But how do you achieve this. It is not just a matter of throwing some hardwood chips into the barbecue or grill. A little organisation and effort will pay dividends.

Firstly, a few hours before the cookout, you should soak your hardwood in water. The wood should be saturated but not dripping water when you add them to the grill. So you should leave the wood chips to drain a while after you take them out of the water. Keep them handy so that when you are ready to start cooking, you can add them. If you are using a charcoal barbecue, add the soaked hardwood chippings directly to the coals after the fire has died down. Don't add them too far in advance of the food otherwise you will be wasting some of the initial intense flavors.

If you are a gas griller, you will need to make sure that the wood and grill flames are kept separate. There are two reasons, you don't want the ash to get in the burners and clog up the nozzles and also you don't want the wood to burn too fast. The wood should smoulder in order to release the smoke that will add the taste to the food. You can get devices for doing just that from grill and barbecue outlets, but if you are a cheapskate, make your own using a couple of foil dishes. Place the soaked smoking wood in one dish, cover it with the other and punch holes in the top to let the smoke through. But beware, the foil can actually melt which leaves you in a real mess! It is worth investing a few bucks in a proper wood smoker box.

So what you waitin' for, grab some woodchips, water, your grill and some food and start cookin'!

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