How to Smoke Alder Wood Chips

Famous for the natural sugars and sweet overtones alder wood chips impart during the smoking process, alder wood chips are most complementary to fish and poultry. Proper preparation of fish or fowl, wet wood chips and a small, slow burning charcoal fire are key to effective smoking with this hardwood.

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal smoker or grill-smoker combo
• 2 pounds alder wood chips
• Large plastic mixing bowl or bucket for chips
• Large plastic mixing bowl for brining
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 gallons water
• 1 large bag natural lump charcoal
• 1 electric charcoal starter
• Desired fish or poultry

Instructions

Preparing the Chips and Fish or Poultry

1. Mix one gallon of water, kosher salt and sugar in a large plastic bowl, then place the fish or poultry in the solution, known as the brine. Cover, place in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to soak overnight.

2. Ensure the grilling chamber and firebox are properly seasoned according to the manufacturer's directions. This will remove any factory impurities and provide a protective cooking coating on grates and the grill body.

3. Add the second gallon of water to the large mixing bowl or bucket and soak the wood chips for at least an hour before beginning the smoking process. Wet wood burns longer and produces more smoke to enhance flavor.

4. Thirty minutes before smoking, build a small charcoal fire in the side firebox using about four or five handfuls of lump charcoal. This fire size should be maintained throughout the smoking process.

Smoking Process

1. Place the brined fish or poultry on the cooking grate of the grill or smoking chamber and close the lid. A tightly sealed lid ensures more even, stable temperatures inside the smoking chamber.

2. Add a handful of wet wood chips to the hot coals every 30 minutes to slow-season the fish or poultry with alder smoke.

3. Add one or two handfuls of lump charcoal every 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the outside temperature and wind. The stronger the wind, the faster the charcoal will burn up.

Tips & Warnings

• Fish smoking time, such as for Salmon, should, on average, last about two hours at 140 to 160 degrees, depending on size. Smoking for too long produces dried-out, tough fish. Whole chickens should smoke for between five and six hours at about 200 degrees. Adjust vents and smoke stacks to maintain consistent temperatures in the grilling chamber and add charcoal as needed. And don't skip the brining steps as the method helps fish and poultry lock in moisture and not dry out during the long, slow smoking process.

• Always use fire-resistant cooking mitts when feeding coals or chips into the fire, and handle fish with long-handled grilling-style spatulas or tongs to avoid burns.

References

• Great Salmon Recipes: brining method
• Just Smoked Salmon: Alder Wood Chips
• Barbecue Bible