Any tips on making small wood chunks last?

[Itsdone]

Post Oak and Fruit wood Logs are just too hard to find locally and amazon is crazy expensive. So i been using wood chunks when on sale. Only issue is half the bag is nice 3x3 chunks and the other half is 3x1 (if lucky). I have been trying to think of ways to prevent them from burning up too quickly, and i want clean smoke so soaking is not an option i would even consider. So far i thought of putting a 3 1/2" (non painted) screw through to make one 3x3 chunk, and also wrapping in steel wire to bind them. The screw in the middle imo might work till it burns to the middle, and the steel wire will probably not make any difference. Anyone come up with any other idea's for a clean slow burn?



Here's my screw idea:

 

[SirPorkaLot]

Pack them super tight into a fire ring. It will slow their burn rate

 

[SmittyJonz]

what kind of smoker ? I'd find some Oak firewood on Craigslist - Face cord or 1/2 cord. ain't gotta be Post Oak.

 

[Itsdone]

what kind of smoker ? I'd find some Oak firewood on Craigslist - Face cord or 1/2 cord. ain't gotta be Post Oak.

PB 820 with Smoke Daddy PB heavy D stick burner diffuser. Can handle 2 4x8 logs at a time. Bout 3 hours CBS per load.


Problem is, there isn't many people on CL selling wood for smoking. I don't trust getting what i pay for. And i am not an expert on telling what type of wood im using unless i burn it.



I made a cut out on the PB heat shield so i can reload easily, but those small pieces burn up quick.

 

[jermoQ]

You could wrap the chunks in foil and poke small holes in it to slow the burn rate. Not sure how much smoke you will get so you might have to tinker.

 

[Itsdone]

You could wrap the chunks in foil and poke small holes in it to slow the burn rate. Not sure how much smoke you will get so you might have to tinker.

Thought of that as well, but since the Heavy D is basicly a thick preforated steel cage, i doubt aluminum foil will make a difference.


I appreciate your post though.

 

[Itsdone]

I wonder how much pressure is required to compress pellets. Wonder if its possible to use a vice to compress a mixture of wood chips/chunks and sawdust.
There's my crazy idea, lol

 

[RCAlan]

PB 820 with Smoke Daddy PB heavy D stick burner diffuser. Can handle 2 4x8 logs at a time. Bout 3 hours CBS per load.


Problem is, there isn't many people on CL selling wood for smoking. I don't trust getting what i pay for. And i am not an expert on telling what type of wood im using unless i burn it.



I made a cut out on the PB heat shield so i can reload easily, but those small pieces burn up quick.

When I used the SD Heavy D heat diffuser some years ago, I would wrap the wood chunks in foil to slow the burn process down a bit. It did work, but the end results would be either smoldering wood or wood chunks that wouldn’t burn at all. The best approach to try too prolong the smoke/burn process is to load the SD wood burning heat diffuser with a mixture of hardwood chunks and lump charcoals or a mixture of hardwood chunks and lava rocks. Doing this will give you a longer smoke burn and the smoke flavor profile won’t be hindered by foil wrapped smoldering smoke. The wood is still going to burn up at some point, so you’re going to have too reload during the course of your bbq. .02. On my modified Pellet Pro Austin XL, I now just use the SD wood burning heat diffuser as a stand alone heat diffuser and I bought and installed the SD Magnum P.I.G. smoke generator to my Austin XL. It’s able to be loaded with hardwood chunks and charcoal and reloading it is super easy and it smokes like a champ. Just another very effective option to consider. Give the mixture of hardwood chunks and lump charcoal a try or the lava rocks a try. Good luck.

 

[Itsdone]

When I used the SD Heavy D heat diffuser some years ago, I would wrap the wood chunks in foil to slow the burn process down a bit. It did work, but the end results would be either smoldering wood or wood chunks that wouldn’t burn at all. The best approach to try too prolong the smoke/burn process is to load the SD wood burning heat diffuser with a mixture of hardwood chunks and lump charcoals or a mixture of hardwood chunks and lava rocks. Doing this will give you a longer smoke burn and the smoke flavor profile won’t be hindered by foil wrapped smoldering smoke. The wood is still going to burn up at some point, so you’re going to have too reload during the course of your bbq. .02. On my modified Pellet Pro Austin XL, I now just use the SD wood burning heat diffuser as a stand alone heat diffuser and I bought and installed the SD Magnum P.I.G. smoke generator to my Austin XL. It’s able to be loaded with hardwood chunks and charcoal and reloading it is super easy and it smokes like a champ. Just another very effective option to consider. Give the mixture of hardwood chunks and lump charcoal a try or the lava rocks a try. Good luck.

I watched a old video from Smoke Daddy that mentioned using lava rocks. It crossed my mind, but does it really help? Im thinking using a screw to fasten them into one big chunk would prevent burning in the middle?

 

[RCAlan]

I watched a old video from Smoke Daddy that mentioned using lava rocks. It crossed my mind, but does it really help? Im thinking using a screw to fasten them into one big chunk would prevent burning in the middle?

Screwing wood chunks together will not prevent them from burning or slow down the burning process. Give it a shot. Load one side of the SD heat diffuser with your idea and load the other side with a mixture of hardwood chunks and charcoal or lava rocks and see which side last the longest. FYI. Charcoal burns longer and hotter then hardwood does. Hardwood produces more smoke and burns faster then charcoal. .02

 

[bschoen]

Contact all the arborists in your area and ask what hardwoods they have recently felled.

 

[gcs]

Oak is fine, but so are cherry, maple and other hardwoods. Wait for a windstorm and you can find "firewood" cut up on the side of the road waiting for anyone to pick it up. For free.
It's not hard to tell what wood is what, not that it makes all that much difference, just stay away from pine and other conifers.

 

[Qkooker]

Maybe try dipping your wood chunks in water for a few minutes before adding to an already hot fire. Just a thought.

 

[1MoreFord]

Maybe try dipping your wood chunks in water for a few minutes before adding to an already hot fire. Just a thought.

No. That doesn't work.