# Are there any woods you can't cook over?



## johndeereg (May 29, 2014)

Maybe a dumb questions, but are there any types of wood that you can't use for cooking out over? Is hemlock ok?


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## Red Elm (May 30, 2014)

Well, I wouldn't say you CAN'T cook over it, but rail road ties kinda leave an after taste on s' mores!





Just kidding!


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## fubar2 (May 30, 2014)

You can cook over anything that produces heat, some things just make it taste better than others.


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## Red Elm (May 30, 2014)

Red cedar can give stuff a "sappy" or "sooty" taste.


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## ijon1 (May 30, 2014)

I would think osage orange.


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## olyman (May 30, 2014)

don't believe, id use walnut,,nor certain pines, because of the pine sap.. me thinks it would be funky tasting..


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## Cheesecutter (May 30, 2014)

In my opinion never cook directly over anything of the pine family(if your cooking in a pan, that's different). They produce soot as mentioned above. I know southern yellow pine will coat your food with black soot that can make you sick. Red pine burns hot enough to melt aluminum "pudgy pie" makers, OOPS.... If you let it get down to just the coals , I would guess it would be alright to use almost any kind of wood.


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## Red Elm (May 30, 2014)

I'd probably steer away from black and honey locust for the same reason, sooty I suspect.


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## olyman (May 30, 2014)

Cheesecutter said:


> In my opinion never cook directly over anything of the pine family(if your cooking in a pan, that's different). They produce soot as mentioned above. I know southern yellow pine will coat your food with black soot that can make you sick. Red pine burns hot enough to melt aluminum "pudgy pie" makers, OOPS.... If you let it get down to just the coals , I would guess it would be alright to use almost any kind of wood.


 true dat........


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## steved (May 30, 2014)

Tree of Heaven...and probably any other Sumac...


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## djones (May 30, 2014)

Natale


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## chucker (May 30, 2014)

? green treated preserved lumber??


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## brenndatomu (May 30, 2014)

Anything that had/has any poison ivy on it!


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## CTYank (May 30, 2014)

Red Elm said:


> I'd probably steer away from black and honey locust for the same reason, sooty I suspect.



Really not likely. Not pitchy woods.


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## bert the turtle (May 31, 2014)

steved said:


> Tree of Heaven...and probably any other Sumac...


I've used TOH a lot in my pizza oven without trouble. That isn't direct cooking over the flames, but rather cooking adjacent to live fire. Never noticed any stink from it. Some of the TOH trees seem to stink and some don't. The ones I used happened to not be stinkers.


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## Winn R (May 31, 2014)

sassafras, or the oil in it, is a known carcinogenic. It used to be my favorite smoker wood and I've got no idea if the smoke is actually hazardous but after I looked at a beautiful smoked brisket and didn't want to eat it, I knew I couldn't cook over it anymore.


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## 7sleeper (May 31, 2014)

As a general rule most softwoods are a no go. For me the hardwoods that I like a lot is birch, beech and of course apple or similar but they are seldom available. If you are afraid of any carcingenics or bad tastes then just wait until the wood has turned to a nice glowing coal pile. All "tastes" have burned off by then. 

But we have to determine WHAT you mean by _*cooking over*_. If it means over live fire in a open pan=> then I go after above rule. If it means a closed pot => I don't care what wood it is. If it means having a traditional wood stove in you kitchen => I don't care what wood it is.

7


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## Hddnis (May 31, 2014)

I've cooked over pine, cedar, hemlock, poplar, in a pan, roasted hot dogs, fish, cuts of meat, and toasted bread. Over a hot fire and hold it out of the smoke and it won't matter, you are using the heat and not the smoke.

If'n I'm cooking and the smoke is part of the flavoring process than I've used cedar, pear, plum, apple, hickory, juneberry, hawthorne and a bunch of others I'm forgetting ATM. Other than cedar they are all hardwoods, but there are plenty of hardwoods you don't want to use because of what they leave in the meat. I don't have a list of the undesirable hardwoods off the top of my head but I know I've seen one online somewhere.




Mr. HE


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## Sawyer Rob (Jun 1, 2014)

7sleeper said:


> But we have to determine WHAT you mean by _*cooking over*_. If it means over live fire in a open pan=> then I go after above rule. If it means a closed pot => I don't care what wood it is. If it means having a traditional wood stove in you kitchen => I don't care what wood it is.
> 7



+1

I don't much care what wood I use when I cook with my wood cook stove,







Mostly I burn small scraps that are laying around my BSM,






but I like the pine knobs I saw off logs best. No matter, it all makes heat!






SR


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## svk (Jun 1, 2014)

For cooking directly over a fire, just about any unseasoned/green conifer is going to be pretty sooty. That can be an issue when camping as seasoned wood isn't always available. My favorite "first night" dinner in canoe country is t-bones on the fire grate so I've had this issue a few times. 

Much prefer something that coals up if available. If you can get a fire going with whatever and then throw some green birch or especially maple on you can get some nice smoke.


