Grizzly Adam you're right, for what you described. And I should be more specific in that airflow is also a crucial factor. I soak my (large) pieces of oak, and throw them in with a hot burning coal bed that I then close the airflow down by 90 percent on both the intake and the chimney, (for pork shoulders and ribs) bringing the main cooker temp from 350 to 225 degrees. Then I just hang back and wait, an hour per pound. Dang, I'm getting hungry!
At that temp my dry wood split (tiny splits at short lengths) typicslly last an hour and the wood I reload with does the smoke while the old smoke wood become the coals. Works well.
Timberlake0377 My son uses shagbark hickory. Not chunks, rather splinters and chips. These have been in a bag since he collected them and are at least two years old. you can imagine just how dry the smaller pieces/odds and ends are. Smoked a prime rib about 3-4 weeks ago and it was great! Try using your dried firewood and then try using some fresh/green/unseasoned stuff...but same species and decide which you like better. No one here is gonna hold it against you is you use unseasoned wood for a smoker!!! Burning unseasoned in your wood stove, another matter!
My smoker goes through a lot of wood, but it’s a huge offset smoker. And it needs a lot of heat/wood to warm the whole smoker up. But the food that comes off that smoker is amazing!
