ALL ABOUT WOOD CHIPS

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Wood was probably the first and most important fuel used by man. Our ancestors would keep warm and cook food using the most plentiful fuel around, wood. In many parts of the world they still use wood for heating and cooking. While once plentiful, wood has become more scarce as the worlds population increases and forests decrease at an alarming rate. As a result, costs have gone up.

The ideal method of cooking, with even and consistent temperatures, is to have a second fire located next to your smoke-cooker. This fire is used to burn down your wood for coals, when needed, take a shovel, scoop up the some hot coals and add them to the grill or smoker. This method, insures an even cooking temperature.

Since most people cant get sufficient wood to do this, they  have resorted to using smaller pieces of wood to add the flavour, and use charcoal to create the heat. Many use small wood chips, soak them in water and place them on the fire. As the water evaporates the wood begins to burn slowly, the smoke flavouring from the burning wood flavours the meat.

There are many three different sizes of wood chips.

Large - really too large to be called "chips"; rough cut and about the size of a cricket ball

Medium - again rough cut and about the size of a golf ball.

Small - Shavings, or sawdust.

The large size, as well as creating smoke, they are large enough to create heat. You would not normally soak them in water before use. Simply place one on the fire as needed to keep the source of heat active. You must, however, have a sufficient source of heat already established with your charcoal before using these wood chips.

Of the three, the medium chips are the most common, they are not large enough to be used as a source of heat, however they are sufficient to create the necessary smoke to flavour the meat you are cooking. Soak the pieces of wood for 2 to 4 hours prior to use. After you have created the heat source in the grill or smoker, place a handful of the wood chips on the coals. They will hiss and simmer and as they slowly begin to dry and smoulder, will create the needed smoke. Some people wrap the soaked chips in two layers of aluminium foil and puncture holes in the foil just before you use them. Place the bundle on the fire. The chips will also smoulder and create the smoke needed.

Finally, the small chips are best used for making smoke in your gas grills or smoke cabinet if you have one. These chips are placed in a smoker box or aluminium foil as described above, and the box is then placed over the gas burners. The smoker box is a cast iron box with a removable lid. The lid has several slits in the top for the smoke to escape. The wood chips smoulder inside the box and you generate your smoke! The box can also be used in charcoal grills and smoker. Lift it off to add more wood/coals to the fire.

GETTING WOOD IN THE UK

The most common question I am asked is "where can I get wood in the UK". If you want to go and buy it as wood chips already to use, then you will have to look very hard, from time to time it is available in the UK at a silly price, but I do not know of a constant supply.

There is plenty of wood available in the UK suitable for smoking, Oak is one of the best smoking wood you can get anywhere in the world, Apple is also very good, all of the wood on the list below is available in the UK all you have to do is look for it.

Look in the yellow pages under "firewood" give them a ring and tell them what wood you are looking for, if there are any Apple trees around have a word with the owner and ask them if you can have any wood over 20mm when they prune the tree and tell them what you want it for, most are pleased to help, if you have any managed woods around you, have a word with the owner, or his manager, if you see anybody working in the woods ask them, if you do not ask you do not get.

The best wood to use for smoking should be seasoned (between one and three years old) if its green wood you will have to season it, cut it in to even lengths about 500mm long and stack it up off of the ground, cover the top to keep most of the rain off, do not cover the whole pile as you need plenty of air around it to dry it out, it will be ready to use in about a year.

If you do travel to the US it would be worth getting a large box of Hickory or Pecan chips to bring back,just for a change, as there is no weight limit, just a two case limit with size limitations.

UK WOOD CHART

Wood type	Characteristics	Use with
Alder	Very delicate with a hint of sweetness	Good with fish, pork, poultry,and light-meat game birds.
Apple	Slightly sweet but denser, fruity smoke flavour.	Beef, poultry, game birds, pork (particularly ham).
Ash	Fast burner, light but distinctive flavour.	Good with fish and red meats.
Beech	Medium hard wood good flavour, plentiful in the UK	Good with pork. ham and German style sausages.
Birch	Medium hard wood with a flavour similar to maple.	Good with pork and poultry.
Cherry	Slightly sweet, fruity smoke flavour	Good with all meats.
Chestnut	Slightly sweet nutty smoke flavour, plentiful in the UK	Good with most meats.
Lilac	Very light, subtle with a hint of floral.	Good with seafood and lamb.
Oak	The most popular wood in the UK, Heavy smoke flavour.	Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
Pear	Slightly sweet, woodsy flavour.	Poultry, game birds and pork.
Plum	The flavour is milder and sweeter than hickory	Good with most meats.