Skip to main content
Logo - Bunnings Warehouse Festive - 2024

Sign in or sign up

No Bunnings account? Sign up
PowerPass customer?
Visit the dedicated trade website

Project list

Sign in to your account

Ready to Collect in 2 hours

How to use smoking chips

BBQ smoker with smoke coming through opening.
Smoking chips are one of the easiest ways to introduce that delicious smoky flavour to your barbecuing. We'll take you through some of the basics to help you introduce smoking chips to your repertoire.

What are smoking chips?

Smoking chips are the most commonly used and readily available option for smoked cooking. They are made from small scraps and shavings of wood. Lightweight and easy to handle, they ignite and burn quickly, which makes them ideal for all kinds of short or slow cooking on the BBQ.

Depending on what kind of food you like to cook, there's a smoking chip variety or blend to match. The great thing is, you can use smoking chips on all kinds of hooded BBQs, whether you have gas or charcoal fuelled.

What different kinds of smoking chips are there?

There are a number of different woods and blends used to make smoking chips. Certain varieties of smoking chips are better suited to different types of cooking. The type or blend of smoking chips you use can make a big difference to the flavour.

Smoking chips made from a blend of fruit and nut woods, like apple, cherry, alder and mesquite, are great for cooking chicken, pork or fish. These chips give off a mild smoke that has a hint of sweetness.

Hickory smoking chips have a stronger flavour and are a great option for thicker cuts of red meats or pork. While a blend of hickory and mesquite is perfect for beef and lamb.

How do I use smoking chips?

The important thing to remember when using smoking chips is to soak them first. Otherwise they tend to burn out too quickly before they've had the chance to add any real flavour. The idea is to soak them first in a bowl of water for 30 minutes. The added moisture slows down the smoking time and can increase the amount of smoke released. If you're slow cooking for longer periods, you may need to soak enough chips to allow for a few top ups as you go.

You can use smoking chips in a hooded or kettle BBQs. When cooking on a gas-fuelled hooded BBQ, you need to contain the smoking chips in a smoker box. Or you can make your own container by wrapping the chips tightly in aluminium foil and poking a few holes through the top with a skewer. Once you have soaked your chips for 30 minutes, fill up the box or foil and just place it on the grill. If you have a charcoal fuelled kettle BBQ, you can simply scatter the smoking chips over the top of your coals.

Make sure you keep the lid closed for as long as possible to retain the most smoke and give your food the best chance of capturing the flavour.

Get barbecuing

Planning a BBQ? Check out our wide range of BBQs and accessories.

Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.