All about wood chips for smoking

To smoke any food (for example, meat or fish), use specially designed wood chips. It should be borne in mind that the final taste parameters of the dish largely depend on the quality of the initial raw material. Accordingly, the choice and purchase of wood chips should be approached as carefully and responsibly as possible. In our new material, we will talk in more detail about the features and existing types of chips, as well as deal with the rules for its selection and use.

Before proceeding to a description of the features and distinctive characteristics of wood chips for smoking, you need to figure out what this material is. In fact, wood chips are small wood material that is used in various spheres of human activity. Moreover, if we are talking specifically about sawdust, which are intended for smoking, then they must have a certain set of special and unique qualities. It is also important to keep in mind that different types of wood chips are used to process different products.

To begin with, it is worth noting the fact that sawdust for smoking is made in workshops specially designed for this purpose. In this case, it is mandatory to comply with certain conditions, in particular, the parameters of air humidity and temperature indicators. Also of great importance is the equipment with the help of which the direct production of chips is carried out. Modern automated shredders are popular and widely used.

After wood shredding is over, the process of chip distribution is carried out according to dimensional indicators. All this happens automatically (which is why it is very important to choose the right equipment from the beginning). So, after grinding, chips fall on the surface with holes of different sizes, due to which they are distributed in different containers. Sorted chips are also always dried.

Today on the market you can find a large number of varieties of wood chips: cherry, alder, apple, fruit, pear, birch, acacia and sea buckthorn, etc. Most often, for the convenience of users, chips are packed and sold in special bags. Let's talk about the most popular types of material.

Alder chips are one of the most popular and commonly used. With its help, you can smoke a large amount of food: meat, fish, cheese, etc. The distinctive characteristics of dishes that are cooked on alder chips include their pleasant aroma and beautiful and neat appearance. (the products take on a pleasant dark brown color). As for the smoke that comes from alder chips, it is important to focus on the fact that it is quite soft in its characteristics.

Apple sawdust (as well as alder) is very often used for smoking food. The raw material is well suited for the processing of pork, fish and poultry. Smoke from apple chips is characterized by intense aroma and thickness. Products that were smoked on raw apple are distinguished by a bright fruity smell, as well as a golden color.

If you want the product to acquire the classic "haze scent", then it is recommended to use beech chips. The smoke from beech raw materials is soft and is characterized by its characteristics as universal: it is used for processing brisket, chicken, sausage, cheese, etc.

The most important distinctive characteristics of this wood raw material include the fact that the wood chips contain tannins, which add a light tart taste and aroma to the smoked product. At the same time, oak chips can be used for both cold and hot smoking. After cooking, fish or meat takes on brown and dark yellow hues.

The vine is rarely used for smoking food. At the same time, products smoked in this way are very unusual and non-standard in their characteristics. Most often, the vine is used for processing beef, pork, lamb, fish, poultry and vegetables. In the process of smoking with grapevines, the products acquire a grape aroma, fruity taste and golden color.

It is very important to note the fact that the smoke that comes from the vine is clean - there are no negative impurities (for example, resin) in it, due to which the food product can get a bitter and unpleasant aftertaste. The positive quality of the material also includes the fact that it is very economical. - the vine burns long enough, while maintaining a constant heat, but the food product does not burn.

Bird cherry chips are suitable not only for smoking a variety of products, but also for making tinctures. In its composition, the material does not contain harmful impurities. Besides, it has antibacterial properties, therefore, the smoke from such wood chips is clean and harmless to human health.

Cherry chips give food products a rich and bright flavor. This raw material is popular among gourmets due to the fact that it can add a peculiar bitter taste to a smoked product. Besides, raw materials allow to obtain products with a beautiful dark golden hue. It is recommended to cook cheese or vegetables using cherry sawdust. In addition to the types of wood chips described above, other types of raw materials (for example, pears) can be used for smoking food. At the same time, sawdust can also be combined with other materials: for example, the popular use of branches of juniper, saffron, nettle, thyme, mint, etc. Such additional components can significantly affect the smell and taste of the dish. It is worth keeping in mind the fact that if you use herbs in the smoking process, then they need to be added at the very last moment. At the same time, the efficiency of using herbs will be higher with cold smoking.

