|
|
09-16-2017, 01:02 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Del Aware
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 523
Liked 1,042 Times in 304 Posts
|
|
Smoking (on grill) does wood type really matter?
I've been smoking chicken and pork for years and have tried all types of woods (I use chips) - mesquite, hickory, cherry, apple mainly. Last night I smoked a chicken with applewood - it was great but honestly I have yet to be able to tell the difference between wood types - they all pretty much taste the same to me. Now I don't have a dedicated smoker - just Webers (gas and charcoal) so maybe that's a reason - or maybe my palette is not refined
Anyone else feel this way? Just curious.
Lou
__________________
Lou
|
09-16-2017, 01:18 PM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Home of the Alamo
Posts: 5,838
Likes: 16,525
Liked 15,555 Times in 3,100 Posts
|
|
Yup, an unrefined pallette I am the same way with wines......now Scotch on the other hand
Yes, the wood does impart a difference. Even how long the wood has dried/cured will make a subtle change in the flavoring. I most often use mesquite, but frequently used pecan for long smokes.
__________________
On the Oak Savannah
|
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 01:43 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 65
Likes: 42
Liked 177 Times in 44 Posts
|
|
To be honest, I'd guess that your palette is not very well refined or maybe only one type of taste bud not functioning well.
I have a very refined palette & I'm not bragging about it, it can cause problems. If there is just a hint of an ingredient or flavor in a dish that I don't like, it will spoil the entire dish for me. Wife says I'm just too picky. On the other hand, if something is really, really good, I tend to over indulge, still eating when no longer hungry. I am just a country boy, but have been called a food snob.
To make a long story short, I can easily & quickly tell the difference in say, hickory & mesquite.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 01:50 PM
|
Banned
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,596
Likes: 6,989
Liked 9,332 Times in 2,759 Posts
|
|
I prefer to use sandalwood or ebony for smoking.
It gives the meat a "luxurious" flavor and aroma.
|
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 01:51 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 2,060
Likes: 2
Liked 1,595 Times in 888 Posts
|
|
The flavoring will be more pronounced with a real Smoker, and presumably more able to make distinctions in flavor.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 02:44 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 5,313
Likes: 35,286
Liked 16,951 Times in 3,692 Posts
|
|
Different woods on grills as well as smokers give completely different results for various meats.
In my opinion pecan is the ultimate wood for chicken. It does pork and beef well too, but chicken is at its best when cooked with pecan wood.
Mesquite burns hot and is excellent for searing steaks. I've had mesquite grilled seafood as well as slow smoked mesquite brisket which were excellent too.
Oak needs to be broken down between red oak and white oak. White oak has a lighter flavor. These are good for beef and pork. Red oak imparts magical qualities to beef. In my opinion chicken and oak do not work well together.
Hickory is my favorite wood for baby back pork ribs, and most things pork. Again it does other things well.
I like to use chunks of wood as opposed to chips. Generally I get the wood by collecting it from downed limbs or trees, not buying it at a store. My knowledge of cooking woods is limited by the trees that are indigenous to the areas I have lived in or visited.
Last edited by kwselke; 09-16-2017 at 02:46 PM.
|
The Following 5 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 03:29 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Whitesboro, Texas
Posts: 8,528
Likes: 31,943
Liked 23,765 Times in 6,185 Posts
|
|
I have been smoking meats for over 50 years. And there is most definitely differences between all the common smoking woods. Over the decades I have experimented with most all of them and even tried some combinations with a varying degree of success.
lemme share some of my thoughts on smoking meat with natural wood. I guess most common is oak. It doesn't seem to have any distinct flavor. But RED oak does have a mild slightly sweet aspect which I find delightful on briskets. Let me say here that I prefer some meats with some woods and not others. Some woods are good on most anything. Hickory and Mesquite are pretty universal in my opinion. Pecan, on the other hand requires some caution. It is very pungent and very strong. I don't use it at all on chicken or fish or even beef. But it is good on a pork roast if you don't overdo it.
You hear a lot about fruit woods; cherry, apple, etc. They are excellent with a mild flavor but I can't say that I am able to tell them apart nor am I able to detect any fruity flavor.
