Be sure to soak wood chips in water for 30 − 60 minutes
before putting on the grill.
When using gas grills it’s best to put presoaked wood chips
in a
smoker box or wrap them in a piece of aluminum foil with a
lot of
holes in it. This keeps your grill from filling up with ash
and clogging
the jets. If you are using a charcoal grill or smoker then
you can
just put the wood directly on the coals (once they’ve heated
up).
If you haven’t used wood before, start small. Use a 1/4 cup
of
presoaked chips on your grill and see what is does for you.
One of
the great things about barbecue is the wide variety of
experimentation
available to the backyard cook. Wood is a great tool so
don’t be
afraid to use it.
You can make a homemade smoker box by using a tin can. Poke
some holes in the can, then open the lid not quite all the
way and
fill with wood chips that have been soaked in water for an
hour.
Position the can on the coals before grilling. Wait a little
bit until
the wood starts smoking, and commence with grilling.