How to Use Bourbon Barrel Smoker Chunks for BBQ

Our smoker chunks are American white oak from retired Kentucky bourbon barrels, broken up to a good size for smoking. The smoke is mild and sweet with a little whiskey at the end. You won't get that from a bag of regular oak. Here's how to use them.

What Are Bourbon Barrel Smoker Chunks?

These chunks are the oak staves from barrels that spent years aging bourbon in Kentucky rickhouses. The cooperage charred the inside, and then the wood spent years soaking up bourbon. Once a distillery retires a barrel, we bring it to Vancouver Island and break the staves into chunks roughly 2 inches by 2.5 inches. Each bag weighs about 1.8 to 2 pounds, enough for several cooks.

Because the wood is dense, seasoned oak at around 15% moisture, it burns slow and clean. You will see it sold as bbq smoker chunks, bourbon oak smoking chunks, or whiskey wood chunks for smoking. Same thing every time: oak from a real bourbon barrel.

What to Cook With Whiskey Oak Smoke

Oak works with almost anything. The bourbon side of it goes best with sweet or fatty foods:

• Beef: brisket, short ribs, and tri-tip stand up well to oak's medium-strong smoke
• Pork: ribs, pulled pork, and pork shoulder pick up the sweet whiskey finish
• Poultry: whole chicken and turkey take on a warm, golden smoke
• Fish: salmon with bourbon oak is a Vancouver Island classic
• Fruit and vegetables: try it on peaches, apples, or a tray of veggies

How to Use the Chunks

Do not soak them. Soaked wood doesn't smoke better. The water has to boil off before the wood can burn, which gives you steam and dirty white smoke instead of the thin blue smoke you want. Use the chunks dry.

On a charcoal grill or smoker

For a quick cook, drop one or two chunks onto lit charcoal once the coals ash over. For low and slow cooks like brisket or pork shoulder, use the snake method: layer the chunks into a bed of unlit lump charcoal and light a small pile at one end. The burn travels slowly through the pile and releases smoke over several hours, so you can leave the lid shut.

On a gas grill

Put a couple of chunks in a smoker box or a small charcoal tray, set it over your hottest burner until the wood smoulders, then drop the temperature to your target and cook as usual.

How much to use

Start with one or two chunks. More wood is not always better. Aim for a thin, steady stream of bluish smoke rather than thick clouds, and add another chunk every hour or so on long cooks.

Why Bourbon Barrel Oak

Most smoking wood is kiln-dried oak or hickory. Ours starts as the same white oak, then spends years holding bourbon. The char and the leftover bourbon make the smoke a little sweeter, with some whiskey in it. Same idea as barrel-aged coffee, hot sauce, or maple syrup.

Where to Buy on Vancouver Island

We sell bourbon barrel smoker chunks for $10 a bag, with pickup by appointment at our yard in Errington, BC. We cut them from the same retired Kentucky bourbon barrels we sell as planters and full barrels, so you know exactly where the wood came from. If you run a butcher shop, BBQ store, or market booth, we also offer wholesale pricing with custom-branded bags.

Ready for your next cook? Grab a bag of bourbon barrel smoker chunks or get in touch about bulk and wholesale orders.