Wood chips are the most used fuel for smokers. There are many benefits to using wood chips like clean and natural smoke, flavor enhancement, better heat retention, etc. However, storing wood chips can be quite a challenge especially when you have a smoker that can only accommodate a small amount of wood.
How to keep wood chips from burning in a smoker? One of the first steps you should do is prepare your smoker for smoking by removing the food that’s been cooking on it. If your cooker has a water pan, you will want to remove it and empty any excess water. You should also make sure there’s enough space in the cooker for all of your wood chips.
It’s important to not stack up too many chips in one place or leave them out in the open air because they dry quickly and start losing their initial moisture content. You should also make sure that they don’t clump together but instead spread out so they can fully absorb oxygen – this prevents them from starting
Best Practices for Storing Wood Chips in an Electric Smoker
Electric smokers utilize the heat of electricity to create smoke. For this reason, they are more efficient than traditional charcoal barbecues. The best thing to do when storing wood chips in an electric smoker is to use a drip tray.
It will help make sure that the chips don’t take up too much room on your electric smoker and it will also promote better cooling of your electric smoker and prevent it from getting hot enough to damage your food.
Make sure the wood chips are not touching each other and that there is space between them so the smoke can circulate properly.
You should always leave the smoke on for at least one hour after you finish cooking so that it has time to cool down before releasing its flavor into the air. You can also turn off your electrical power source after using up all of the wood or for later use.
Also Read: How Long to Cook Burgers on Traeger?
Best Practices for Storing Wood Chips in a Charcoal Smoker
When it comes to storing wood chips in a charcoal smoker, there are three main factors that you need to consider: the size of your chip box, the location of your chip box, and how long you want to keep your cache of fuel.
1. Right-Sized Storage Box
The first step towards efficient storage is choosing the right size of your chip box. The optimal amount of space will depend on how many hours you plan on smoking on an average day so choose accordingly.
If you have limited space then you must use smaller boxes which will allow for more time-saving stacking and better organization but they also tend to be less durable. If you find yourself with plenty of extra space then larger chip boxes make sense because they are more durable than smaller ones but they are less compact and can take up more space.
2. Location of the Chip Box
The second important factor is the location of your chip box. Is your grill near an outdoor location or inside? if it’s outside, then consider storing your wood chips on the edge of a patio where they will be protected from rain or snow and you won’t have to worry about keeping them dry.
If it’s inside, then look for a place that gets good ventilation and is away from other heavy objects like cabinets or furniture.
3. Duration You Wish to Store the Chips
The third factor is how long you plan on storing your chips. If you’re a regular griller and plan on keeping your chips for a few days then consider buying one box of small boxes; if you’ll be storing them for a week or more then you’ll want to purchase multiple boxes of large ones.
4 Ways to Keep Wood Chips from Burning in Your Smoker
The reason why wood chips burn in smokers is that they contain oil, which reacts with the metal of the smoker and creates heat, increasing the risk of fire. Some measures mentioned below can help in keeping wood chips from burning in the smoker.
1. Use the Right Kind of Wood Chips
When it comes to firewood, you can choose from a few different types of wood chips. The type you should use depends on the type of fire you are going to build and the desired heat level.
- Softwoods like pine and spruce can be burned at lower temperatures with less smoky odor than hardwoods like oak or hickory
- Hardwoods have more heat because they contain more water. They burn slower than softwoods but produce less smoke
- Mesquite chips are a good choice for indoor cooking as they release very low levels of smoke during combustion
2. Fill Your Smoker with Water and Place a Doughnut at the Bottom for Smoke Drafts
When smoking, it is important to fill your smoker with enough water to evenly distribute the smoke in the cooking chamber. You can also put a doughnut at the bottom of your smoker for a smoke draft. It will help your food cook more evenly and absorb more of that smoky flavor.
3. Set Specialty Wood Chips on Top of Regular Wood Chips to Provide Different Flavors & Smoke Drafts
To get the most out of your barbecue, it’s best to smoke with regular wood chips at first, then add in the specialty flavors later on. Once you’ve brought your meat and other food items down from the grill, then you should pair your different flavors of wood chips with different types of food items for a delicious smoke draft!
4. Place Wooden Sticks or Rocks in the Smoking Chamber to Prevent Heat Transfer & Prevent Fire from Breaks Out Around Flames
When sticks or rocks were placed in the smoking chamber, they prevent the air from flowing into and out of the smoking chamber effectively creating a barrier between it and the environment around it. This meant that no heat was transferred into the surrounding area when wood was burned in there leading to better fire safety practices.