Black walnut is a very rich smoke but it is not bitter like pecan can be. Hickory has a tangy kind of sweet flavor. Not a sugary sweet but more mildly sweet. Mesquite is my favorite for chicken and smoking salmon and tuna. I can't think of an adjective to describe that flavor but it is good. it can get strong but it is not unpleasant.
Smoking meats is an art form and every enthusiast has his on ideas about how to do it best. It takes years to figure out what works best for you and get all your preferences set. There are some Truths and rules that are not a matter of opinion but it takes time to sort it all out unless you have someone around to offer advice. It's all on what you like for the most part. And how much you enjoy the process. A gas grill is a LOT faster and cleaner and not nearly as much work. But it just can't put the smoke in meat like a sho' nuff wood smokler. If I want to cook with gas I'll do that in the house. I have always enjoyed spending the day out on the deck with my boom box and a cooler full of long necks and smelling that savory aroma of wood smoke and meat coming out of my smoker.
Smoking meat has always been a passion with me. I'm old school and happy to be so. You might say it is a tradition in my family. My dad was the same way and taught me the basics. eventually I branched out and developed my on ways as I'm pretty sure most serious smokers do.
I'm trying to give you a few examples of different flavors from different woods. Hickory, mesquite and red oak are very very different from one another and should be able to demonstrate the wide range of flavors available.
If you are serious or want to get serious about it all I recommend you get a good smoker with a fire box on one end and a smoke chamber on the other. It should have a thermometer and vent controls to regulate temperature. Once you get the trick of it you will be able to control the temperature in the smoke chamber with in 2 or 3 degrees.
Good luck and happy smoking.
__________________
Real men love cats!
|
The Following 19 Users Like Post:
|
4barrel, cardguy, italiansport, JayCeeNC, JayFramer, kwselke, LazyKB, loutent, mcoe74, poorbroker, Protocall_Design, Ray1970, RTILSON, snubbyfan, susieqz, TheHobbyist, usm1rifle, vonn, WTN1271 |
09-16-2017, 04:01 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 822
Likes: 599
Liked 1,336 Times in 431 Posts
|
|
I can definitely tell a difference and even prefer certain woods for certain meats. I pretty much only use applewood for pork and chicken. Beef usually gets mesquite.
|
09-16-2017, 09:12 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Thibodaux, Louisiana
Posts: 3,458
Likes: 3,441
Liked 3,766 Times in 1,540 Posts
|
|
I have used Hickory, Pecan and Mesquite. By far I like Hickory best.
Steve W
|
09-16-2017, 10:13 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 17,816
Likes: 7,851
Liked 25,729 Times in 8,692 Posts
|
|
Hopefully Snubby will weigh - in on this post. He seems to be knowledgable on this subject.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-16-2017, 10:17 PM
|
Banned
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: FL
Posts: 1,973
Likes: 2,364
Liked 2,962 Times in 1,115 Posts
|
|
Pecan has a great flavor. Use chips for gas grill in container and use chunks on coals. Coals are better started with a chimney and not naphtha lighter fluid. Meats like chicken do great with a marinade or brine in preparation. Fruit woods are lighter and sweeter than heavier woods like oak, hickory, mesquite, etc.
|
09-16-2017, 11:25 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 1,686
Likes: 1,946
Liked 2,239 Times in 880 Posts
|
|
I like using mesquite to grill steaks and smoking chicken
For smoking pork, a mixture of 1/3 maple, apple, cherry and
about 1/3 hickory, the remainder being lump charcoal,
for pork loins, ribs and shoulder roasts does the job quite nicely!
Last edited by Abbynormal; 09-16-2017 at 11:26 PM.
|
09-16-2017, 11:31 PM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
i have two smokers n smoke most every week.
i find big differences in taste.
like everyone, i have my own tastes.
i use certain woods for certain meats. a wood that;s good for one meat is likely not good with another.
for example, i love hickory on beef but find it way too strong for chicken, which requires fruit wood.
then you got stuff like mesquite, which is terrible on anything. you have to be born in texas to like mesquite.
i hate that, because i have acres of mesquite that needs to be cleared.
__________________
susie
|
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 01:11 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 1,517
Likes: 2,281
Liked 3,487 Times in 1,033 Posts
|
|
I've been using "Big Green Egg" charcoal which is a combination of hickory and oak going on 10 years now. Use for grilling as well as slow-cooking/smoking.
