Maple wood rules!


 
D

Drew G.

New member
I found a huge sack of cheap maple chunks at a local farmers market and smoked some bacon with it. Amazing. Almost like alder. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and alder is the signatue smoke wood of every meat house up there so I naturally use it for almost everything. The maple was a lot like alder but a little more edgy. It almost seemed like a cross between alder and pecan. I think it will be wonderful with pork or chicken and probably even fish. I am really starting to experiment with the different smoke woods and how they impact the final product. It makes a huge difference. Give maple a try if you haven't already. I dig it!

Drew
 
Well i havent used Maple for smoking(yet).

But as far as the - "probably even fish."
We have smoked fish in sweden for along time and Alder is the most common,and if maple is like alder then my bet is it will be great!
 
Drew - yes, maple is probably my most favorite wood to use. I usually stick with apple for anything pork-related, but maple will also do the trick and add some excellent flavor to pork, as well as chicken, beef, fish, et al. Being here in Idaho, I have to order my maple from online sources, but I go through it not too fast, and only have to order it about once a year.

Barret
 
May seem like a foolish question, but what type of Maple are you using? Or does it matter? Is there a difference in the flavor in the various types of maple?
Around here, Maple is relativley easy to come by, just wondering if there is one type of Maple to look for?
Thanks, Tim
 
I find Maple wood is a very "light" flavoring wood. Very good on Turkey, fish, anything that does not need a heavy dose of smoke. I like Maple wood, Its great stuff!
 
I have no idea what type of maple it was. I got it from a stand that made cutting boards and it was scrap from their process. I can't imagine the difference between varieties is that great but I can't speak from experience on that one. I would definitely grab some if it's easily available, regardless of type!
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Update 02/28

OK, I have been using maple exclusively for the past few smokes. I just did some summer sausage and OMG it is absolutely amazing. The aroma is so darn good. I blasted the sausage for a good solid two hours with full blown maple smoke and it is not overpowering or bitter. Just perfect.
 
Has anybody seen any maple wood chunks at any of the usual places like home depot or ace hardware or is it just a on line thing?
 
Steve, around here (Dallas, TX) the HD and Lowes and Wal Mart just have Mesquite and Hickory as the main woods. But other stores such as BBQ Galore and a local sporting goods store called Academy have other types of wood.

If one of the Hardware stores in your area has a BBQ section then they could be a good source of wood too.
 
I scored this wood from a manufacturer of cutting boards. The pieces are trimmings from their production process. Might want to check a place like that.
 
In Michigan's upper peninsula maple was used to smoke almost everything in the community where i grew up.I agree,maple rocks,each time i drive back from there i raid the wood pile to have an ample supply here in Houston.
 
I did see some maple chips and chunks at the Ace hardware hear in Henderson just this weekend. Maybe your Ace has some as well.
 
AFAIK - "Maple" that is usually used for smoking refers to any of the slow-growing, true hardwood varieties. Most of the hardwood maples have broader leaves, with grooves between the 5 lobes that are not as deep.

Maples from Northern climates, where the growing season is shorter, achieve more dense wood because they grow even slower - with each "ring" around the circumference of the tree being thinner because of this.

Probably not so much softer, fast-growing maples like Silver Maple. Silver Maple leaves have five thin "fingers", with deep grooves between them, and seem "silvery" on the back-side of each leaf.

I did a flooring project in my home a while back, with non-finished Canadian Maple. I find that the scraps work great for smoking.

Also, if you or your neighbors have any Maple trees around, you can use trimmings from larger branches. Even small trees like dead landscape trees will work fine. Maple is usually pretty easy to scrounge-up in many areas of the country.
 
sugar maple is one of my favourite woods to use.
my other favourite is cherry.

when i make ribs or pulled pork i always use a mix of sugar maple and cherry.
 
If the pieces were leftovers from somebody making a cutting board then it was probably hard rock maple. Very dense and will burn like oak, slow and hot. However, red maple is about as opposite as you can get. Very soft and not sweet at all. I can't speak about sugar maple as I don't think it will grow down here.

Russ
 
I really like maple, and it's pretty easy to get here in central Illinois. Menards and Meijer carry it. To me it smells like Fall. It was my first favorite smoking wood, but was eventually displaced by apple, and most recently, oak.

But I do love the smell!
 
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