do I need white oak for britu?

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I just ordered my first ever smoker..WSM of course after you all talked me out of the Brinkman pitmaster (Been perusing threads for two days in here). I am of course excited and want to start it off right with the best ribs in the universe.

I have been having problems finding White oak wood chunks though and searched all links and sites provided by this site, my own searches and referred sites by you all. Peoples woods has Oak (not specified what kind) and I have found red oak (cant remember where now). My question is rather obvious now....Either where is a sure fire place to get "white oak" online that ships to California or how different is "white oak" from other oaks?

I am going to call the Peoples woods on Monday and ask what kind of oak it is. (hope it is white because it is the best deal I have found and comes highly recommended by someone in here).
Haven't shopped wal mart or home depot yet either (except online..no luck), but am getting the feeling its hard to find. What do you guys use and where do you get it. (chopping it down is not an option..lol).

Thanks.
 
Brian,

Congrads on your wise purchase! BRITU is a favorite around here and I am an avid fan. I have used hickory, cherry and apple wood all with great results (in 3 seperate cooks, not combined).
If you only have access to chips Jim Minion suggests putting soaked chips wrapped in foil with holes poked in the top on your coals. I did this with the hickory while I was waiting for my apple and cherry to arrive. Here on Long Island it is hickory and mesquite only...can't find anything else locally.
I know that Chris has adjusted the BRITU recipe to make a 1/4 batch (more appropriate for 3 racks), but if you love it as much as I do, next time make a full batch and store the rest in an airtight container, it stores beautifully and makes it a breeze to gets some racks up in a hurry. If you have a Costco nearby...they have, IMHO, great babyback racks.
Smoking in the WSM is so much fun...and it makes you a superstar among the family and friends fortunate enough to get the spoils of your labor...
Have fun!
 
Randy-

FYI - when I was doing a search of woods for smoking in the NYC area, I found a place called NYCFirewoods (http://www.nycfirewood.com). They've got apple and cherry as well as hickory for cooking, and they deliver (although I'm not sure how much you have to order for them to do so). They're located in Copiague.

I've never done business with them, but I did call them (before I found Woodchuck in Staten Island which was much closer to me), and their over-the-phone customer service was very polite. I'd check 'em out if you're looking for a local source.

-John
 
Next time you're in the vicinity of Corona, stop at Barbeques Galore. They carry small bags of white oak chunks for about $7.

390 McKinley St., #180 (909) 549-9901
McKinley exit off the 91 Freeway, north 100 yards to Corona Hills Plaza, Home Depot side next to Country Kitchen Buffet.

Looks to be about 27 miles from Perris. Shorter than my daily commute to work. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>FYI - when I was doing a search of woods for smoking in the NYC area, I found a place called NYCFirewoods (http://www.nycfirewood.com). They've got apple and cherry as well as hickory for cooking, and they deliver (although I'm not sure how much you have to order for them to do so). They're located in Copiague. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>John,

Wow! Thanks! Copiague is about an hour from here, which, when you live in the boonies like I do, is a quick jaunt...
I wish I would have known about them before I paid all those blasted shipping charges...
I will definitely check them out, thanks again!
 
Thank you Chris, I will definitely check that out first before resorting to making any changes. If I can't find any I will use Randy's idea. I gather that swapping woods (as long as its the right kind) won't create a dissaster. BTW, you guys are very quick in response...this is the best forum I have ever seen.
 
Chris..I called BBGalore and the oak they have is "genuine" oak..would you use that in place of white oak and combine with the cherry for BRITU?
 
Brian,

I use the oak and cherry from Barbeques Galore all the time when making BRITU. I don't know what makes it "genuine", but I know it's white oak.

I had never seen red oak until just a few weeks ago at the Paul Kirk class, where someone was using it in a wood-fired pit. There's no way you could mistake the two varieties--the red oak was almost the color of the orange tabs at the top of this page!

Regards,
Chris
 
I know that there are several types of oak. The BBQ's Galore type does definitely seem to be white oak. I've been told that red oak isn't native to SoCal, but I have been buying small quantities ( splitter remnants, odd shaped pieces ) from a local firewood dealer that is most certainly red oak. As Chris said, the color ranges from a amber/orange to a brownish red. That being said, I haven't really been able to detect a big flavor difference between the various types of oak.
I've never found substituting different wood types to be a problem. The only time it may make a difference is when one is substituting a strong flavored wood (hickory, walnut) for a mild one (most fruit woods) and visa-versa. This can be handled by adjusting the amount of wood used.

Jim
 
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