smoking with juniper


 
Jeff Andersen

Jeff Andersen

TVWBB Fan
Has anyone ever tried smoking using juniper? I was in Yreka today and found a BBQ joint that uses this exclusively. It smelled great, so I'm assuming it's a good hardwood.
 
I've heard of it being used, but never did myself. actually, it was a recipe for Westphalia ham. I think juniper falls into a pine-like category, and is soft.
 
Juniper is a pine, a evergreen.
Here in Scandinavia we have a tradition on using it on both fish and meat.
Juniper gives a distinct flavor to the food.
If you like it or not, is up to you to decide
I think i'ts great for fish and bacon, both cold and warm smoked.
I use the branches as well as the needles and berries. I usually go up into the woods and collect thin branches. I chop them up in small bits before I use them.
 
no kidding!? My back yard is lined with them (kind of like tall hedges)... I trim a couple of large garbage cans of it each spring & fall. Guess I'll give it a shot.
 
A piece of advice, then- the first time, soak some, and use it together with some other smoke wood to smoke bacon.

But your post made me wonder if this is the same thing.. My Juniper grows in the mountains, and does not grow tall at all, more flat. Will be back, Wikipedia break
 
How bad could juniper be? The berries are used to make gin and sometimes used when fermenting sauerkraut.
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Rita
 
I like to add a shot of gin when I cook the kraut.
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Wood species characteristics change from coast to coast and from Canada to the USA.
I notice that in carpentry simply by the smell when sawing. I imagine European species can have distinct differences also.

Tim
 
Seems like there are about 60 different species.
I use Juniperus communis ssp. alpina. It is not used as a decorative bush or a garden plant. The berries use about three years to ripen, and it is easies to find in the mountains, over 1000 m above sea level where I live. I see that it can be up to 10 meters high, but the trees/bushes around here are normally only a couple of meters high.

I suppose Juniperius communis can be used as well. Anyways, as Rita says, how bad can it be? Give it a go!
 
Just my opinion, but the thought of any evergreen for smoke gags me.

And cedar planked anything? fergetaboutit!

But that's just me
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Conventional wisdom is not to use soft woods (conifers) for smoking, but there is prior art on this one. I'd find out what I could about how it is used and give it a try. I have heard numerous times that black walnut is poisonous and will give food a bitter flavor but I use it regularly with good results. I took down an American elm that succumbed to Dutch elm disease and I may give that a shot too.
 
Well folks, the verdict is in. I now think that Juniper is my favorite smoking wood. I used a large juniper log as a barrier and used this to keep the lump charcoal to one side (for indirect grilling). The log was about 5"-diameter and about 16"-18" in length. the log caught about 30 minutes in, and gave the best smelling smoke that I've ever experienced. I grill 7 large portabellas, yellow squash, 2 pork steaks, and some rib tips (sorry no photos). I'd have to say that the ribs were the best I've had. A very unique taste, and delicious. If I hadn't of stopped at a bbq shack in Yreka last Friday, I probably would of never of found this secret. The pit master that handed me the logs to try gave me a wink and said to let him know what I thought next time up north (15 minutes from southern Oregon). Now I know why he uses juniper exclusively. He was grillen up chicken, ribs, tri-tips. I definetely recommend this wood for pork ribs. I'm going to try my hand at bacon next time using this wood, mixed with hickory.
Peace from Nor Cal.
 
Juniper appears to grow between 3,000' and 5'000'-feet. It's native to eastern Oregon and far northern cal (about 1.5 hours north of Redding).
Western juniper1 grows on xeric lands across eastern Oregon with the majority of stands growing where precipitation is between 10 and 20 inches per year and at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 (Gedney et al. 1999) (fig. 1). Crown closure in juniper stands ranges from 60 percent to very sparse with only one to a few trees per acre. Many juniper stands contain trees that range in age from 1 to over 100 years. Juniper successfully competes against other native plants like sagebrush (Artemesia spp. Nutt.) and grasses. Sometimes sagebrush serves as a shrub, with juniper establishing in the protected areas directly beneath (Eddleman 1986). As juniper stands age, they tend to exclude other native species through moisture competition (Evans and Young 1987).
 
I was very surprised by your juniper smoking experience. I will try to find the Yreka BBQ place and give it a try. I work in Modoc county quite a bit. Many people there burn juniper in their wood stoves and I find the smell during the winter somewhat obnoxious.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I use the branches as well as the needles and berries. I usually go up into the woods and collect thin branches. I chop them up in small bits before I use them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
A good thought. You can always try putting a small handful of the berries in aluminum foil and using that as a smoking agent to see if you like it. I'm thinking brisket...
Thanks for the info and update Jeff.
 
One of my neighbours has a small electric branch shredder. I use his machine to chop up the brances. It only takes a couple of minutes to make a plastic bag full.
 
Chuck, you gotta check it out. It's on the left (west side) of I-5 as your coming into Yreka. Huge smoker out front. I think that you'll be impressed. I can't wait to try it (mixed with hickory) on my next batch of bacon.
 
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