Should Smoke from Your Smoker Be Constant?

Smoke from a smoker should be steady but gentle, with the majority of good smoke coming during the first part of your cook. A consistent flow of clean smoke is best, but not constant clouds or long periods of smouldering smoke. For long smokes, it’s normal for the wood chips to burn off the lump charcoal within the first half hour, so the visible smoke will diminish as the cook continues. After that, allow the clean burning hardwood lump to flavour the food the rest of the way.

A Big Cloud of Smoke Isn’t the Goal

In hardwood or lump charcoal cooking, the fire naturally cycles. As long as the smoke stays clean and the fire stays hot, slight variations are normal. What you want to avoid is heavy bursts of white smoke caused by adding too much wood, or choking the fire with bad airflow.

When adding wood chips to hardwood lump charcoal, do it at the start of the cook when your food goes on the grill. Whether you choose to moisten the woodchips or not, do not overdo it. Too many woodchips can smother your lump charcoal, resulting in the kind of smoke you don’t wan’t.

Food absorbs smoke better when the food is raw. After that, let the magic of the hardwood charcoal do its extra flavoring. You may not be able to see this kind of smoke, but it’s there and doing its job.

If you were to actually keep feeding woodchips onto the coals for hours on end, there is a good chance that you could over-smoke your food or turn it bitter.

Always remember: smoke consistency beats smoke intensity every time.

Read more in my Complete Guide to Smoke in Hardwood Barbecue.

By BBQ Chef Mike Belobradic