just go to show you. it depends on what and how the wood smoked meat was cooked. me and mine like pecan. in alaska they like cottonwood i don't even burn cottonwood in my fire for heat but. just saying.
Wood smoking/barbecue wood thread
- Thread starter Iowawoodguy
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I mostly have red oak, red maple and Bradford pear that I use. It kind of depends what has come down lately, but with time to season, I have also used a variety of other woods. I also cook, grill and barbecue (same thing?) besides smoking, sometimes all at the same time, so anything pretty much goes. Other woods I have used include crape myrtle, peach, white oak, sweet gum, dogwood, redbud, cherry, a mystery wood my son brought home from a landscaping job once, etc.
Regular size splits, fist size chunks, twigs, small branches, big splits and whole 6 to 8 inch rounds for smoking for hours all get used. No charcoal, no lighter fluid; just paper and match to get fire going.
Brick and mortar grill with doors in the chimney where food goes for smoking.
Regular size splits, fist size chunks, twigs, small branches, big splits and whole 6 to 8 inch rounds for smoking for hours all get used. No charcoal, no lighter fluid; just paper and match to get fire going.
Brick and mortar grill with doors in the chimney where food goes for smoking.
I have lots of smoking woods available here.
Red and White Oaks, Cherry, Hickory, Sugar Maple, Alder, Peach, Apple, Pear, Walnut.
Only one that doesn't grow here is Mesquite.
Have done some in Pork, beef and chicken, nut I only use and cast iron smoker chip pan in my gas grill though.
I don't eat that much meat. There's only one of me...lol.
I prefer lighter smoke for lighter tasting meats and heavier for heavy.
Red and White Oaks, Cherry, Hickory, Sugar Maple, Alder, Peach, Apple, Pear, Walnut.
Only one that doesn't grow here is Mesquite.
Have done some in Pork, beef and chicken, nut I only use and cast iron smoker chip pan in my gas grill though.
I don't eat that much meat. There's only one of me...lol.
I prefer lighter smoke for lighter tasting meats and heavier for heavy.
Iowawoodguy
ArboristSite Operative
I've gotten a decent amount of Hackberry. Does anyone have experience smoking with it? 
I noticed the ends of some rounds getting this green-blue color to them after sitting for a week or so. This split had a lot of it.
I noticed the ends of some rounds getting this green-blue color to them after sitting for a week or so. This split had a lot of it.
cumminstinkerer
addicted to making my boiler run clean
would not recommend using hack to smoke, not a very pleasant smelling wood or smoke, cant imagine that it would make a very good flavor, make good firewood though.
I am reading this because I am a rookie when it comes to cook smoking meat. In the past I have smoked a lot of pork sides for bacon and seasoning meat. I use maple for the bacon. I usually just pull a few pieces from the wood pile and split it to about 2x4 size. I then take my chop saw and cut it into chunks. I place the chunks in a metal 5 gal bucket with a 2 in hole cut in the lid and place on my turkey fryer. I hang the meat over the can and let the smoke just rise up between the slabs of meat. This is a cold smoke method and is intended to season and not cook the meat. It takes about 8 hrs of smoking to get the meat to start to turn color and reach a temp of about 100*f. I could probably speed that up some by smoking inside a smaller building. My smoke shed was 12'x12' qnd it let a lot of heat and smoke escape. I then place in the freezer to cool before running the meat thru a slicer.
On boston butts, which is the only meat I have tried, I like apple chips. I tried some pecan mixed with apple chips on the last roast and it was ok, but not as good as just plain apple. I think hickory and white oak give the meat to much of a forest fire taste
On boston butts, which is the only meat I have tried, I like apple chips. I tried some pecan mixed with apple chips on the last roast and it was ok, but not as good as just plain apple. I think hickory and white oak give the meat to much of a forest fire taste
That's because you're not burning the wood. You're charring the wood in the absence of oxygen. Basically a dirty fire. That set up is not good for getting good flavor on large pieces of meat. It's OK for cold smoking, not the type of smoking we're talking about in this thread.
c5rulz
Addicted to ArboristSite
Been a BBQ aficionado for many years. Have all 3 WSM smokers, 14", 18" and 22".
It is easy to over do it with smoke wood, a little goes a long ways and after 90 min. has a tendency to make give an acrid flavor and meat won't take smoke after that anyway.
Apple is my go to, hickory is good to but as I said, "use sparingly".
It is easy to over do it with smoke wood, a little goes a long ways and after 90 min. has a tendency to make give an acrid flavor and meat won't take smoke after that anyway.
Apple is my go to, hickory is good to but as I said, "use sparingly".
Wood is a seasoning. They all have there own flavor and applications. Most use what is readily available in local to the areas. You can mix different wood just as you would mix a rub. I like to alternate types depending on my cravings and if I have used the same wood for several cooks in a row.
If it bears a nut or fruit it will work.
If it bears a nut or fruit it will work.
Iowawoodguy
ArboristSite Operative
I've got some bur oak that I'm going to try this weekend. Its dry, but the outside is a little punky. Will that affect flavor? Also, do you guys worry about bar oil when cutting wood for smoking? It came to mind last time I processed some smoke wood, so I used the table saw to cut them down to size.
Seriously? You cook with walnut? Your the first that I know of. How does it taste?
I use whatever is laying on top of the wood pile. I felt several rocket stoves over the years I use when we go camping. I grabbed a couple pieces of firewood before we go and split them into kindling to feed the rocket stoves. I bought a cheap rectangular charcoal grill from Walmart for around $13. I cut a hole in the bottom of it so that they can sit on top of the rocket stove. I took the piece that I cut out and bolted it to the grate that's supposed to support the charcoal so that the flames can't come directly up through the grill. With the lid on, it doesn't breathe well enough to get a good rocket effect, so I get plenty of smoke 
works great for grilling just about anything, and uses very little wood. Splitting three or four pieces of firewood into kindling gives me enough to cook breakfast and dinner for 3 or 4 days, and that includes running a second rocket stove in the morning for coffee.
works great for grilling just about anything, and uses very little wood. Splitting three or four pieces of firewood into kindling gives me enough to cook breakfast and dinner for 3 or 4 days, and that includes running a second rocket stove in the morning for coffee.
husqvarna257
ArboristSite Guru
Never had a problem with bar oil affecting the wood.
I smoked ribs last week while I was processing and I used fresh oak once I had a good bed of coals. Low smoke and a hotter fire 300* to 350*. smoked them for 4 hours and the bones came right out.
I don't worry about bar oil. Most of it gets soaked up into the chips that get sprayed out, there's not really much left on the wood.
I probably wouldn't use a hunk of wood I did a 'bar oil test' on...but just bucking wood, no issues.
I probably wouldn't use a hunk of wood I did a 'bar oil test' on...but just bucking wood, no issues.
Yes punky wood will affect the taste. I would cull through it and get rid of the punky stuff.
diezelsmoke
ArboristSite Operative
I would not use Hackberry. I burn alot for heat and it is good for heating, but the smoke from the stack has a chemical smell!
I think post oak smells like an old tire burning, but it produces some awesome bbq.
Favorite is Apple, Cherry then Hickory.
We have a famous BBQ restaurant on mainstreet in our little town and the owner uses nothing but white Oak, says he needs the Btu's.
We have a famous BBQ restaurant on mainstreet in our little town and the owner uses nothing but white Oak, says he needs the Btu's.
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