Honeysuckle Wood?

[Mark Dawson]

We had to take out a honeysuckle that was overgrown and mostly dead. Several of the main trunks were perfect for chunking up into smoker sized pieces. Has anyone ever used honeysuckle for smoking? If so, what are your recommended meats?

 

[Jim Lampe]

Hey Mark, i haven't heard of anyone using HS for smokin'... do know cats love it (not JazzCats)
>^..^<

 

[Gary H. NJ]

Try the usual smoke test: burn a bit of it and see how it smells. Give it a shot!

 

[Mark Dawson]

I decided to take a chance since it smelled good while cutting it. I used one piece for a 30 minute indirect cook of sockeye salmon fillets on the kettle followed by quick direct grilled shrimp and asparagus. Everything tasted great. I'm glad since I cut up about 60# of fist sized chunks.

Mark

 

[Ernie D]

My brother has a huge pile of the stuff. I am going to test this out. Perfect job for the mini-wsm.

Do you think it would be better to use fresh or dried from last year?

 

[Mark Dawson]

Ernie:
I used a smallish piece that seemed to have been dead for at least a year. It still gave off plenty of smoke in my short cook but was completely used up after an hour.

I noticed a little while after I finished cutting that a significant amount of sap came to the surface of the stumps so I am guessing that even though it looked dead, there was still plenty of life left in it. And I'm guessing that there is a lot of moisture in the stump pieces which would probably result in some significant smoke. I may try one of those pieces on a chicken today. If you go with dried pieces you may need to add some wood during your cook depending on how long you will be cooking.

Good luck.

Mark