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## Whitespider (Jun 2, 2014)

This time of the year we cook on the fire pit most evenings. I'm assuming you're talkin' 'bout open grilling, which should be approached differently than "smoking". When "smoking" food, the choice of wood species can be very important.

I don't have all the different species that's been mentioned in this thread available, but I've never found any wood that will produce a bed of coals to be actually "bad" for grilling over. Some would think elm should leave a bad taste... but it is my "go to" when I need a long, hot burning coal bed for things like chicken. Something that cooks relatively quick, such as beef steak, can be cooked over near any short-lived coal bed... but because it is a "sliced" meat it will pick up more flavor. "Sliced" meats are best over hard maples and oaks IMHO... but I've done them over most anything 'round here except Box Elder, and I don't remember any of them being "bad".

The trick is to build the right type of fire for cooking (grilling), and one the will heat long enough for what it is you're cooking. If the coal bed cools before you're done cooking it's near impossible to add more "fuel" to the fire without creating flame and excessive smoke... flame that will burn and scorch food, and excessive smoke that will soot-blacken it (not to mention it gets in your eyes). Some woods coal-up better than others, some coal-up faster, some create "hotter" coals, some create longer burning coals, etc. I like to use split firewood, small splits (like 2-3 inches), because they burn and coal-up fast and evenly... learning how many to use is a trial 'n' error thing depending on the type of wood and what you're cooking.

I can tell you that...

Ash doesn't coal-up worth cold owl squat, and what coals you do get burn cool and fast... I won't use it for cooking.
Walnut coals-up OK, but tends to ash-over rapidly causing a cool burning coal bed, stirring them to get the heat back sends piles of ash floating up into the food... it's hot-dog cooking fuel.
Most pines and firs will make a bed of coals real fast (handy if you're in a hurry), I would rate both the heat and available cooking time as moderate... great hamburger cooking, fine for most vegetables and "sliced" meats, but there are better choices if time ain't a factor.
Oaks and hard maples make wonderful coal beds with plenty of heat and time for most cooking... you can cook your potatoes and whatnot, and still have plenty of heat left for your "sliced" meats.
I ain't found any wood that will produce a bed of coals that burns longer and hotter than elm, perfect for chicken (whole or cut), whole ham, whole turkey breasts, and the like... plus, there's still enough heat after the meal so kids can roast marshmallows and such.
Cherry ain't the best "grilling" wood, but if you "knock-down" the fire just before it turns to coals you can get a pretty good "smoke" going that will add some unique flavor to sliced meats... I often use cherry for grilling pork chops, sliced ham, ribs that have been pre-baked, and the like.
Soft maples and such are fine for burgers, hot-dogs, bratwurst, cheaper cuts of beef such as round steak, cheaper cuts of pork such as those "steak" things... for the most part I use soft maples for late evening "sit-around-the-fire" fuel.
Willow, Basswood, and the like just refuse to make a usable coal bed... trying to cook over a flaming and/or excessively smoking fire sucks sour owl crap.


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## Cheesecutter (Jun 2, 2014)

I never really gave it much thought, but soot is basically creosote coating on your food. YUMMY!!!!


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## Whitespider (Jun 2, 2014)

If you allow the wood to burn-down into a glowing bed of coals (no flame or black/gray smoke) before cooking, soot will not be an issue.
From what I've seen, that's the most common mistake made when cooking over a "camp" fire... not waiting for, or preparing the the coal bed.
*


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## old_soul (Jun 2, 2014)

Whitespider said:


> This time of the year we cook on the fire pit most evenings. I'm assuming you're talkin' 'bout open grilling, which should be approached differently than "smoking". When "smoking" food, the choice of wood species can be very important.
> 
> I don't have all the different species that's been mentioned in this thread available, but I've never found any wood that will produce a bed of coals to be actually "bad" for grilling over. Some would think elm should leave a bad taste... but it is my "go to" when I need a long, hot burning coal bed for things like chicken. Something that cooks relatively quick, such as beef steak, can be cooked over near any short-lived coal bed... but because it is a "sliced" meat it will pick up more flavor. "Sliced" meats are best over hard maples and oaks IMHO... but I've done them over most anything 'round here except Box Elder, and I don't remember any of them being "bad".
> 
> ...


Wow there's a ton of good info here!

I like to shovel coals out of the flames and make a little area to grill on. People always look at me like I'm crazy. As they char a hot dog over direct flames.

My neighbor used to save dogwood trees for outdoor grilling. Coaled up real nice.


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## old_soul (Jun 2, 2014)

bert the turtle said:


> I've used TOH a lot in my pizza oven without trouble. That isn't direct cooking over the flames, but rather cooking adjacent to live fire. Never noticed any stink from it. Some of the TOH trees seem to stink and some don't. The ones I used happened to not be stinkers.



YUM

Don't know why anyone would want to cook pizza over tree of heaven wood, people won't even burn that for firewood around here.

Nasty trees, junk wood


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## Ash_403 (Jun 2, 2014)

Some good information here.

