of your Smoker
Another thing that will affect how often you need to add wood chips is the model of the smoker that you have. Some smokers are more efficient at burning wood chips than others.
If you have an older model smoker, then chances are you’ll need to add wood chips more often than if you have a newer model smoker. This is something that’s definitely worth keeping in mind when deciding how often to add wood chips.
Some Notes on Topping Up with Wood Chips
Now that you know how often to add wood chips to your electric smoker, there are a few things you should keep in mind when topping up.
First, always make sure that you add wood chips to the smoker when it’s already at temperature. If you add wood chips when the smoker is cold, then they’ll only smolder and produce a lot of smoke without adding any flavor.
Second, always use gloves when handling wood chips. They can be sharp, and it’s easy to cut yourself on them.
Third, when adding wood chips to the smoker, always put them on the side with the heating element. This will ensure that they get evenly heated and produce a consistent amount of smoke.
Fourth, never add too many wood chips at once. If you add too many, then they’ll smolder and produce too much smoke. This can cause your food to taste bitter and burnt.
And last, always make sure that there’s enough airflow to the smoker. If there’s not enough airflow, then the wood chips won’t burn properly, and you won’t get any flavor from them.
Upgrade your Chip Tray
If you find that you’re adding wood chips to your smoker more often than you’d like, then you might want to upgrade your chip tray.
Most electric smokers come with a small chip tray that’s only big enough to hold a few handfuls of chips. This is fine if you’re only smoking for a short period of time, but if you’re smoking for longer periods of time, then you’ll need a bigger chip tray. Here we have some advantages of upgrading your chip tray.
Longer Smoking Times
One of the main benefits of upgrading your chip tray is that it can extend your smoking time. If you’re using an inferior-quality chip tray, then you likely have to refill it more often, which means more interrupted smoking sessions.
Better Flavor
Another reason to upgrade your chip tray is for better flavor. If you’re using a low-quality chip tray, then chances are the chips are burning up too quickly and not giving off enough smoke. This results in uneven smoking and an inferior flavor.
Improved Efficiency
Finally, upgrading your chip tray can also improve the efficiency of your smoker. If you’re constantly having to stop and refill your chip tray, then it’s going to cut into the efficiency of your smoking process.
By using a high-capacity chip tray, you can smoke more efficiently and get the most out of each session.
Conclusion
Wood chips are a great way to add flavor to your food. And by following the tips in this article, you can make sure that you’re adding them at the perfect time to get the best flavor. So, next time you smoke some food, remember to keep these tips in mind.
And don’t forget to upgrade your chip tray if you find that you constantly have to refill it. A high-quality, long-lasting chip tray will save you time and effort in the long run.