How to Use Wood Chips in an Electric Smoker, Step by Step
How to use wood chips in an electric smoker: where they go, whether to soak them, how much to add and how often to refill for clean smoke flavor.
As an Amazon Associate, ProteinPan earns from qualifying purchases. We never accept free products or payment for placement.
The short answer
- Load dry chips in the chip tray or loader that sits over the heating element, preheat the smoker, then add the meat once thin smoke appears.
- Use about a handful at a time (roughly a quarter to half a cup) and refill every 30 to 45 minutes for the first few hours of the cook.
- Soaking is optional and mostly unnecessary. Dry chips smolder sooner; soaked chips first spend time making steam.
- Thin, pale smoke is the goal. Thick white smoke leaves a bitter taste, so give the chips air and do not overload the tray.
On this page
How to use wood chips in an electric smoker comes down to this: put a small handful of dry chips in the chip tray over the heating element, preheat until thin smoke appears, and then refill every 30 to 45 minutes during the first few hours. That slow, low-heat smolder is what separates a smoky result from a baked one. If you are still choosing a smoker, see our electric smoker picks with digital controls.
Where do you put wood chips in an electric smoker?
Put the chips in the chip tray or side loader. On most electric smokers it is a small metal box or slot positioned at or near the heating element, so the element heats the chips from below until they smolder. Chips do not catch fire the way charcoal does. They should smoke, not flame.
Keep the tray separate from the water pan, and do not pile chips directly on the element unless the manual says to. Foil pouches and loose piles can smother the chips or block airflow. Check your owner’s manual first, since tray design varies by model.
Preheat with the chips loaded
Fill the tray, close the door and run the smoker to temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. Add the meat once the smoke turns thin and pale. Starting the food earlier just fills the cabinet with the harsh early smoke.
Do you need to soak wood chips for an electric smoker?
You do not need to soak them. Soaking is a traditional grilling habit carried over from charcoal and gas grills. In an electric smoker the chips sit over a controlled heat source, so dry chips smolder and give smoke sooner, while wet chips spend their first minutes making steam and can hold the cabinet temperature down.
If you like soaking wood, 30 minutes in water is enough, then drain the chips and pat them dry. Longer soaking adds little, because water barely penetrates past the surface of a chip, and the moisture only delays the smoke.
What are the disadvantages of wood chips?
Wood chips burn out fast, usually in 30 to 45 minutes, which means regular refills and opening the door. Each opening drops the cabinet temperature and slows the cook, so a smoked batch takes longer than planned. Chunks and pellets in a tube last longer, but chips fit nearly every loader and are the fuel most manuals call for.
How much wood should you use and how often should you add it?
Add about a quarter to half a cup of chips, a small handful, each time, and refill every 30 to 45 minutes. This is typical guidance from manufacturer manuals, and your model may differ. Overfilling the tray starves the chips of air, which produces thick white smoke and a bitter, sooty taste.
Most of the flavor goes onto cold, moist meat early in the cook, so stop adding chips partway through. After that, the meat takes up very little more.
| Food | Typical smoke window | Wood strength |
|---|---|---|
| Fish | 1 to 1.5 hours | Mild |
| Chicken | 1.5 to 2 hours | Mild to medium |
| Ribs | 2 to 3 hours | Medium |
| Pork butt, brisket | 3 to 4 hours | Medium to strong |
Rough planning ranges from common smoking guidance; thicker cuts keep taking smoke longer.
Which wood chips work best in an electric smoker?
Match the wood to the meat, since different wood chips give different flavors. Barbecue cooks sort them by strength:
- Apple and cherry: mild and sweet, good for chicken, fish and pork.
- Oak and pecan: medium, and they work on nearly every meat.
- Hickory: stronger, a classic for ribs and pork butt.
- Mesquite: the strongest and easy to overdo, so use it lightly, mostly on beef.
Use only hardwood chips sold for smoking food. Never use softwoods like pine, treated lumber, painted wood or anything that has been near chemicals.
How long will wood chips last?
A handful of dry chips smolders for roughly 30 to 45 minutes in most electric smokers. Stored dry in a sealed container, chips keep well for a long time. Damp or moldy chips should go in the trash.
Do smoking chips work in an electric smoker?
Yes, though the smoke is lighter than what you get from a charcoal or offset fire. An electric smoker holds steady low heat and adds a gentle smoke flavor, which suits poultry, fish and pork well. Cooks who want a heavier smoke flavor on meats tend to use more frequent refills rather than bigger piles of wood chips.
What are the steps for smoking with wood chips?
Fill the tray, preheat, add the meat, and refill on schedule while watching the smoke. The steps below follow typical manufacturer instructions.
- Fill the water pan if your smoker uses one, and set the temperature (most smoking runs 225 to 250°F).
- Load a small handful of dry chips into the tray and close the door.
- Preheat for 15 to 30 minutes, until thin smoke is visible from the vent.
- Put the meat in, keep the door shut and check it through the window if your model has one.
- Refill the chips every 30 to 45 minutes, using a small handful each time and opening the door as briefly as possible.
- Stop adding chips after the smoke window for your cut, then cook to the safe internal temperature per USDA guidance: 165°F for poultry, 145°F plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of pork, and 160°F for ground meat. Pork butt and brisket are pulled at higher temperatures for tenderness, which is doneness rather than safety.
Thick white smoke means trouble
Clean smoke is thin and almost blue. Heavy white billows mean the chips are smothered or the vent is closed. Open the vent a little, empty the tray of any ash, and use less wood next time.
Clean the ash out of the tray between cooks so air can reach the next batch. Store wood chips dry, label the wood type and start with less than you think you need, because a long smoking session is delicious only when the smoke stays clean. Smoke flavor is easy to add and impossible to remove.
Next in this series: How to Smoke a Brisket in an Electric Smoker: Time & Temps
Frequently asked questions
Where do you put wood chips in an electric smoker?
Put them in the chip tray or side loader, which sits directly over or beside the heating element so the chips smolder as the element heats. Do not set chips on the water pan, and follow your manual before placing them on the element itself. If your smoker has no loader, a small metal box or foil pouch with holes set near the element is the usual workaround.
How often should I add wood chips to an electric smoker?
Add a small handful about every 30 to 45 minutes. Small chips burn out quickly, and meat takes in most smoke flavor early in the cook (the first one to four hours, depending on the cut), so there is little point in adding chips for the whole cook.
Do you need to soak wood chips for an electric smoker?
No. Most manufacturer guidance and experienced cooks use dry chips, because wet chips produce steam before they smolder and delay the smoke. If you do soak, 30 minutes is plenty, and you should drain and pat them dry.
What can I use instead of wood chips in an electric smoker?
Wood chunks last longer but may not fit the tray, so cut them small. A smoke tube or pouch filled with pellets also works in many cabinets, and a few smokers accept pellets in the loader. Never use treated, painted or softwood such as pine.
Do wood chips attract termites?
Termites go for damp wood touching soil, so a bag of dry chips is a low risk, but one stored against the house in damp conditions can attract pests like any other wood. Keep chips in a sealed container or bin, away from the foundation and off damp ground.