Smoke wood and allergy

I am allergic to most nuts, including: almonds (in the peach family), peanuts (in the bean family), walnuts, hazelnuts, .......

I have always stayed away from meat smoked with pecan wood for fear of a reaction.

However, food cooked in peanut oil does not bother me as the oil's structure has been changed in it's processing.

So my question to you with nut allergies is: does pecan smoked wood bother you?

Hickory and Oak are both nut-woods, not something one would eat, but generally in the same species of trees.
If you have concerns than yes, certainly avoid pecan.
I'm a Carpenter and have allergic reactions when cutting cedar, so I avoid any cedar planked recipes.

Tim

I was in a home, a few years ago, during the holidays when a fire was laid in a fireplace. The wood was walnut. The fireplace was not drawing properly, and I had a serious reaction to the walnut smoke. It caused a asthma attack (and I don't have asthma). I have steered clear of that wood since. Walnut, in the past, was used to build grain bins, as it is toxic to bugs (and this bug, also, I guess). There is no way I would deliberately use a smoke wood that I had a bad history with.

Just a thought...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53

Wow. In my youth, I ate plenty of tree fruits (apples, peaches, pears, cherries) and shellfish (blue crabs). My late father's passions were gardening and fishing/crabbing. Some time in my late teens/20s, I developed a mild allergic reaction to the fruits (itchy, swollen mouth) and occasional reaction to shellfish (hives on my head). Now I avoid most of those raw fruits and will only try small amounts of very fresh shellfish.

I can eat cooked apples (apple pie a la mode is the bomb) and drink apple juice with no problems. I smoke exclusively the last two years with apple and cherry wood and have experienced no problems. I thought about trying pecan on butts and brisket to switch things up. I had pecans many decades ago and I reacted but I can eat baked pecans in pie.

You could try smoking a small butt with pecan and try it out. In the first couple of hours, stay downwind of the smoker to see if you react to it. Have someone with you and a anti-histamine like Benadryl handy just in case you have issues. This is something I may try too. I'm intrigued about the different smoke flavor from the pecan.

Good luck.

Allan -
I'd suggest checking with an allergist....however, my two cents after exhaustive research (son is highly allergic to tree nuts). The allergen in the tree nut that causes the reaction is not found in the tree wood. That's not to say you couldn't also be allergic to the tree wood or smoke from same. But it would be different from the nut allergy. I use pecan and hickory all the time - no ill effects with my little guy.

Thanks to all for your responses.
Allan