Eucalypt wood for smoking

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Hi there,

I am new and from Western Australia and I have just purchased a WSM, though we have been using Weber kettles for a number of years..so far we have used a variety of wood types for smoking, but we mostly use the wood of various species of gum trees (eucalypts) growing on our property.
We also have an orchard of assorted fruit trees (you name it, we have it!!) and am wondering:
1. Has anyone else used eucalypt wood for smoking?
2. Should we use the wood from our various fruit trees instead?\
regards
Woofie
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Hi Glenda,

I can't answer the question about the eucalypts tree, but I can say the fruit wood will work great. Apple, Cherry, Peach are great choices. I think some people use grape vine on occasion. There is a least one other poster from down under on this board, hopefully he will also post a response to your question.

Welcome to a great resource to learn about smoking.

Doug W.
 
I can't imagine using Eucalyptus trees (that is the only contact I've ever had with the species).
Fruit wood works very well and I would use them if you can get a supply as easy as yours.
Jim
 
Many thanks to all for responding to my query
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I have to explain that eucalyptus oil is not found in the dried wood of eucalyptus species..only in the leaves, so the wood does not smell like cough linctus when smoked <G> I think it is similar to mesquite in smell.

In Australia, it has been traditional to make billy tea over a fire made of eucalypt wood and the tea is stirred in the billy with a twig of the wood...the smoke of the fire gives a uniquely smoky flavour to the tea, which is drunk without milk in it..just a bit of sugar added if wanted.

regards
Woofie
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I think red gum and ironbark would work, but not any of the ghost gum, scribbly gum, paperbark types.

You might want to try out your local wood on smaller & shorter cooks, so that if it's crook you haven't spent to much time/money on learning the hard way!
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I'm not game to risk gum, so I've used bought hickory (the Weber brand) and home-grown oak, maple & plum (and what I think is a plum that doesn't bear fruit).

regards
Jock
 
Thanks for this
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I was telling the Spouse what you and other folks wrote on this topic this am and he says to tell you all that he can work out what sort of smoke a wood will make in smoking meat by the smell of the burning wood in a fire. He has used a number of eucalypt species over the years and he says that he does not use ones that produce too acrid a smoke.
Currently he is fixated on E. camaldulensis (river gum or snappy gum, cuz it drops its branches for no reason at all and we are dreading the day it drops on on the postman!). It produces a mild smoke and I must admit it did do an excellent job on the hunk of pork on sunday.
In fact the WSM did an excellent job on its second use. The Spouse was very pleased because it was cooked exactly when the Spouse thought it would be cooked and the cold meat is delicious in my sandwiches for lunch, which I just err ate for breakfast as soon as I got to work today..oh well..

regards
W
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