Why is elm bad for smoking?


 
J

Jeremy S.

New member
Does anyone know why elm is considered bad for smoking, as it says on the All About Smoke Woods page?

I get why pine is, what with it being where we get turpentine, but I've just come into a great deal of elm, and when I burned some the other day it smelled pretty good to me.

What don't I know?
 
Most softwoods are considered unsuitable for barbecue smokewood. The biggest clue is, if you've never seen it offered for sale as smokewood, it's probably not good to use.
 
Is elm considered a softwood? I always thought it was a hardwood. I know they sell it as such for flooring and furniture.

I guess the only way to be sure why elm is supposed to be bad for smoking food is to try it - I just don't want to poison myself in the process!
 
Well, I would call it one of the softer hardwoods. You see it often used in bentwood furniture applications. While I don't think you'd poison yourself, either, I still think I'd go with the conventional wisdom that says it's not suitable.
 
Scientificly if a tree has leaves it is hard wood, and trees with needles are softwood. But if you work with wood yellow pine is very hard. Ash, poplar and some types of maple are soft. I don't know but I wouldn't consider elm a soft wood. We have american elm trees around here that got killed back in the 1950's from dutch elm disease that are still standing.

As far as smoking with it I haven't seen anyone say that they have used it. Generally it is considered if the tree bears some kind of fruit that you would eat including nuts it is good to smoke with. I have seen lists that were linked to from the forum that had trees that don't fit into that category. Some examples are beech, cotton wood, sassafrass, and ash. Apparantly there is no end all answer.

There is a species of elm that grows around here that my cousin calls piss elm. He said they call it that because it smells like pee while burning. That is reason enough for me not to try it.
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If you try it let us know the result.
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Jeremy, elm may well be a 'hardwood'. It may not be sold because of the Dutch Elm Disease that wiped alot out ....so it may not be a fashionable wood to use. Others may have elm specific knowledge.

On edit: Chris lists elm as one to avoid!!!

Other report that 'others recomend not using elm'. There may need to be further investigation on this topic.
 
Perhaps Chris has a reason other than conventional wisdom, I don't know. I a, not sure why it would be included on an 'avoid' list as it is not poisonous nor resinous. I grilled over it once--duck if I recall correctly--after it had burned to coals. I'd have to say it was nondescript in that form; that or the Zin flight of that evening or the passing of time since... .

I remember the duck and the wine!
 
I grew up burning wood for heat and elm was one type I didnt prefer to mess with because it is very tough to split. It splits just like cutting a brisket WITH the grain but its twisted to boot. Not good. And it does have an odd smell while burning. I would not smoke with it for sure, but you can if you want!
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I just talked with my log supplier for my larg cooker and he said he wouldnt even burn Elm in his home. He said if you have it burn it out side for a camp fire. He also said it is extremely hard to saw and split.
 
There are several elm varieties. The couple I know are all hard to split. According to info on the Net they all are. Whether or not they are all unpleasant to burn I have no idea. Though I wasn't the one to make the fire noted above I'm pretty certain it was elm. I don't recall anything 'acrid' about the smoke (it's been referenced that way on line once or twice). I don't know. It's not poisonous so it might be worth trying, especially since you have so much and don't find it unpleasant.

In digging around I found this--http://www.barbecuen.com/burningwood.htm--scroll down to "Useful Common Wood Species". It's listed there as a 'regional and miscellaneous' wood along with mesquite, citrus, bay et al.
 
It seems there's not much real info about elm as smokewood, and what there is, is contradictory. I guess the only way to know for sure is to risk ruining some good meat. :-(
 
If you try it post the results Jeremy. Maybe you could do a chuck roast they are pretty reasonable in price.

Kevin thanks for that link. That is the second time I have seen ash and hackberry on a list of smoke wood. We have a lot of both around here. I guess I need to try them out and see what kind of flavor they produce. Also beech and birch is on that list. I haven't tried either of those. There isn't a lot of beech around here and I don't think I have ever seen birch grow around here. Next time I run into beech I will have to try it out.
 
I would try firing up a batch and sniffing the smoke before even putting some cheap hot dogs on it. I've burned elm in a wood stove before and to me it smelled like urine.
 
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