Have you ever heard that you should soak wood chips for at least 30 minutes before putting them on a charcoal or gas grill? I know I have, and when I first started using them, that’s exactly what I did. But why was I hearing this?
Supposedly, soaking wood chips in water for 30 minutes will help the wood chips smoke longer. And when we’re smoking on the grill, don’t we want as much smoke as possible?
But if you stop and think about it, doesn’t adding water to your grill in the form of wet wood seem counterintuitive to the smoking process? That’s what I thought. So after doing some research, I found there’s no reason to soak wood chips. In fact, adding wet wood chips to a charcoal grill can negatively affect the cooking and smoking process.
So let’s talk about why I’m pouring cold water on this idea.
To Soak Wood Chips Or Not To Soak Wood Chips, That Is The Question
In my experience, I do not think there is any need to soak wood chips for the vast majority of smoking applications. By soaking the wood chips, all I’m doing is delaying smoke production.
But why do we read about these recommendations? To answer this question, I had to look at the arguments for why people say we need to soak wood chips. One of the biggest arguments is that soaking prevents them from burning up quickly and you get a longer period of smoking.
And as I said in my answer, that’s partially true. Soaked wood chips will last longer on the grill than fully dry wood chips. But the wood chips themselves aren’t producing more smoke or smoking for longer. It’s simply because all that water has to evaporate off before the wood can start smoking.
Before the wood chips can reach the temperature of wood combustion (anywhere between 450°-575°F), all that water needs to boil off. That means the wood chips will simply sit at 212°F (the boiling point of water at sea level, your elevation will affect that boiling point) until the wood is dry enough to burn. So when we put soaked wood chips on the grill, they don’t generate light smoke at first, it’s just steam from the water boiling off.
So, all I accomplished by soaking wood chips for at least half an hour was delaying the wood chips from catching fire.
Other Problems From Soaking Wood Chips
As I said in the introduction, adding water in the form of soaked wood chips seems counterintuitive. Those water-soaked wood chips can (and likely will) cause the temperature of your grill to drop.
When it comes to smoking meat, one of the most important parts of the process is keeping stable temperatures. It’s why a lot of people love the simplicity and convenience of a pellet grill versus using an offset smoker. Having the grill itself manage the temperatures is a lot easier than managing a fire yourself.
However, when you’re trying to smoke on a charcoal grill, the temperature control is a lot different. If you put wet wood chips on burning charcoal, it’s going to adversely affect your temperatures. It’s going to cause those hot coals to get colder and not burn as well.
Is It Okay To Soak Wood Chips?
Just because I don’t think it’s necessary doesn’t mean it’s not okay to soak wood chips. Plenty of people do it and don’t ruin their food.
And weirdly enough, there are times when it’s useful for the precise reason I don’t soak wood chips normally. You can actually use that delayed start to the burning process to your advantage on a charcoal grill.

Rather than having to put a new load of wood chips in every so often, you can double that time. Instead of adding one aluminum foil packet of chips every time, add one packet of dry wood chips and one packet of chips that have been soaked. So by the time the first packet has burned off and created smoke, the second packet is ready to actually start burning.
FAQs:
Question: Can Wood Chips Be Soaked For Too Long?
Answer: Yes, but it’s pretty darn hard to do. Most places recommend soaking them for half an hour or so. Honestly, the water barely penetrates the wood. Some people will soak the chips up to 24 hours and they will be perfectly fine. You would have to keep the chips in water for a very long time to actually start breaking down the wood in order to ruin the chips. So while it is possible, it’s highly unlikely you’re going to have that happen in normal circumstances.
Question: What Liquid Is Best To Soak Wood Chips In?
Answer: The most commonly used liquid is simply water. However, there are those who see it as an opportunity to add even more flavor by soaking their chips in beer or different juices. However, due to the heat and flames, this doesn’t really add a whole lot of flavor. It can also create a mess because of the sugars caramelizing. For my money, just stick with your preferred flavor of wood and focus on seasoning your meat well.
Question: When Should I Use Wood Chips Vs Wood Chunks
Answer: Most electric or propane smokers for backyard use are designed for wood chips. I’ve used wood chips on my charcoal grill as well as gas grills. Wood chunks are ideal for longer smoking times on a charcoal grill. For more information, check our breakdown of these two forms of wood.

Final Thoughts
So should you or I be soaking wood chips before putting them on to smoke? It’s a completely unnecessary step in my opinion, outside of using the delayed smoke tactic I described above. The chips won’t give you more smoke, just a delayed start to smoking.
Are you a fan of soaking wood chips? Let me know your tips and tricks for using them to smoke on the grill!