Sassafrass source?


 
D

Dave Russell

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Anybody know where to get good sassafrass chunks? I hear it's good stuff.

A friend told me that when their son got hitched in Memphis that the guy smoking the shoulder the night before used sassafrass for a little while, even though he used hickory for the rest of the cook. She said it was really good, and he'd been cooking for a long time and knew what he was doing.
 
Never had any nor have I saw any ! I hope you get a answer I wouldn't mind trying some from what I have read a couple times . I doubt it would replace my apple or hickory but it might be a nice wood !
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I don't know where you could get it commercially, but it grows wild all over most of the southeastern US. You could probably get some in your area.
 
I can't help you with a source, but I can vouch for it as smoke wood. My parents had some of it in a load of firewood and I splintered a log of it into chunks for smoking. I believe it's really only used for pork, but it has a nice smell and flavor. Much more mellow and sweet than hickory, but lighter than apple or pecan. I just used it on some ribs last weekend.
 
Chigger Creek here in MO lists having sassafras chunks and logs.
I assume they will ship, but not sure.
I've got a couple of sassafras trees in my yard that I plan to prune for some smoke wood samples.
 
I use the foil pouch method with pellets from here. Especially nice for savory bacon, which I make more of than I make sweet.
 
Interesting. Never thought of using sassafrass, but makes perfect sense. You can make a tea from the roots, so I'm assuming there's a natural mild sweetness there. It seems to grown wild everywhere...
 
Sweet? Not really. More herbal. Think of filé - the sassafras powder used for gumbo. Give it a shot.
 
Got a q shop nearby that has some. Next time I go I am getting some. They swore by it when I was there last time, but they were out.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill Croake:
Sassafrass chunks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, Bill. They've got pepper corers, too. I've been looking for one for the stuffed peppers.
 
I used Sassafras from my local BBQ shop in Denver for smoking a whole turkey and chicken. It has a unique note to it but I think the Rub has more effect on the taste, assuming you don't oversmoke it. It smells good while cooking. I was told it was best for poultry and maybe pork chops or tenderloin, but not so much for ribs/butts. Love to hear what you think.
 
Smoking with Sassafras wood is wonderful but be careful smoking with the roots. Just a little bit can over-power everything.
 
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