Wasted $80 on a fancy flavored wood chip variety pack

The chips were way too small and burned up in 20 minutes, plus the smoke flavor was so weak I couldn't tell the difference from plain oak, so has anyone found a reliable brand that actually gives you decent results with fruit woods like apple or cherry?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.jason1mo ago

Man I did the exact same thing last summer with a $60 "premium artisan smoking chips" bundle from some Instagram ad, chips were basically sawdust lol. Cherry and apple wood should give you a decent pink smoke ring and subtle sweetness but those tiny pieces just turn to ash before anything happens. Grabbed a bag of Weber apple wood chunks from Home Depot for like 12 bucks and they actually last a full hour or two, way better than that overpriced fancy stuff.

caleb_ross121mo agoMost Upvoted

Hold up though, I gotta push back a little on the pink smoke ring thing. Cherry and apple wood don’t actually give you a pink smoke ring on their own. The smoke ring is from nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide reacting with the meat, not the type of wood. I’ve had plenty of cooks using just hickory or oak that still put out a bright pink ring. The sweetness from fruit woods is more about the flavor you taste, not the color you see. Totally agree with you on the Weber chunks though, those things are solid and way cheaper than the fancy stuff.