Just the smell of firing up the grill gets my mouth to watering...
(Waiting for Snubbyfan to weigh in too :-) )
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 01:59 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 816
Likes: 1,123
Liked 1,549 Times in 556 Posts
|
|
The intensity of smoked flavors depends a lot on time and temperature, thickness of the meat and how it is treated beforehand, skin-on or skin-off, with birds, brined or unbrined, injected or natural, rub applied or no rub, mops, glazes... Well, it's a long list of factors, and I've pretty much played with all of them.
Everyone has a favorite wood, and most are indigenous to whatever area in which you live. I use hickory for a stronger flavor, going low and slow, apple for a milder, sweet flavor, and soft maple for a very mild smoke with more delicate meats. I often combine two or three different woods for a more complex flavor.
I would caution in the use of woods high in tannins, though, like oak and black walnut, which many stomachs cannot handle. (As an aside, black walnut chips or shavings in horse bedding is a no-no... it will kill a horse in short order.) Also, don't even think about using locust! Though it burns very long and hot, it is very high in creosote content, and is, as far as I'm concerned, the very best firewood around. When I run low on fodder for the wood stove at the end of long winters, I often take down a green tree to make it until warmer weather. It burns just fine, as locust does not retain much water over the winter because of it's density, and the high creosote content. Not good for food, though.
I do most everything on Webers set up with a 3/8" stainless plate atop the cooking grate, then use a spacer to lift another grate about 1 1/2" above that for offset smoking. I even do bratwurst in this manner (DO NOT pre-cook a brat in beer, for God's sake!!!), and they are fantastic! Burgers are done directly over very hot coals with a handful of wood. I throw the burgers on, cover with the vent slightly open on the lid, wait a couple of minutes, flip, cover again, another couple of minutes, and they are perfect. Better than any burger joint I've ever been in. Then there's turkey...
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Happy smoking.
Last edited by ExcitableBoy; 09-17-2017 at 02:01 AM.
|
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 09:52 AM
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: N. Alabama
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 3,960
Liked 7,689 Times in 1,773 Posts
|
|
All flavors of wood are good...red oak is my favorite.
|
09-17-2017, 10:14 AM
|
Banned
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: FL
Posts: 1,973
Likes: 2,364
Liked 2,962 Times in 1,115 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by susieqz
i have two smokers n smoke most every week.
i find big differences in taste.
like everyone, i have my own tastes.
i use certain woods for certain meats. a wood that;s good for one meat is likely not good with another.
for example, i love hickory on beef but find it way too strong for chicken, which requires fruit wood.
then you got stuff like mesquite, which is terrible on anything. you have to be born in texas tjo like mesquite.
i hate that, because i have acres of mesquite that needs to be cleared.
|
Then advertise that and you should have folks who resell it or have their own restaurants lining up to cut it down. Mesquite worked well for me with full sized briskets with that big fat layer on top and smoking low and slow.
|
09-17-2017, 10:30 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,111
Likes: 2,876
Liked 2,506 Times in 1,281 Posts
|
|
I use different chips too all that you mentioned. Electric smoker for me. No differance in taste chip wise. They do smell differant while cooking. But I do use differant types of juices for water and fruit slices in water tray. Oranges and juice for chicken apples and apple juice pork.
__________________
Spin The Wheel
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 10:30 AM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
no, oneounce. people here pay lots of money to get pastures cleared of mesquite, because you gotta remove the roots too.
mesquite is a highly invasive trash tree here, n they just burn it in the field.
there doesn't seem to be any commercial value to the mesquite, for reasons of which i'm unaware.
only po'folk smoke with mesquite here. it's just too strong for most people.
it's good for heating your house tho. burns hot.
people don't use it much for that. i'm told it's real hard on chain saws.
__________________
susie
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 12:57 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Reno Nv
Posts: 13,405
Likes: 3,189
Liked 12,771 Times in 5,690 Posts
|
|
Not in my house...........
Family like a lot of Ketchup...............
even A-1 on BBQ steaks.
