[Smokin Ken]

Do you use lump charcoal in combination with your wood for smoking, or do you just light some big logs and call it good? Also how many people actually soak the wood before smoking?

My neighbor who unfortunately smokes more often than I do uses straight pecan wood. No charcoal, and without soaking the wood. Just wondering if that's becoming the norm or what.

Ken

[tbonejc]

I use charcoal and I soak my wood chips.  I soak my wood because I only have a couple small vertical smokers.  If I had an offset I wood still use charcoal but use wood chunks and not soak them.  If I had a bigger rig I would probably just use the logs.  I guess,for me, it depends on the smoker.

[azkitch]

What tbone said, pretty much. I'm using a UDS, sometimes lump charcoal, sometimes briquettes always dry wood chunks. Even in the Weber. I have a Brinkmann Smoke n Pit professional, and when I was using that, it also was lump or briquettes with dry wood chunks. Bigger smokers get fires started with charcoal, then to straight wood, or start with straight wood and the propane starter...YMMV

And of course, the bottom line is the flavor of the final product!

[Crash]

We always use Kingsford Blue for heat and only use chunks of wood for smoke, never soaked.

[AZWildcat]

We always use Kingsford Blue for heat and only use chunks of wood for smoke, never soaked.

Ditto

[Mark]

In my ceramic cookers, I either use straight mesquite lump for beef and chicken or briquets with dry sticks of fruitwood tossed on for smoke on butts and ribs.

[mustang]

In my ceramic cookers, I either use straight mesquite lump for beef and chicken or briquets with dry sticks of fruitwood tossed on for smoke on butts and ribs.

Are you talking about "hot and fast" with mesquite for beef and chicken?  That works for me also, but if I'm going "low and slow" I don't use mesquite -- it's not that great for long cooks, IMHO.

[Mark]

Yeah. Just for hot & fast. I cook spatchcocked chickens El Pollo Loco style.

[AzQer]

We always use Kingsford Blue for heat and only use chunks of wood for smoke, never soaked.

We do the same thing and so far have had very good results

[bearbonez]

As said before. I think the main deciding factor is what type of smoker. I have a fair sized 1/4" steel gator pit that has  horizontal and vertical chambers. I have used charcoal with much difficulty at times, even with a charcoal basket. I can get some long burns, but have a hard time keeping pit hot enough. I used mostly oak and pecan split logs and recently peach from the peach tree that got knocked down in a storm last year.

[joe2chillo]

I started off using lump but switched to Kingsford blue bag. I find it is more consistent so I always know how much I will need for any given smoke. As to my wood I usually use chunks. I am still unsure if soaking is really needed. Many people say you have to but most of these woods don't soak up much water anyways. They end up drying out within minutes of being put on the coals and then do there thing. I don't think smoking is necessary. Maybe with wood chips it helps more but the only time I use wood chips is on my propane grill, not in my bullet smoker.