Wood Question


 
S

ShawnOrgan

New member
I'm going into the third summer with my 18.5 WSM and have a question regarding wood. I've been using apple, hickory and sugar maple on different cooks and I don't really notice a difference in the flavor the smoke puts on the meat. Always seems the same taste to me. Am I doing something wrong? Too many chunks, too few?
 
Hi Shawn,

Is the wood too old and lost its flavor ? It happens all the time.

I buy my smoking woods from a vendor that is known for the freshest woods. There are other vendors that also sell fresh smoking wood. Makes a big difference. Once my, once fresh, smoking wood sits around for a few months, it loses its flavor.
 
Hmmm... could be. Another quick question, how much smoke should I be getting from the charcoal? Sometimes I notice the top of the WSM is like a chimney with white smoke bailing out from just charcoal alone. Is that normal?
 
It could be because the fire is new. Once it settles in at a stable temperature, the smoke should be a wispy blue or a light, thin smoke.
 
I've used those woods and more, I can't tell the difference on the finished product either, I can smell slight differences in the smoke itself most times.
I asked a similar question once on one of these boards and the consensus of most of the responders was, in truth, they couldn't tell either. YMMV.
 
I gotta agree Geo.
Where I live the only vendors are big retailers like Home Depot and what not. I ordered the sugar maple from Smokinlicious.ca.
 
I can tell a difference, but my hickory is local stock. My apple comes from Walmart, but I don't think it is all that aromatic compared to the hickory.
 
All my wood is local. Most of the time I pick from the firewood pile.Starts out fresh and ages more or less gracefully, lol
Here, I get a lot of choke cherry, red oak, and misc. stuff like hickory branches, Mulberry , Soft Maple, and pretty much any hardwood in a pinch.

I have a pignut hickory tree in my yard that I save the fallen branches from, and it has a nice "sweet" smoke, but the rest is pretty much generic smoke.
It's all good in the end but I'd be hard pressed to tell which wood was what in the end product.
 
The only wood I use that I can really tell a difference with is mesquite. I use sugar maple from my yard, apple from my neighbours yard,cherry from my sis-n-laws yard and red oak from various friends wood piles. They all smell different from each other when your burning them but taste wise they all seem the same to me.
 
Exactly. Their woods are intentionally harvested fresh as smoking wood. Firewood is relegated to the firewood pile only.

Speak of which, time for me to reorder some.
 
I have a birthday coming, I may need to follow your example Bob! You are a good voice for "Fruitawood"! Feel free to drop that when you place your order! Maybe they will add a twig or two.
 
Bob Bass said:
Exactly. Their woods are intentionally harvested fresh as smoking wood. Firewood is relegated to the firewood pile only.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that fresh-cut wood needed to season a few months or it would produce creosote in the smoker (or fireplace).
 
Rusty,

What they send out is ready to be used immediately. While the wood is "fresh", it's not just cut fresh... BUT once cut, they keep their stock in a climate controlled (temperature and humidity) environment. Not just stacked in some pile outdoors like others do.
 
Bob Bass said:
Rusty,

What they send out is ready to be used immediately. While the wood is "fresh", it's not just cut fresh... BUT once cut, they keep their stock in a climate controlled (temperature and humidity) environment. Not just stacked in some pile outdoors like others do.
Click to expand...


Makes you wonder if a person could freeze wood, to preserve the aroma, just like they freeze fresh food.
 
From Fruita site : "We also recommend you store your wood in a cool damp place. Especially our Peach and Apricot wood. Our wood is shipped at its premium state of flavor. Keeping the wood in a refrigerator or in a cool basement will help preserve this premium state."

I understand there are other such premium wood providers...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top