Wood


 
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I like to buy small quantities of smoke wood, since it's easier to store and it goes a long way in the WSM. Also, if I try a new wood and don't like it, I'm not stuck with too much of it.

Five pound bags of common wood chunks like oak, hickory, and pecan can be found at better hardware stores, home centers, and BBQ specialty stores like Barbecues Galore.

There are a couple of mail order sources I know of. One is People's Wood at www.peopleswoods.com. They have a wide variety of chips and chunks available. Another source is Fairlane BBQ Wood at 816-761-1350--they have pecan, oak, apple, cherry, and sassafras. Another place is American Wood Products at 800-223-9046--they have pecan, grape, oak, apple, cherry, sassafras, peach, and alder in logs, slabs, chunks, or chips.

I've used Peoples and American Wood Products and both were good. The downside is you pay a lot for shipping, probably as much as for the product itself. On the other hand, a 50lb box of smoke wood will last a LONG time!

[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 02-25-2000).]
 
How do you decide what type of wood you are going to use? What woods work best with what foods?
 
Hi,

Over the years, certain woods have become associated with certain kinds of meat. For example, hickory, oak, and mesquite with beef, alder with fish, and so on. There are no right or wrong choices, just what you like.

I mainly use oak or a 2:1 ratio of oak and hickory when cooking brisket, pork butt, ribs, and turkey breast. (I've found that too much hickory results in a bitter taste, so I like to mix it with oak; others do use straight hickory.) For chicken, I like to use cherry if I have it. It provides a lighter smokiness that works well with poultry. Apple is good for poultry if you have it available. I have a friend who uses pecan a lot for chicken, turkey, and ribs.

Here's a list of smoke woods, their characteristics, and suggested meats that comes from www.peopleswoods.com that you might find helpful.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>


<LI>ALDER - hint of sweetness - fish, pork, poultry, game birds

<LI>APPLE - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork

<LI>ASH - light, but distinctive - fish, red meats

<LI>BIRCH - sweet, woodsy - poultry, pork, beef

<LI>CHERRY - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, beef

<LI>GRAPE VINE - tart, rich and fruity - poultry, game, lamb

<LI>HICKORY - sweet, strong and hearty - poultry, pork, red meats

<LI>MAPLE - smokey mellow, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, game, cheese

<LI>MESQUITE ? earthy - poultry, fish, meat

<LI>OAK - lighter version of mesquite - meat, fish, game

<LI>PEACH - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, beef

<LI>PECAN - nutty and sweet - steaks, ribs, cheese

<LI>SASSAFRAS - mildly tingly - beef, pork

[/list]


[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 02-28-2000).]
 
Now that I have my wood, I have way more than I will use any time soon, where is the best place to store it? Can I keep it outside? covered? garage? too long?
 
Matt, what variety of smoke wood did you get, what form (chunk, slab, split pieces), what quantity, and from what source?

Chris
 
I have several limbs (3" - 5" diameter) of each oak and hickory. I also have some chunks of cherry about 6" x 2" x 2". I am currently keeping them outside under the carport.
 
Matt, I would cut the limbs up into usable chunks and store them along with the cherry in a dry, protected location. I keep mine in boxes or burlap sacks in a cabinet in my garage. I assume the wood is already seasoned; you want to keep it that way, so keep it out of the rain.
 
My buddy has a red oak that blew down about 5 years ago.

He told me to come and take whatever I wanted for smokin' wood.

Given how long it's been dead, will it be any good ?

Thanks,

Steve

P.S. Found a fairly cheap source for wood nearby. Went down and went kinda crazy as I wasn't sure what I needed.

Sure enough , I bought twice as much hickory and mesquite than the oak , cherry, and maple. After perusing the books and recipes , it seems that the mesquite and hickory are a nice "addition" , oak seems to be the most popular base wood.

What the heck, $6 for a 10lb bag of chunks is no big deal...so now I prbably have three years worth of mesquite and hickory.
 
Originally posted by Steve Kranz:
My buddy has a red oak that blew down about 5 years ago.

He told me to come and take whatever I wanted for smokin' wood.

Given how long it's been dead, will it be any good ?

Thanks,

Steve

I use lots of red oak in my cookers but I don't use any of the punky(soft) parts easy to trim with an axe or hatchet
Buzz
 
Steve
Wood that's been down that long is not
prime material.
Look for wood down 6 mos to 2 years after that the moisture content is too low and
creosote can be a problem when you burn wood that dry.
Jim
 
I was looking at Chris's pictures in the firing up area , and it seems he uses way less wood than I do.

I use chunks , usually tennis ball sized , and typically go 3:1 with Oak and Cherry. I put in six oak and two cherry chunks.

Is this too much wood or doesn't it matter ?

Steve
 
Steve
Too much, that's you, family and friends to
decide. It's more than I use. You may want to try less and see how you like it.
The drier the wood the less the flavor you
will recieve, I would adjust for that.
A clean fire is the needed, if you allow that much wood smolder the end result will be
less than you wished.
The first BBQ was done direct and there is very little smoke flavor in the food. It is easy to over smoke.
Jim
 
Steve,

There's no right or wrong amount, just try less next time and see if you like it more or less. I like a little lighter smoke flavor, so I use the amounts you see in the photos and it works well for me.

Regards,
Chris
 
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