How much wood chip should you use on a smoker or BBQ?

The amount of wood you need to use varies according to your smoker size and how long you’re cooking the meat for. Here's a quick guide:

If you’re cooking the meat for less than 4 hours, the woodchips you put on at the beginning should be enough. For slow cooking sessions lasting 4+ hours, you'll need to replenish your smoking chips roughly every couple of hours during the first half of cooking only.

The modest quantities of woodchip needed mean that, if you get the meat smoking bug and use woodchips on your BBQ every weekend throughout the spring and summer, two or three kilos of woodchips should last you pretty much the whole season.

Dedicated smokers: Larger offset smokers can handle 115-170g of wood chunks or chips, depending on the cooking chamber size.

Gas grill with smoker box: These DIY setups work brilliantly for adding smoke flavour to your regular BBQ. Use about 60-85g of wood chips in your smoker box, placing it directly on the grill grate above a burner.

Electric BBQ with smoker box: Similar to gas grills, electric BBQs can use smoker boxes effectively. Use 60-85g of dry wood chips in a dedicated smoke box placed near the heating element, ensuring good ventilation for proper smoke circulation.

Charcoal grill: Scatter 85-115g of wood chips directly onto your hot coals. Dry chips work best when using this method.

Different woods create unique flavours, and a range of popular varieties are readily available in Australia.

• Apple and Cherry (mild, sweet smoke - great for beginners)

• Oak (medium strength - versatile for most meats)

• Hickory (bold, sweet flavour - traditional BBQ choice)

• Mesquite (intense, earthy - for maximum smoke impact)

Always use hardwood rather than softwood for the best results.

Despite a lot of grilling tips suggesting you should soak wood chips, this is actually counterproductive. Soaking creates steam and thick white smoke as the water boils off before the wood can smoulder properly. Use dry chips for immediate, clean smoke production.

Learn to interpret what your smoker or smoker box is telling you through its smoke output. Aim for thin blue smoke - barely visible and wispy with a sweet smell. This indicates your wood is smouldering at the right temperature. Thick white smoke means you've added too much wood or your chips are burning too hot, creating bitter compounds that could ruin your food.

Remember that when you’re smoking meats, they only absorb smoke flavour during the first few hours of cooking, so if you’re doing a really long low’n’slow cook, don’t waste woodchips on the second half of the cook.

Don't chase constant visible smoke - your meat stops forming the distinctive smoke ring around 70°C internal temperature. For shorter cooks under 3 hours, your initial wood amount is usually sufficient. For longer slow cooking sessions, consider adding small amounts every 2-3 hours during the first half of cooking only.

Smoking is as much art as it is science. Keep notes on what type of wood - and quantity - worked best for different meats, and you'll be on the path to smoky meat mastery.