Smokin meat

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Anybody tried smokin meats with alder? I use a lot of white oak and hickory here in Tennessee and really like to combine the two. I use a gas smoker and occasionally an old charcoal,but prefer the gas. I'd like to get some alder if anyones got any. Heck i'd pay a little to have some smokin chips or chunks mailed to me. Many thanks

 

[pacman]

Man alder is every where here in Tennessee .

Opps I ment elder . Sorry .

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I tried it once and it was bitter, however afterward I found out there was a small chance it was Box Alder which probably is different. I like to use chicken when trying different woods for the first time. I find that it is easier to taste the subtleties of the smoke with it.

 

[Crofter]

Lots of hardwoods can be used if you take the bark off. I prefer to take it off even from apple or maple as I like the smoke effect only in small doses!

 

[scottr]

Clearview, the Alder that grows here is more of a large bush in the bottom lands. My uncle has used it to smoke salmon and said it was delicious. I noticed the small cones on the bushes and looked it up.

 

[JBinKC]

Alder is the wood of choice for smoking salmon and trout

 

[046]

smoker nut here!!!

been smoking meats for years... that and grilling with natural lump charcoal. I make some of the best BBQ anywhere!!!

Oklahoma Joe smoker and Hasty Bake did most of cooking duties.
Recently purchased a custom trailer mounted smoker. 3ft X 30in cooking chamber with a 2ft x 18in fire box, which is small by trailer mounted standards. just right for me.. still can easily feed 250+ folks.

general rule of thumb is to use fruit bearing wood. some like oak needs to be well seasoned vs hickory likes to lightly seasoned. I like pecan to be medium seasoned. bark can cause bitterness.

some folks like to cover their meats and that comes out great. but I prefer to control my wood fire and cook uncovered end to end.

some meats do better cooked fast over open coals like high quality steaks and boneless chicken breasts.... always cook by temperature... thermometer tells the true story.. at least 225 f but not over 275f , don't

 

[timberwolf]

Green alder is said to be the best of the best.

I like apple, stinks like dog crap, but puts a great taste to pork. Cherry is good too. Maple also, but not good if it has started to spalt and get full of fungus. Spruce bad:monkey: , tried that on waleye up north in a fish camp where it was spruce or willow, the willow was better.

 

[AKRover]

The last few times I fired up my smoker I just grabbed some paper birch from the wood pile, scraped the bark off, and got it burning. Tasted good, although it was a little black.

I have been wanting to try some Alder since that's what the Alaska Natives have used to smoke their fish for as long as they have been here. Unfortunately I never think about this when I'm out cutting wood so I never bring any home.

 

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Chips/Chunks soaked in water

Do you guys soak your wood in water? I've had great luck and food prepared that way. The soaking makes it smoke for a good while. we like to mix white oak and hickory. Makes some mean beer can chicken that way. Come to find out, the finer steak houses here like The Peddler in Gatlinburg and Aubrey's in Knoxville use only white oak. Man Wood Scrounger , i bet you got sick as a dog eating bbq cooked over box elder. That stuff is aweful and smells like dog sh_t!!!No offense though. BLAAARRRRGGGGHHHH:help:

 

[046]

here's my smoker in action as I post this..
18lb brisket seasoned with my home made rub. plus a few chunks of bolona thrown in...

cooking at aprox. 250f using lightly seasoned hickory and pecan.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

Do you guys soak your wood in water? I've had great luck and food prepared that way. The soaking makes it smoke for a good while. we like to mix white oak and hickory. Makes some mean beer can chicken that way. Come to find out, the finer steak houses here like The Peddler in Gatlinburg and Aubrey's in Knoxville use only white oak. Man Wood Scrounger , i bet you got sick as a dog eating bbq cooked over box elder. That stuff is aweful and smells like dog sh_t!!!No offense though. BLAAARRRRGGGGHHHH:help:

Na it was so bitter more then a couple of bites were all I could manage. I am not 100% sure it was Box Alder but it was bad. That happens to my smoking from time to time; I had a strange experience I describe in the mulberry thread. I will use a new wood and it has a bitter or chemical taste to it from time to time. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong but then I will use Apple or Hickory it comes out great everytime.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

here's my smoker in action as I post this..
18lb brisket seasoned with my home made rub. plus a few chunks of bolona thrown in...

cooking at aprox. 250f using lightly seasoned hickory and pecan.

