Wood/Smoke


 
A

andrew j murphy

New member
So I went to my local BBQ store for some wood chunks and I wanted to combine Oak and Cherry for my ribs. Well, they no longer carry Oak at BBQ Galore in San Diego. So I went with Apple and Cherry and I combined the two. I was concerned it was too much sweet and not enough smoke flavor, but I thought it tasted great! I know that is the great taste is the most important thing, but watching Alton Brown makes me want to get everything scientifically perfect. So here are my questions:

Am I overriding both flavors by combining two sweet flavors?

Should I use a more smoky wood with sweet, rather then doubling up sweet flavors?

And my local Safeway sells Oak logs for the fireplace... is this the same quality/flavor oak I would by in BBQ chunk form? In other words can I buy that and break it down myself?

Help the over thinking novice!!!
 
Dude,stop thinking so much! You'll take all the fun out of a great pass time! If you can't find oak,use the king of smoke wood,hickory. But the most important thing is,if you like the flavor you get from the wood combos you use,go for it. HTH
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by andrew j murphy:
And my local Safeway sells Oak logs for the fireplace... is this the same quality/flavor oak I would by in BBQ chunk form? In other words can I buy that and break it down myself?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes you can do that.
 
Apple and cherry mixed smells awesome, I love that smell. Sounds like a good combo for ribs to me. I like oak for beef.
 
Andrew,

The bottom line is if it tastes good, you did it right. Many people combine woods; that's very common. Here's a link that briefly covers the common pairings of wood with meat.

Smoke wood

Paul
 
Andrew, apple and cherry combo on ribs is standard for me BUT be very careful about oversmoking. Ribs ,like chicken, only need a small to moderate amount of smoke. They can turn bitter real fast from too much smoke.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by andrew j murphy:
How's it on Pork shoulder... I've always used Oak. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Try a mix of hickory and sugar maple on pork shoulders. That's the best combo I've found JMO
But I'll vary it up sometimes, using hickory and apple for example. Don't like oak with shoulder. IMO, oak is better used for things like tri tip, but use whatever you like and enjoy
 
Andrew, I've found that hickory, oak,and mesquite are real strong and overpowering. So, I don't mix them with milder woods like fruit woods. It also depends on the meat. Personally, I love the smell of ALL the woods when smoking. That fragrance just can't be beat and in the end it doesn't matter what wood you use. Your end product will taste and smell just great
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