American and european smoke wood


 
T

Tormod Eikill

TVWBB Member
If you want to cook american barbeque, do you have to use "your" wood? I mean, there isn't much mesquite, kiawe or hickory in Norway.

Traditional smoke wood in Norway would be alder, sallow, oak and juniper. Beech is also used, but since it's not allowed to cut down beech trees in our parks, it's seldom used.

Birch is never used because of the bark which produces much soot when it's burned.
 
Absolutely not. While the variety of wood used certainly will impact most meats, I think it's the meat itself, the rubs and the method used that produces good bbq. I'm not familiar with sallow but if you have oak, then you're covered for most smokes. Just make sure you use a hard wood; no pine, cedar, etc. Fish and chicken should do very well with alder, just keep in mind they tend to absorb very easily so you don't want to oversmoke them (a little wood goes a long way). I find experimenting is part of the fun.
 
Hello,

American wood is just what we know, I would think most of your wood would be fine just different than what we are used to here. The Adler and Oak I know are good. I would say try all of it and see what you like. A member here is from Hawaii and they have Guava wood which is great for them.

To be truly American I guess you would need to stick with the Adler and Oak but the others might be good as well.

Randy
 
Tormod,
If you have oak it makes a great Q wood. Also, if you can get the bark off of the birch I'd use it too, and the beech, maybe even mixed with the oak.
There used to be a lump charcoal called Maple Leaf. It was made with only maple, birch, and beech. It had the most unbelievable aroma. Knowing that, I would say beech and birch would be great. You may need to cut the beech tree down in the middle of the night to avoid detection, however. I use birch in my cookers, and I think it's great.
If you're not sure, just start a charcoal fire in your chimney, throw a sample piece on and let it burn. If it smells good, use it. If not, pull it off with tongs or something.
Let us know what you decide to do.
 
By all means feel free to put your twist on barbecue if you are in a foreign country. There aren't hard and fast rules here in the states, so you shouldn't assume that there is only one right way to do it. If there are woods that we don't have that are already used there for smoking meat, give them a try and let us know about your experiment.

My wife is Japanese and she loves some of the American adaptations to sushi such as soft-shell crab rolls and California rolls. It wouldn't surprise me if the same thing happened with barbecue.
 
Hey Tormod,

I was in Norway a few years ago (have relatives there), loved it! Train ride from Oslo to Bergen was absolutely beautiful.

Anyway...I agree with what others have said about using local wood to put a local "twist" on your bbq. But if you want to use, say, hickory--doesn't Weber sell it in Norway? I know weber sells it here, not sure if they do internationally though.
 
If you want to try the hickory chips, you can wrap a handful in heavy duty foil and pierce that bundle with a few holes. This will allow the chips to smolder but not burn away.
 
I use mostly Hickory and Oak. The oak will be fine! Like we say at the local cigar shop, smoke em if you got em.
 
I'd steer clear of the juniper. I've used it in the house for the fireplace, and it definitely emits a strong, piney odor. We use an incredible amount of French Oak wine barrel wood here, something I picked up at TJ's on closeout years ago. I bought their entire supply for $1.50 a bag! Love oak.
 
Jane wrote: I'd steer clear of the juniper.

Funny you should say that - although being a needle tree, juniper is very popular for smoking in Norway, especially around christmas time. Norway is full of pine and spruce as well, but smokers never touch those trees.
 
Yeah I've also heard said to avoid conifers due to the piney resinous flavor that they impart to the food. I'd personally avoid conifers which include juniper trees. Go for hardwood and fruitwood as has been mentioned in previous posts.
 
Hi there Tormod !
Oak and Beech will definately be fine for everything you cook, and we´ve also got lots of fruit wood like aplle and cherry here in germany, wich i like very much.

Most of the times i use a mix of oak and cherry or apple. I love the smell of hickory very much buts its rare and expensive over here.

DM
 
Beech is wonderful. I use it all the time as do the germans. Keep an eye on those beech trees in the parks. They will shed a limb from time to time all on their on. Be the 1st to help keep your parks clean and take the limb home.

I do that here with the local beech trees. After big storms when I drive by, I look for the limbs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top