Man I would put a hurtin on that brisket MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[Austin1]

Green alder is said to be the best of the best.

I like apple, stinks like dog crap, but puts a great taste to pork. Cherry is good too. Maple also, but not good if it has started to spalt and get full of fungus. Spruce bad:monkey: , tried that on waleye up north in a fish camp where it was spruce or willow, the willow was better.

+1 I remember roasting hot dogs over some pitchy, is pitchy a word? Pine. Tasted like I dipped them in Gin!

 

[046]

that 18lb brisket ended up taking right at 11 hours to finish cooking.

smoking meats is an art... each piece of meat is slightly different. wood is always finicky with amount of heat/smoke produced slightly different each load. then factor that with outside conditions affecting cooking temps. then each piece of meat is marbled differently. all these factors can make a similar sized brisket cook completely different.

what tells when brisket is done is internal temps. that and you can tell from experience what a brisket looks and feel like when done.

here's a series of pic's showing different stages in the pit... I took a picture each time I checked progress over the entire 11 or so hours. you don't want to open the pit up too much as each time you open up pit, temps drops.

towards the end when I felt meat was drying out. mopped brisket with 1/2 cup of 50/50 mix of lemon juice and veg oil.

 

[Zodiac45]

Nice job and pix 046! The brisket looks amazing. That's a labour of love man! Quite the cool Q'in unit you've built though. Is that baloney your grillin? Hmmmmm? I'll take the brisket

Now, as for the alder, we've got loads of it up here in Maine. It likes wetlands and actually creates them the way it lumps up it's roots above ground. I've got two good sized patches of it along both sides of my driveway. Can't kill the stuff. If you cut it, it just regrows out of the stump. If I had a chipper, I'd bag some up and send it out. I've used it too build some outdoor furniture similar to what you'd do with willow. Never smoked with it though. I use apple because I've got loads of that too. Have too give it a try, lately I've been into dry rubs for the meat

 

[Jred]

I've read where alder is the first choice for smoking fish.

 

[BlackCatBone]

Na it was so bitter more then a couple of bites were all I could manage. I am not 100% sure it was Box Alder but it was bad. That happens to my smoking from time to time; I had a strange experience I describe in the mulberry thread. I will use a new wood and it has a bitter or chemical taste to it from time to time. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong but then I will use Apple or Hickory it comes out great everytime.

A bitter taste on the outside can be a few things. I will list them, and if you see one that rings a bell, I can offer more information.

1. closing the outlet damper on your smoker--never do this
2. smoldering low temp fire--you want a clear burning hot fire
3. overly green wood--usually doesn't burn hot and clean
4. too much smoke--cover your food after 4-6 hours of smoke or change your fuel to charcoal.
5. putting your meat in the smoker when it's cold--never do this, let it set out while youre getting the fire ready (30 min to 1 hour)
6. your smoker is dirty with creosote--this nasty stuff will taint the foods taste, brush clean and then burn a "hellfire" in there to burn off.
7. rancid pork products--chain grocery stores are notorious for this, it can taste weird and chemically, smell your pork product before you commence seasoning.

 

[Frank Boyer]

I've been doing BBQ competitions since 1993. The main cause of to much smoke is a smoldering fire. Almost all hard woods and fruit woods are good to cook on. If the smoke from the fire smells bad, the food will taste bad. Most comp teams use charcoal for heat and a couple of pieces of flavor wood. Taking your time is a key ingredient in good BBQ. I have 4 different cookers that will feed 150 to 200 people.

 

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Cajun Injector Marinade

You guys tried the cajun injector for marinade yet? I smoked a turkey over hickory for thanksgiving and injected there "Creole Butter" marinade. It was real good stuff. BASS PRO SHOPS,INC sells the injector and a 16 oz jar of marinade(they have at least a 100 varieties of marinades) for $4.00. give it a try and i'm sure you;ll be glad you did. preciate the tips on the smoke too.