I talk to lots of people about smoke-cooking in my customer service job, and the Creosote Chicken problem comes up from time to time with people who have never smoked a chicken before. When you use too much wood the Bitter Beer Face kicks in and it can really ruin the pat on the back that you want with your smoked food. When this happens I ask my customer how much wood they are using, and most of the time that is the problem. Here is what I suggest:

• On chickens (one - three birds in a Smokette) I usually only put a piece or a piece and a half of Cookshack smoking wood, at the most. I like to use apple or cherry wood on poultry.
• For briskets I recommend one1 to 2 chunks, depending on the size of the brisket. I prefer to use hickory on my beef, but this is a matter of personal preference.
• I use one piece of mild wood, like apple or cherry, on pork.
• On any seafood I use one small chunk of wood because the fish can absorb more of the smoke flavor and I only use the apple and cherry. They have a mild flavor that enhances the seafood.

As you can tell I like smoke flavor but too much can make the Bitter Beer Face appear!