04-09-2016, 08:03 PM
[#0000FF]I still buy the occasional bag of chips from Sportsmans, Home Depot or Lowes. But the last couple of years I have been lucky and scored some closeout bags cheap at the Army Navy store near where I live. Also got some pellets to try and love them.
But I have been really happy with mixing whatever larger pieces I use with pure hickory sawdust...in my Little Chief. It "catches" faster and spreads the burn to the other pieces better so they ignite and burn faster too. I start by filling about half of the pan with chips or pellets. Then I pour in enough sawdust to cover it and shake it to get it to sift down into the larger pieces. When I get ready to change the pans I notice a lot better complete burning than if I use chips or pellets alone.
If you are penciling out the cost of your smoking wood you have to figure either the cost per cubic inch or the cost per ounce/pound. Some chips work out to almost $3 per pound.
I found a place that will ship 40# of good hickory sawdust for about dollar a pound...delivered. [url "http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=462"] HERE IS THE LINK[/url]. I got a delivery two years ago and still have a fair amount left...after sharing with a couple of smokaholic buddies. I would be happy to bring you some to try in a week or so when I hit Willard again.
I am pretty careful about what kind of wood I use and knowing where it comes from. When I lived in Sacramento there was a whole family poisoned by eating some smoked shad that they smoked with wood from a cut down orchard. There was pesticide residue on some of the wood and it was enough to stick to the smoked fish and kill them.
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But I have been really happy with mixing whatever larger pieces I use with pure hickory sawdust...in my Little Chief. It "catches" faster and spreads the burn to the other pieces better so they ignite and burn faster too. I start by filling about half of the pan with chips or pellets. Then I pour in enough sawdust to cover it and shake it to get it to sift down into the larger pieces. When I get ready to change the pans I notice a lot better complete burning than if I use chips or pellets alone.
If you are penciling out the cost of your smoking wood you have to figure either the cost per cubic inch or the cost per ounce/pound. Some chips work out to almost $3 per pound.
I found a place that will ship 40# of good hickory sawdust for about dollar a pound...delivered. [url "http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=462"] HERE IS THE LINK[/url]. I got a delivery two years ago and still have a fair amount left...after sharing with a couple of smokaholic buddies. I would be happy to bring you some to try in a week or so when I hit Willard again.
I am pretty careful about what kind of wood I use and knowing where it comes from. When I lived in Sacramento there was a whole family poisoned by eating some smoked shad that they smoked with wood from a cut down orchard. There was pesticide residue on some of the wood and it was enough to stick to the smoked fish and kill them.
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