So you’ve been grilling for some time now and you’re starting to get the hang of it.  You’re loving the way the food is coming off of the grill but you’re having trouble  trying to capture that “perfect smoky barbecue flavor”. If this sounds like you, then  Wood Chips and Chunks may just be what you’re looking for. If you’re  unsure on how to incorporate barbecue woods into your gas grill or electric  smoker, have no worries. We’ve provided a step by step guide for grilling with BBQ  woods.  Let’s Dive in and check Barbecue Smoking Guide | Wood Chips and the Wood Chunks

What’s the Difference between Wood Chips and Wood Chunks?

Before you go out and buy a couple bags of barbecue wood it’s wise to  understand what wood is best for your needs. When it comes to the different sizes  of woods you have two options, wood chips and wood chunks.  

Wood Chips

Wood Chips are very small pieces or slivers of wood that are perfect for small,  quick bursts of smoke. Even if you decide to soak your wood chips in liquid such  as water or beer that will still burn up very quickly and then disappear. If you don’t  plan on smoking for a very long duration of time or you want to get a quick smoke  on certain piece of meat then your best bet is chips. Wood chips are mainly  designed for electric smokers, when used in a low heat setting they emit more  smoke then when just placed on top of burning charcoal. 

Wood Chunks

These Wood Chunks are larger pieces of wood, bigger than wood chips, they usually  measure between two and three inches in width. The pieces of wood are best for  creating smoke over a long period of time. When using wood chips you’ll notice  that you’ll have to refuel the fire with wood every 20-30 minutes, with wood  chunks the flavor will last one to one and half hours, depending on the  temperature that you’re cooking. 

Different Types of Wood 

After deciding whether you’ll be barbecuing with Wood Chips or Chunks, the  next step is deciding what type of wood to grill with. Barbecue woods come in a  variety of flavors but how wood chips are categorizes is by the level of smoke each  type of wood will produce. Heavy Woods such as Mesquite will produce a heavy  smoke, whereas Light Woods such as Apple will produce a light smoke. Warning  on using random wood such as Cedar, Pine certain “green” woods and treated  lumbar these woods create sooty smoke that is dangerous to your health. 

Lightier Woods

Alder

Alder smoke is lighter and sweeter than you’d think. It’s good for smoking  fish, and for playing some tasty licks on your Fender Stratocaster (also made from  Alder) when you’re done. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Light, sweet and delicate.
Burn Characteristics:	Cool temp, medium length.
Best Used When Smoking	Fish (especially in the Pacific Northwest), Poultry  and Pork.

Apple

Apple wood is mild, fruity, sweet and mellow. Use apple wood when  smoking chicken, quail, pork and poultry. Rest assured that you’re using its powers  for good and not for evil. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Light, mild, fruity, slightly sweet.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and slow.
Best Used When Smoking	Chicken, quail, pork and poultry.

Cherry

Mild and fruity. Cherry is a very popular choice when smoking lighter  meats. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Light, sweet and delicate.
Burn Characteristics:	Relatively hot temp, relatively long length. Best Used When Smoking: Chicken, turkey, fish and ham.

Maple

Maple is a little subtler than hickory and oak, but it’s still a good choice for  smoking. When used for barbecue, Maple imparts a milder, flavor than hickory or  oak woods. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Sweet and light, mildly smoky.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and slow.
Best Used When Smoking	Poultry, pork and game birds.

Orange

Light wood that produces a good, smoky flavor. Has a moderate smoke  that gives a light fruity flavor that is milder than apple or cherry. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Sweet and light, mildly smoky.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and slow.
Best Used When Smoking	Vegetables, seafood, beef, pork and wild game.

Peach

Peach smoke is uniquely light and sweet flavor to your barbecue.

Smoke Characteristics:	Light, sweet and delicate .
Burn Characteristics:	Burns hot and relatively long.
Best Used When Smoking	Fish, poultry and pork.

Pecan

Add Pecan wood to the fire when you want a sweet, rich, nutty character.  Smoke Characteristics: Medium, fruity/sweet, nutty type burn. Burn Characteristics: Slow and cool. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Medium, fruity/sweet, nutty type burn. Burn
Burn Characteristics:	Slow and cool.
Best Used When Smoking	Briskets, roasts and ribs. Very good as a complement to  mesquite.

Heavier Woods 

Hickory

Hickory is a hardworking, everyday hardwood, and as such, hickory can  be used to smoke meat in many, many ways. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Sweet to strong, hearty, almost bacon type smoke.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and slow.
Best Used When Smoking	Larger cuts like ribs and pork shoulders. Can also  be used with nearly all red meats and poultry.

Mesquite

Mesquite has a potent flavor. It is best used for grilling or in small  doses for adding flavor to your meat when smoking. 

Smoke Characteristics:	Strong, lots of smoke.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and fast.
Best Used When Smoking	Red meats. Also great for adding flavor when  grilling.

Oak

There are few better woods with which to start your meat smoking  adventures.  

Smoke Characteristics:	Medium to heavy flavor, but seldom overpowering.
Burn Characteristics:	Hot and slow.
Best Used When Smoking	Lamb and beef, brisket and sausages. How to Use Wood Chips

How to Use Wood Chips

Using wood chips is very simple. If you’re using a gas grill it’s recommend that you  purchase a Smoker Box. Smoker boxes are generally constructed of stainless steel  and are placed below the cooking grate and above your burner of your gas grill. A  smoker box usually has vents on the top of the lid to allow for smoke to distribute,  this can also be used for quickly adding water if your wood chips dry up during  cooking. If you’re grilling on a charcoal grill then your wood chips would simply be  placed on top of your hot charcoal coals.  

Should I Soak my Wood Chips?

Before we go into this topic let us remind each other that barbecuing is all about  personal preference, just because one person does something on their grill  doesn’t mean the other person prefers to do it. With that being said, let’s get right  to the answer of “should you soak your wood chips before using them”. The short  answer, it’s truly up to you.

The long answer, if you’re using wood chips to smoke  any type of meat you’ll notice that the chip in itself will burn after just a couple  minutes, sure soaking them may preserve them for a short amount of time but it’s  not going to make a huge difference. It’s also a lot easier to regulate the smoke of  a dry wood chip rather than a wet one. If you’re planning on smoking a brisket or  tri-tip (something that’s planning on being on the grill for a while), then we’d  recommend using a wood chunk rather than chips. These Were Detailed Article of Barbecue Smoking Guide | Wood Chips and Chunks

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