I am the only one that has taste buds, I guess ?
|
09-17-2017, 03:48 PM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
my very favorite spice is smoke. as time goes on, i spend less n less time making rubs n sauces.
mostly, i add salt n pepper n throw the meat in the smoker.
mind you, for chicken n pork, i tend to just brine them for a couple days.
only for hams do i inject lots of stuff in the cure. you gotta have brown sugar, or maple syrup, n cider to make a good ham.
if i'm gonna cure a ham for 10days n smoke it for30 hours, everything has to be just so.
you guys need to try smoking. it's tons of fun n a smoker pays for itself.
the cheaper cuts of meat tend to smoke better than expensive cuts
you can smoke an expensive pork loin, but it won't be as god as a cheap pork butt that has lots of connective tissue that makes it tough for normal cooking, but that melts into the meat smoking low n slow.
__________________
susie
|
The Following 6 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 09:34 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: WVa East Panhandle
Posts: 28,611
Likes: 70,909
Liked 81,454 Times in 18,447 Posts
|
|
When I'm grilling, I like to smoke a good cigar. Mostly I prefer medium to full body cigars with dark wrappers more than something like a light Connecticut.
I'll generally add some hickory and maple chunks to the coals to produce smoke and add some smoky flavor to the meat.
The amount of each depends on what I'm cooking.
Today I tried out some new grillin' tools sent to me by "The Ringo Kid" and grilled a coupla Omaha Steaks Gourmet Burgers. I added hickory and maple, mostly hickory, grilled 'em at around 300 degrees and they came out juicy and yummy.
Thing is we have 3 large maple trees in our yard and save the pruned limbs. I'll cut them into chunks and use that more with chicken.
For pork and red meat like bison and beef, I prefer hickory with some maple.
I've been thinkin' of trying mesquite.
I found out about cold smoking from Susieqz. When I get some stuff caught up, I'm thinking of getting a cold smoking kit, which includes different types of wood pellets and trying that.
__________________
Keep on Chooglin'
Last edited by snubbyfan; 09-17-2017 at 09:51 PM.
|
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-17-2017, 09:58 PM
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,898
Likes: 3,296
Liked 4,963 Times in 1,951 Posts
|
|
I'm going on my 3rd year using a Treager pellet cooker/smoker. I don't recall the 7 or 8 flavors of pellets they offer and I can't tell much difference in the taste from apple, pecan, mesquite, hickory, oak, etc, etc. I guess I also have an unrefined palate.
The treager guy did tell me that the only flavored wood that was 100% was oak and mesquite, IIRC. The other woods were combination of oak and whatever the label says, ie; cherry, apple, etc.
I do like pellet grills but Treager is the only one I've used.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-21-2017, 07:09 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 10,707
Likes: 16,609
Liked 25,644 Times in 7,899 Posts
|
|
2/1 apple to hickory at the same time.
Try it, you'll like it.
|
09-22-2017, 07:26 AM
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: N. Alabama
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 3,960
Liked 7,689 Times in 1,773 Posts
|
|
Combine your favorite chilli ingredients in a cast iron
Dutch Oven. Cook slowly, stirring often inside the smoker.
Smoky chilli is the boss!
Haven't tried smoky' soup yet....
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-22-2017, 09:47 AM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
hey jack ,
traeger pellets are known all over the smoking community as being the worst there are. that's why you tasted no difference.
buy pellets from a good source n then you will taste a difference.
traeger tells you to use their pellets only, but other pelletswork fine n will give you the tastes you want.
__________________
susie
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-22-2017, 10:09 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,100
Likes: 1,063
Liked 1,509 Times in 650 Posts
|
|
You have to eat a lot of smoked food, and frequently, to pick up on the nuances between different wood flavors. I use to think there wasn’t much of a difference between any of them until I started running a Restaurant with a big commercial smoker in it and using different woods on the same proteins, tasting it off everyday, and then I started to pick up on it. No question there are differences. Now, I can simply taste one of our wings or pull a piece of burnt end off a pork Butt, and know immediately if my sous chef has switched from hickory, to oak, or applewood or whatever. Side by side tasting/comparison of same protein with different smoke on it would surprise you, and I bet you too would notice in that format.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-22-2017, 10:29 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 106
Likes: 219
Liked 40 Times in 26 Posts
|
|
For steaks, I use cherry and apple wood chips for smoking. Along with Lowery's low sodium seasoning and Obie-Cue's Steakmaker seasoning.