I have also found soft maple to be great for grilling out burgers, hotdogs, etc. It is plentiful around my area too, so no problems finding a small supply for grilling.
Mulberry is also nice to have around, adding to the maple for a longer lasting coal bed. I also use cherry wood sometimes in place of the soft maple...with little difference.


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## bert the turtle (Jun 2, 2014)

old_soul said:


> YUM
> 
> Don't know why anyone would want to cook pizza over tree of heaven wood, people won't even burn that for firewood around here.
> 
> Nasty trees, junk wood



I'm trying to eradicate them. I try to kill them with the chainsaw, they try to kill me by dropping branches randomly out of the sky. So far I'm winning, but it ain't over yet. I've only got 5 left that I know about. 

If I have to cut it down, and it is big enough to split, it is going out up the chimney. TOH, sweet gum, pine, I don't care. Properly dried it all burns fine. The TOH doesn't stink once it is dry, it doesn't throw sparks onto the pizza, so into the oven it goes. Pizza cooks next to the fire not over it, so it doesn't cause trouble. Once it is burned down to coals, it doesn't much matter what kind of wood it was. Works to heat the house as well.

I kept it 75-80 in the house this winter mostly with TOH and pine, with a little sweet gum when I wanted to go high end. Highly insulated house, efficient stove and a refill before work, after work, and before bed. No shortage of firewood when you can do well with what nobody else wants.


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## svk (Jun 2, 2014)

bert the turtle said:


> I'm trying to eradicate them. I try to kill them with the chainsaw, they try to kill me by dropping branches randomly out of the sky. So far I'm winning, but it ain't over yet. I've only got 5 left that I know about.


LOL sounds like my vendetta with the balsam. 



bert the turtle said:


> If I have to cut it down, and it is big enough to split, it is going out up the chimney.


Agree again.


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## Dalmatian90 (Jun 3, 2014)

Whitespider said:


> From what I've seen, that's the most common mistake made when cooking over a "camp" fire... not waiting for, or preparing the the coal bed.
> *



Something about that post made something click in my head.

In addition to cooking "over" coals, and smoking, let's not forget traditional roasting -- which they did in front of a fire, often with a "reflector" to keep the wind off the meat and keep it a bit hotter as it's turned:







I've read about it in old kitchens (there was even a breed of dog in England that ran in a wheel to turn the spit), I've seen it in re-enactment camps. Never thought of why before -- but for big cuts of meat like a turkey or roast beef it lets you keep adding wood to the fire w/o worrying about smoke or flares ups from the drippings.


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## greendohn (Jun 3, 2014)

I smoke meat more than I grill meat,,we don't eat much beef, never have.
I build a fire of ash, hickory, pecan, maple,or a combination of at least a couple types and shovel the coals into the smoker. If I need to add a couple of small splits to hold the heat, I'll keep an eyeball on it and use a spray bottle to knock the flames down or beer. Sometimes I'll cheat and toss a handful of store bought charcoal into the coals to hold heat longer.
No walnut, locust or the like. Oak and apple are great but I don't come across a lot of it.


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## greendohn (Jun 3, 2014)

If it's just me and a couple buddies sitting 'round the fire pit with open flames, it's good ol' Johnsonville brats, (sweet Italian) on skewers/long forks and indirect heat just off the edge of the fire ring.


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## gilahelio (Jun 4, 2014)

johndeereg said:


> Maybe a dumb questions, but are there any types of wood that you can't use for cooking out over? Is hemlock ok?


Oleander can kill, Chaparral "Creosote" can be toxic. There must be others. Toxins are how some plants protect themselves from being on the menu.


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## TheLazyBFarm (Jun 4, 2014)

Here you go:


"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as *PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.* Also *ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER* wood is unsuitable for smoking."

To that list I would add: painted, stained or pressure treated wood or any type of finished wood (2x lumber)

From here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/guide-for-woods-used-to-smoke-food


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## Whitespider (Jun 5, 2014)

TheLazyBFarm said:


> *"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE ... CEDAR. Also ELM... "*



So how is it I'm still alive a kicking??
*


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## Hddnis (Jun 5, 2014)

TheLazyBFarm said:


> Here you go:
> 
> 
> "Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as *PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.* Also *ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER* wood is unsuitable for smoking."
> ...





That list is pretty much hogwash, for starters grilling salmon on cedar planks is some of the best eating ever.

Lots of pine used for grilling out west here in campfires, to say nothing of conifers in general, and other than making the big cities very liberal there are no known side effects.

A lot of briquettes are made from conifers too, of course it is mostly charcoal at that point so it doesn't matter as much.




Mr. HE


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## crotchclimber (Jun 5, 2014)

I accidentally threw some cypress (Italian probably) into the bbq pit once. Then once I started smelling it burning I yanked it back out. It's probably the worst of the conifers in terms of volatiles that will contaminate your food.


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## Bob95065 (Jun 11, 2014)

I cut and burn a lot of eucalyptus for heat. I wouldn't want to cook over it. The thought of a steak with a slight cough drop taste doesn't sound too appetizing.


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## peakbagger (Jun 11, 2014)

Someone told me that burning rhododendron was not recommended for cooking or even for a campfire


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