Smoke with Maple - Does it matter what kind?

[D Reinknecht]

I am clearing some maple trees on my property, and I know it's a maple tree, just not sure what kind. Does it matter for purposes of smoking? I think it's either silver or sugar maple, but can't be sure. Will any type of maple ruin the flavor of the smoked food? How long do you need to let the wood season/dry out?

Any insight would be appreciated
David

Weber C
Smokey Joe
SMC

 

[Scott Greenia]

Here's an ID site..
http://www.massmaple.org/treeID.html

I take the limbs cut them up into sections, put them in a milk crate and leave them in the attic for a month or two...dries em right out.

 

[Brian Lanius]

Any maple will do fine.

Easy way to identify what I commonly see is:

Silver maples have a very deep cut between the lobes on the leaves. Sugar maples have a rounded cut, like a sugar bowl. Red maples are similar to sugar but the cut has a prominent V in it.

Silver bark also looks much different than red or sugar, red and sugar are very hard to tell apart by their bark.

The time of year that they make their seeds (helicopters) is also a clue. Red and silver in the spring, sugar in the fall.