Smoking Woods

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I am really frustrated... I wrote last week about me being excited about getting my Sons WSM... Well I have everything I need now to get started except smoking woods.. All I can find locally is mesquite and hickory... I have been unable to find any fruit woods, except for some little pellet packs at Wal Mart... They say they only last a couple hours, so I say why bother... I found a site, I believe it was MA'S Smoking Chips, but all they had was chips ( in smaller bags)... Any help or suggestions would be appreciated...
Thanks,
Gary
 
Gary, you say you can get hickory; why not use that? Hickory is a great Q wood.

Steve
 
Call around to places that sell firewood and see if they have anything. Or, call one of the local tree removal services. They have more wood than they know what to do with. And, yes, hickory is dandy. Pecan (a type of hickory) is my favorite.

George
 
You can use the pellets, make a pouch out of foil (double it up), fill and puch in a few holes with a pencil and place in the coals. they should last long enough to do the job and give you more selection of flavors.
Jim
 
I guess woods are a personal preference... I have read so many posts about apple, cherry, and pecan... The BRITU recipe calls for smoking with cherry and oak, both of which I cannot find... I even went to Little Rock on Father's Day last weekend to try to find some... Same thing as here - hickory and mesquite...
I may try the pellets as Jim suggest... Wal Mart had them in Apple, cherry as well as other types...
Thanks,
Gary
 
If you're really desparate, there are several mail-order smoke wood companies listed on the All About Smoke Woods page that sell chips, chunks, and even slabs of wood. Be prepared for high shipping costs, however. Like George said, your best bet is probably the local tree trimmer or firewood lot.

Regards,
Chris
 
Good afternoon Gary:
Chris is correct, all of the woods are available upon demand from many vendors but you will pay a fairly steep, delivered to your door price. Or, you can become a "wood scrounger". As I jog around my neighborhood and see that folks have thinned out their Bradford pear or pecan trees, etc. or that a friendly tropical storm has relieved trees of their limbs, etc. my pace increases as I race back home, put on my gloves, jump into my Toyota pickup and become an infamous wood scrounger! Yes, most of the neighbors who do not personally know me stare with some level of disdain but what the heck, I've already collected enough pear and pecan to last me well through hurricane season. If a hurricane even comes close, I'm up to my waist in all kinds of wood! If you're not fortunate enough to live in a hurricane prone area (did I just say fortunate!?) then your best bet is to get to know your local tree surgeon(s) who I have found are more than happy for you to aid in removing wood from their job sites.
?..John
 
John,

You remind me of me! I have associated with many arborists (tree trimmers and removal services) over the years, so have always had access to plenty of smoking wood. Along the way, I learned to identify species, and likewise, I now capitalize on the odd "broken limb." It is a good skill to have, and I encourage others to do the same. There's a ton of great wood out there. My grandfather used to pick up fallen branches from beneath hickory trees and throw them on the coals before grilling. There are many ways to skin that cat.

George
 
Hi Gary!

I just have to chime in here. I know there are many on this board who do not agree with me, but, my bet still stands........side-by-side tests of these woods and you pick which is which....same meat, same seasonings, same cooker. I'll bet there are VERY few of us who could get it right. I admit, I can't!

I still have a hard time telling the difference between, hickory, oak, pear and apple. Those are the woods I use for every smoke and I been doing it for over 15 years.

I firmly believe that at your "newbie" stage of smoking, you will NOT be able to tell the difference between any of the smoking woods....except mesquite(maybe)!! Concentrate instead on the AMOUNT of smoke you use and then start experimenting.

I'll guarantee you the BRITU will taste just as good with hickory as with any of the other woods you use!

My advice, I agree with John and George, go the scrounge route and you should NEVER have to pay for wood. I will literally cut branches from my trees the day I am smoking and use them...bark and green and everything!! This method has served me well as I have done pretty good in the competitions I have entered.

I realize not everyone has the good fortune of having trees in their back yards, but, there are so many sources of free wood if you just give it some thought. Just make sure you know it is some type of hardwood or fruitwood. You only need 2-3 fist size chunks per cook...it's not like you need a cord of logs!!

Anyway, that's my 15 years worth of experience opinion! Good luck in your search!

Stogie
 
Scrounge, scrounge, scrounge - it is really kind of fun, I have neighbors who think I am nuts but they all look over when they smell the Q.

Best wishes to the group,
Steve
 
Stogie,

Thanks for that heretical post. I agree with you completely about the differences in wood. I believe the same thing about lump charcoal vs. Kingsford. Somebody show me some evidence of a taste difference! Side by side, double-blind, A/B, your choice.

Curious George

[This message has been edited by George Howard (edited 06-21-2001).]
 
Stogie
Cigars do effect your taste buds, but a non-smoker should be able to tell the difference between hickory and milder woods like fruit woods or alder.
I can tell you that hickory on fish will effect the end product, it's to strong for most folks.
Jim
 
As Ronald Reagan would say?"now Jim, there you go again trying to bring reality into the picture"?; but I think you're correct! Even my children easily distinguish the taste difference between your stronger flavored woods such as hickory, mesquite, etc. Maybe it's actual or maybe they've learned it from weekly exposure to smoking ventures by their wannabe, outdoor chef father! Having said this, however, I've found that most other woods impart such a similarity in taste that I must use all of my imagination (as Barney the Dinosaur has taught me through three children) and believe that I really can taste a difference so not to feel totally bad about the money I've spent or the spectacle I've made of myself collecting limbs from around the neighborhood! Besides this, the wannabe ego is such that to be able to say?"yea, I used 2/3s cherry and 1/3 pear wood"?is so impressive to others?.. why not pretend even if it's not true!?
?.John
 
My 2 cents is that I can tell Mesquite from anything, I can tell hickory from a fruit wood, but I can't tell the difference between fruit woods or the difference between hickory, pecan or oak.

Doug W.
 
I have friend that says he can tell the difference between different spieces of apple, now he does cook competition BBQ and some of us have been known to be loose with the truth.
Jim
 
Hey Jim!!

You are absolutely corect about the stogies and I should have mentioned that! You really think 3 per day for over 30 years would affect me that much????? LOL!

Notice I said I had a "hard time" telling the difference. I can tell only when I make my jerky and then I can only tell between mesquite and hickory or hickory and apple, but no way can I tell between oak and hickory, apple and pear, etc.

Not being a fish eater, I can also imagine there would be some differences because of the thinness and the delicate taste of the fish.

Now, did I hear you say us BBQers could sometimes be "loose" with the truth?? Say it ain't so!! LOL

John!!

I am in whole-hearteded agreement with you also!! It sure do sound good!!

Anyway, this will remain a life-long discussion in BBQ circles!

Stogie
 
Stogie
Let it be said that my comments were from one cigar smoker to another, lighting up a Cohiba now, PhatAsh is a good thing!
Jim
 
I never use to be able to tell the difference between fruit woods until I got some good fruitwood. They all smelled different from the beginning and all burned and smoked differently as well.
We did (drunken experiment ya know) some pork ribs with all different woods just to see if we could tell...
Quite a difference.
 
Oh oh, Jim. I get the sense that we won't see you lugging around four WSMs anymore. Maybe just one for chicken?

Curious,
Chris
 
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