__________________
Life Member NRA
Acts 2:38-39
|
09-22-2017, 12:05 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Biloxi, Mississippi
Posts: 2,022
Likes: 9,101
Liked 3,216 Times in 1,123 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by susieqz
I'm told it's real hard on chain saws.
|
Yes it is. If you have a lot of acreage to clear you can get two moderate sized bulldozers
with a length of heavy chain hooked between them.
They will uproot the trees and then you can burn them.
I saw this done of the King Ranch years ago and it works very well.
__________________
CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-22-2017, 06:44 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Central VA
Posts: 2,535
Likes: 3,774
Liked 4,332 Times in 1,548 Posts
|
|
I suggest that you not use plywood.
__________________
Foster Positivity.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-24-2017, 09:22 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NJ
Posts: 443
Likes: 196
Liked 368 Times in 194 Posts
|
|
Hell no
Quote:
Originally Posted by loutent
I've been smoking chicken and pork for years and have tried all types of woods (I use chips) - mesquite, hickory, cherry, apple mainly. Last night I smoked a chicken with applewood - it was great but honestly I have yet to be able to tell the difference between wood types - they all pretty much taste the same to me. Now I don't have a dedicated smoker - just Webers (gas and charcoal) so maybe that's a reason - or maybe my palette is not refined
Anyone else feel this way? Just curious.
Lou
|
I'm not that picky but I basically go to nut woods with beef, fruit woods for pork. whatever for poultry. Cedar for salmon. Mesquite for firewood.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-24-2017, 09:34 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Just West of Houston
Posts: 3,468
Likes: 787
Liked 4,674 Times in 2,062 Posts
|
|
Personally I like hickory a lot more than mesquite. I tried using Chinese tallow and I only did it once. Yuck never again. I figured smoke is smoke but I beg to differ on that. I don't really care much for mesquite either.
But I don't really have a smoked thumb ,so to speak. I seldom get the meat to get real tender like some people can do. Supposedly smoked meat is not really healthy eating.
|
09-24-2017, 09:44 PM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
well, it's entirely to yummy to be all that healthy.
to get it tender, all you have to remember is LOW N SLOW.
personally, i never smoke over the boiling point of water.
__________________
susie
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 12:03 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 816
Likes: 1,123
Liked 1,549 Times in 556 Posts
|
|
Cuts like brisket, thick roasts and ribs require low 'n' slow to get tender. The key, though, is that the internal temp must reach around 203`F to break down connective tissue. Use an oven-proof meat thermometer stuck through the lid vent if your grill is not equipped with one, and aim for around 225`smoke temp. You can tell when the meat is done by "feel", or by experience. With ribs it's easy... when the meat peels back about a 1/4" from the bone tips it is done. (And don't forget to peel the "silver skin" from the inside of the ribs. It is inedibly tough and won't allow the smoke to penetrate sufficiently.)
Plan on 4-6 hrs cook time, at least, depending on the chunk of meat. You can get a lot of other things done while smoking... like having a good supply of beer to keep you occupied.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 12:18 AM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Twin Cites, Minnesota
Posts: 5,154
Likes: 10,997
Liked 10,883 Times in 3,281 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by snubbyfan
...Thing is we have 3 large maple trees in our yard and save the pruned limbs. I'll cut them into chunks and use that more with chicken...
|
Snubbyfan, I also have a maple tree in my yard and I have thought about using pruned branches from it for smoking. When you use the wood, can it be green, or should it be dried for a time first?
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 07:20 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 816
Likes: 1,123
Liked 1,549 Times in 556 Posts
|
|
Snub must be busy with a rack of ribs and a stogie.
Use cured wood. I use a lot of soft maple off the trees in my yard, dried limbs that are taken down by heavy winds. Green wood will burn too cool and produce bitter creosote, ruining whatever you are attempting to smoke.
However, if you are trying to impart a certain flavor, say cedar for fish, then a handful of needles, still attached to smaller branches, is fine.
Let your taste buds rule your smoking. The best way to educate them is to experiment in small increments.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 07:23 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: WVa East Panhandle
Posts: 28,611
Likes: 70,909
Liked 81,454 Times in 18,447 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren Sear
Snubbyfan, I also have a maple tree in my yard and I have thought about using pruned branches from it for smoking. When you use the wood, can it be green, or should it be dried for a time first?
|
I let them sit and dry for about a year or so then cut them into chunks with a band saw.