Helpful advice! When choosing additional components, you need to remember about a sense of proportion. You don't need to mix too many elements so as not to spoil the taste of the final dish. In addition, it is very important to correctly combine additional components with the product that you are going to smoke.

After we have considered the most popular types of wood chips for smoking, it must also be said that not all wood materials are suitable for cooking. For example, some types of wood contain resins and other components that can adversely affect the taste of smoked products. So, in the process of smoking food, you need to give up:

• raw materials made from coniferous wood (this is due to the high resin content in its composition);
• birch sawdust (this type of material must be used with caution, it is imperative to first clean the birch from the bark);
• raw materials made from trees that grew in ecologically polluted areas (for example, near factories or roads), etc.

Ignoring such principles can negatively affect not only the taste of smoked food, but also your health.

In the process of choosing chips for cold or hot smoking, you should be as careful and responsible as possible. At the same time, experts advise taking into account several key characteristics.

• Food product. The choice of a specific type of wood chips depends to a large extent on the type of product you will smoke. So, for processing chicken, fish, pork and meat, you need to use different types of chips (while it is also worth remembering that there are universal options). Remember that the raw material has a great influence on the taste of the finished dish.
• The size. The size of the chips affects the technology of the smoking process. That is why it is very important to pay close attention to this parameter.
• Manufacturer. Before purchasing wood chips, it is recommended to carefully read the information on the package. In this case, the information that relates to the manufacturer (for example, his contact details) is of paramount importance. Give your preference only to trusted companies that are trusted and respected by buyers.
• Terms of Use. Depending on the devices and equipment (for example, you can smoke on the grill), which you will use for smoking, the type of chips should also differ.
• Place of purchase. It is recommended to buy raw materials only in specialized stores and retail outlets. In this case, if necessary, you can resort to the help of professional, qualified and experienced sales consultants.

If you cannot find such a chip that would meet all your requirements, then you can make the material yourself. However, at the same time, it is imperative to remember the need to follow the instructions and recommendations of specialists. First you need to decide on the type of wood that you will use. In this case, it is imperative to take into account the information described above. After you have decided on the type of wood, you need to grind the material. To do this, you can use an ordinary ax, plane, or even a saw. However, there is a more practical and effective method that includes several stages.

So, first you need to cut the tree into thin slices. Their thickness should not be more than 10 mm. After that, the material can be crushed with an ax. Wood sawdust, which is formed during the sawing of the material, does not need to be thrown away, as it can also be used as raw material for smoking.

In order to obtain the desired result, during smoking it is necessary to observe a number of rules for the use of wood chips. You need to know not only how to smoke the product correctly, but also how to put or pour wood chips into the smokehouse. At the same time, you need to know the rules that apply to both hot and cold smoking - both small and large raw materials. So, first of all, it is necessary to carry out preparatory procedures.So, first you need to make sure that the chips have optimal moisture indicators. This is due to the fact that too wet raw materials will smoke (and this smoke will have negative characteristics). On the other hand, overdried material may simply flare up, and accordingly, you will not be able to carry out the smoking procedure.

In order to prepare wood chips, you need to follow simple instructions. To begin with, shredded wood material (which you purchased or made yourself) must be soaked in water. Moreover, the water should be at room temperature. The chips should be soaked for 4 hours. After that, the material must be laid out in a sieve so that excess moisture in the glass. In time, this procedure will take you about 15 minutes. It is very important to weigh the chips at this stage. Depending on which method of smoking you will use, it is necessary to make certain calculations. So, for cold smoking, the weight of the soaked wood chips must be multiplied by a factor of 0.8, and for hot smoking - by a factor of 0.75.

After that, the material drying procedure is mandatory. This must be done on a scale. The dried material is weighed and placed in a tightly closed container. After completing all the preparatory stages, you can safely proceed to direct smoking. At this stage, you need to perform a number of actions. The bottom of the smokehouse must be covered with chips. Moreover, the layer of raw material should be no more than 5 cm. If you use foil for smoking, be sure to roll it into an envelope and make several holes in the foil. Then it is necessary to put the foil on the heating element (for example, it can be hot coals). After the smoke has formed, you can lay out the food product of your choice and wait for it to be cooked.

Thus, wood chips are a popular raw material used to smoke a wide variety of food products. At the same time, in order to obtain the desired result, it is very important to choose the appropriate type of wood chips, as well as to comply with all the rules for the preparation and use of raw materials.