Barbecue wood chips are one of the easiest ways to add interest to any back yard barbecue. Wood chips are essential for the barbecue enthusiast, as wood smoke lends that classic smoky flavor that charcoal or gas alone can't handle.
Barbecue wood chips, like barbecues themselves, come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. The type of wood used will change the flavor and intensity, and different meats require different types of wood chips. For example, barbecue wood chips made from fruit trees, such as apple, cherry, or plum, give off smoke that has a fruity flavor that is slightly sweet. Heavier woods like hickory and mesquite, which are more traditionally associated with barbecue, have a stronger, smokier flavor.
There are many different methods for using barbecue wood chips. If you're just looking for a quick, light boost of flavor, the chips can simply be tossed over the coals right before you start cooking. This method causes them to burn up quickly and only release a little bit of smoke.
Green branches cut directly from a tree can also be used this way, but there will be more smoky flavor. For a heavier flavor, the wood chips can be soaked for up to an hour before placing in the barbecue. The water absorbed by the barbecue wood chips causes them to burn more slowly and release more smoke.
Many gas grills are manufactured with a special drawer just for barbecue wood chips. If your grill doesn't have one of these, you can make a container for them out of aluminum foil (be sure to poke holes in it to let the smoke escape) or put them right by the flame. Make that fire hot, though! For best results, there should be plenty of smoke before you lay on your meat. With a charcoal grill, the wood chips can be placed right on the hot coals.
With such a variety of barbecue wood chips available, the perfect flavor is surely out there waiting for you. With wood cut from ash, maple, plum, apricot, and even old Jack Daniels barrels, every time at the grill can be a new, exciting, and gourmet one!