How Long to Soak Wood Chips for Smoking, by Wood Type

Soak times for wood chips run 30 minutes for thin apple or cherry chips up to about 2 hours for dense mesquite or hickory — but soaking only wets the outer 1/64 inch of a chip, about 3-6% of its weight. What soaking actually changes is timing: wet chips need 20-40 minutes to boil off that surface moisture before they start producing real smoke instead of steam. This guide gives soak times by wood type, the correct soaking method, and when skipping the soak works better.

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What Soaking Actually Does to Wood Chips

Wood is a closed-cell structure, so water mostly can’t force its way past the surface no matter how long chips sit in a bowl. A dye-penetration test found soaked chips absorb water only into surface cracks, reaching roughly 1/64 inch into the interior even after a full day submerged.

📊 Soaked wood chips gain only about 3-6% extra weight in water, and it penetrates roughly 1/64 inch deep — surface only. — Source: AmazingRibs.com wood-soaking test

That thin surface layer still has an effect: wet wood can’t climb past 212°F, water’s boiling point, until it dries out, while dry wood heads straight for its roughly 575°F combustion point. That’s the 20-40 minute delay smokers notice, and it’s steam coming off the chips during that stall, not smoke. For the full breakdown of this science and what to use instead by grill type, see our companion guide, Should You Soak Wood Chips Before Smoking? Why Dry Wins.

How Long to Soak Wood Chips by Type

If you’re going to soak, match the time to the wood. Denser species take longer to wet the surface evenly and burn slower once they catch, so a longer soak keeps them from drying out mid-cook.

Wood Type	Density	Soak Time	Best For
Apple	Light	30 minutes	Poultry, fish, pork
Cherry	Light	30 minutes	Poultry, pork, cheese
Hickory	Medium-dense	45-60 minutes	Ribs, brisket, bacon
Oak	Dense	1 hour	Beef, lamb, long smokes
Mesquite	Very dense	1-2 hours	Beef, used sparingly

Chip size matters as much as species — fine, thin chips reach their (limited) moisture saturation faster than thick chunks, so if your bag runs small, the low end of each range is usually enough. For more on how oak and other wood fuel types compare for smoking, see our species guides.

How to Soak Wood Chips the Right Way

If you’ve decided a soak fits your cook, follow these steps so the chips are evenly wetted and properly drained before they hit the heat. For the full walkthrough of loading and maintaining chips once they’re in your smoker, see our guide to using wood chips in a smoker.

1. Choose your soak time: Pick a soak time from the table above based on your wood species and chip size — 30 minutes for apple or cherry, up to 2 hours for mesquite or hickory.
2. Submerge the chips fully: Fill a bowl or bucket with enough water to fully cover the chips, then press them down so no piece floats above the surface.
3. Let them sit for the chosen time: Leave the chips submerged for the full soak time. Don’t rush this step or the chips will only pick up a thin surface layer of moisture.
4. Drain thoroughly: Pour off the water and let the chips sit in a colander for 5 minutes so they aren’t dripping wet when they hit the heat.
5. Load them into your smoker or grill: Add the drained chips directly to your smoker box, foil pouch, or coals. Expect a 20-40 minute steam delay before real smoke starts.

Skipping the drain step is the most common mistake here — chips that go into a smoker box still dripping add extra water weight that only lengthens the steam delay covered above.

Soaking Wood Chips in Bourbon, Beer, or Apple Juice

Soaking in flavored liquid works differently than soaking in plain water — the goal isn’t smoke control, it’s getting a trace of that liquid’s flavor onto the chip surface before it burns. Mix about 1 part bourbon, beer, or apple juice to 2 parts water, then soak for at least 24 hours so the liquid actually reaches the surface fibers instead of just the outer coating.

Drain the chips and let them air-dry for 10-15 minutes before loading them — used wet, they create the same steam delay as a plain water soak, and any alcohol left on the surface can flare up unexpectedly near an open flame.

Factors That Change Your Soaking Time

• Chip size: Small, fine chips reach surface saturation faster than large chunks — use the low end of the range in the table above.
• Wood density: Denser hardwoods like oak and mesquite take longer to wet evenly than lighter fruitwoods like apple and cherry.
• Water temperature: Warm water speeds up surface absorption slightly, though the 1/64-inch depth limit still applies regardless of temperature.
• Cook length: A quick 30-minute grill session rarely benefits from any soak; a multi-hour smoke is the only real use case for a longer one.

Common Mistakes When Soaking Wood Chips

• Soaking for a short cook. A 20-40 minute steam delay eats most of a quick grill session’s smoke window.
• Leaving chips submerged for days. Extra time doesn’t add more moisture past the 3-6% saturation point — it just raises the risk of mold, especially in warm weather.
• Skipping the drain. Dripping-wet chips add extra water weight that only lengthens the steam phase.
• Soaking wood pellets. Pellets are compressed sawdust with no binder once wet — they swell and break apart, and can jam an auger-fed pellet smoker. Never soak pellets, only chips or chunks.

When Skipping the Soak Works Better

For most cooks — a weeknight grill session, a gas grill smoker box, anything under about 45 minutes — dry chips outperform soaked ones. They light faster, skip the steam delay, and produce the same smoke flavor once they catch, since soaking never added meaningful flavor to begin with. Use a vented foil pouch or metal smoker box to control flare-ups instead of water. Our companion article, Should You Soak Wood Chips Before Smoking? Why Dry Wins, covers the full science and a two-tray method for stretching smoke on very long, unattended cooks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you soak wood chips by type?

Thin, fast-burning chips like apple and cherry only need about 30 minutes. Denser woods like hickory need closer to an hour, and mesquite — the densest common option — can take up to 2 hours to fully saturate on the surface. Going longer than 2 hours doesn’t add meaningful extra moisture; the wood is essentially saturated at that point.

Do you need to soak wood chips before smoking on a gas grill?

No. Soaked chips add a 20-40 minute steam delay before they produce real smoke, which can stall a gas grill’s smoker box. Dry chips in a vented foil pouch or metal smoker box set over a hot burner smolder faster and more reliably than soaked ones.

Can you oversoak wood chips?

Not in the sense of adding too much water — wood only absorbs 3-6% extra weight regardless of soak time. But leaving chips submerged for days risks mold, especially in warm weather, and moldy chips should be thrown out, not used in a smoker.

How long should you soak wood chips in bourbon or apple juice?

For flavor infusion rather than smoke control, soak chips in a mix of roughly 1 part liquid to 2 parts water for at least 24 hours so the flavor has time to reach the surface. Drain and let the chips air-dry for 10-15 minutes before use, or they’ll produce the same steam delay as a plain water soak.

Is it better to soak or use dry wood chips?

For most cooks under an hour, dry wins — it lights faster and skips the steam delay. Soaking is only worth doing for very long, unattended smokes where you want a slower-burning top layer of chips on a dry base. Our full breakdown of the science is in Should You Soak Wood Chips Before Smoking?

Conclusion

If you’re soaking wood chips, match the time to the wood: 30 minutes for apple or cherry, up to 2 hours for mesquite. Just know that soaking mainly delays when smoke starts, not how it tastes — for short cooks and gas grills, dry chips in a vented pouch or smoker box are the more reliable choice.