__________________
Keep on Chooglin'
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 07:29 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: WVa East Panhandle
Posts: 28,611
Likes: 70,909
Liked 81,454 Times in 18,447 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExcitableBoy
Snub must be busy with a rack of ribs and a stogie.
Use cured wood. I use a lot of soft maple off the trees in my yard, dried limbs that are taken down by heavy winds. Green wood will burn too cool and produce bitter creosote, ruining whatever you are attempting to smoke.
However, if you are trying to impart a certain flavor, say cedar for fish, then a handful of needles, still attached to smaller branches, is fine.
Let your taste buds rule your smoking. The best way to educate them is to experiment in small increments.
|
Actually we spent most of the day at the Y.
Tomorrow though, I got a coupla sirloins, a Sabor Cubana Maduro in Torpedo cigar, cold beer and bunches of hickory for the grill.
__________________
Keep on Chooglin'
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 08:39 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 816
Likes: 1,123
Liked 1,549 Times in 556 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by snubbyfan
Actually we spent most of the day at the Y.
Tomorrow though, I got a coupla sirloins, a Sabor Cubana Maduro in Torpedo cigar, cold beer and bunches of hickory for the grill.
|
Wish I could do the same, but I'm down for the count for at least another week. I got outnumbered by a few hundred yellow jackets and had to run for my life! No stings, but I found a divot that dropped me at full gallop. Smacked my knee into a big rock peeking above ground and did some damage. X-rays say nothing broken, but I have a helluva deep bone-bruise. Got a great fleshy rainbow from knee to instep, too. Don't know about cartilage until the swelling goes down. Can't even stand long enough to do the rack of ribs I've been jonesing about for over a week.
At least I can sit down for a few beers until then.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-25-2017, 11:28 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: (outside) Charleston, SC
Posts: 31,000
Likes: 41,665
Liked 29,249 Times in 13,829 Posts
|
|
Or...
Quote:
Originally Posted by joe44va
I suggest that you not use plywood.
|
Or formica. It just stinks a lot. Now I can tell the difference if something is smoked over old tires.
__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"
|
09-27-2017, 02:28 PM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Midwest
Posts: 2,597
Likes: 11,481
Liked 3,724 Times in 1,317 Posts
|
|
I didn't do much grilling this summer, sadly. It is one of my favorite things to do, but had too much going on (still do).
There is a definitive different in the taste imparted by different common woods used in smoking--to answer your question.
Last year, I'm guessing I grilled and smoked about 300 lbs of meat...anything from lobster, pizza, shark, salmon, catfish, steaks of various cuts, mac n cheese, different pork cuts, corn, beans, potatoes, squash, pineapple, a form of apple pie with spices and butter, and others.
I am not as experienced of a cook as some on here though! My three biggest observations are: 1) control temp./keep low for what you are cooking; 2) the time you leave wood/smoke will vary the flavor; and 3) be present and attentive to the grill...this does not mean constantly flipping anything...just watch it...occasional flare ups are ok...just do NOT over cook anything.
__________________
Rather be outdoors
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
09-27-2017, 02:40 PM
|
|
Absent Comrade
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: high plains
Posts: 2,659
Likes: 5,571
Liked 7,041 Times in 2,023 Posts
|
|
thehob is correct, except for one thing.
you do not need to be present at all.
you get a remote sensor that tells you both the temp of the
smoker n the IT [internal temp] of the meat.
you insert a probe into the meat n another on the grill rack.
then, you can stick the remote in your pocket n you can do whatever you want while knowing what's going one in the smoker at all times.
you never make mistakes this way.
you can even set the remote to beep when the IT reaches the temp that says the food is fully cooked.
__________________
susie
|
09-27-2017, 04:01 PM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Midwest
Posts: 2,597
Likes: 11,481
Liked 3,724 Times in 1,317 Posts
|
|
Hi Susie,
You are correct. I just enjoy being by the grill and having a beer with friends or just relaxing on the farm. There is tons of technology/gadgets now associated with grilling. I don't know, I like my food to be not perfect, yet perfect flavor if that makes sense.
__________________
Rather be outdoors
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
|
|
|
|