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There is nothing better then BBQ meat that has been cooked or smoked with wood chips. If you are an avid griller then you already know the reason for using barbecue wood chips. But many people have no idea what the big deal is about this product.

Wood chips are used in your grill in addition to charcoal or gas. If you are not using a wood fire to cook your food, then the only way you are going to get a true smoke flavor is by adding wood to your fire.

Using BBQ wood chips can send your grilling into the stratosphere. Whether you use a charcoal, gas or electric grill, wood chips will give you authentic barbecue flavor. There are special smoker boxes that can be placed in your gas and charcoal grills to add that special wood smoke flavor. Make sure you read the instructions for your grill before trying this.

The key to using wood chips is to not let them burn too quickly. This creates intense bursts of smoke that can make food bitter. If you soak wood chips in water for about 15 minutes before you use them, you’ll slow down their burn and make them smoke more. Before you use them, though, let the wood chips “drip dry” for a few minutes before you add them to your fire. You want the wood moist, not dripping wet.

When using a small smoker in your grill you don’t necessarily have to soak your BBQ wood chips first. Soaked wood chips will burn longer, but if you’re Cooking a steak, you probably don’t want a long, slow grilling.

Wood chips are available in a large range of varieties that cater to all tastes. You can try cabernet, hickory or mesquite. The stores that sell these chips will have flavor guidelines so that you can choose the one that will give you the taste you want.

In general, the lighter the meat, the milder the wood chip you need to use. You can also try “heavier” flavors with lighter meats, though, such as using mesquite with chicken, but start with fewer wood chips.

Alder wood chips have a mild flavor and are recommended for use with seafood and pork. Fruit wood chips are a mild wood chip that you can use with veal, poultry or pork. Fruit woods include apple and cherry.

Maple and hickory BBQ wood chips have a strong flavor and are best used with beef, pork and poultry. Lamb, duck and beef also are great meats to use with mesquite wood chips, while beef or ham go well with oak wood chips, which is another strong flavor.

Just remember that BBQ wood chips are a flavor enhancer and not the meal itself, so don’t skimp on your meats. A substandard cut of meat is not going to be improved significantly by the wood chip you use. Make sure your meat or chicken is fresh and from a reputable butcher.

If you want to grill a great piece of meat, then try using barbecue wood chips to enhance the flavor and aroma you already get when you grill out.

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Posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 3:42 am and is filed under Cooking Tips.
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