Cooking Wood Info

[C.L.Button]

You will find below a listing of commonly used smoking woods and the meats they compliment.

Wood, Characteristics, Best With;


Oak A heavy smoke flavor. Any oak will do. A popular smoking wood to use with Charcol. Red meat, pork, fish, and some wild game.
Hickory Strong, smoky taste. The most common smoking wood. The bark of a Hickory Shaggy Bark is especially good. Good with any meat
Mesquite Sweet, light taste. Especially good with ribs, lamb, and vegetables.
Pecan Nice taste. Lighter than hickory. Good with almost anything.
Apple Sweet, fruity smoke taste. Beef, poultry, wild game, pork, Salmon(especially ham)
Maple Medium strength. Most meats. Most vegetables. Good with beef.
Almond A nutty, sweet flavor. Good with all meats.
Alder Very delicate. Slightly sweet. Fish, pork, poultry.
Apricot Milder and sweeter than Hickory. Good with most meats.
Ash Burns fast. Light but distinct flavor. Red meats and fish.
Birch Slightly sweet. Good with pork and poultry.
Cherry Slightly sweet fruit flavor. My personal favorite. Good with all meats and seafoods.
Grape Vines Similar to fruit woods. Good with all meats.
Dried Blackberry Vines Medium smoke flavor. Slight hint of fruit. Good with beef, poultry, and pork.
Lemon Medium smoke flavor. Slight hint of fruit. Good with beef, poultry, and pork.
Orange/Grapefruit Very light smoke flavor. Good with seafood and lamb.
Persimmon Heavy smoke flavor. Very different, strong but mildly sweet. Good with beef, pork, poultry.
Peach or Pear Slightly sweet, great for light smoking of Fish or anything with a delicate flavor.
Beech Medium flavor, the younger ones work best. Good with Ham, Sausage, Stronger Fish.

Hope this info helps make you a better smoker cook.

Directions

I use "fruitwoods" green or not seasoned. Green fruitwood has a sap that when smoldering produces a very sweet smoke.

I use "hardwoods" seasoned approx 1 yr, then soaked to help increase smoldering time. (The soaking also helps to increase humidity inside the cooker.)

As with anything cooking, different amounts of wood and different cooking times will wildly vary the flavors you get. Couple this with different spices/rubs and you will have a BIG treasure chest full of ideas and recipes. My advice is to get a notebook or some type of journal and make notes. Believe me after years of experimentation you will be glad you did.

There are some who may disagree with this analogy , but hey that's why we do competitions right ? See you there. THANKS !

 

[carpenterguy]

i think that the cherry is best used on chicken. man it is good

 

[pentail]

we had to take out a couple large wild cherry trees today in order to do the fence and landscape for a back yard. One was standing dead, the other green. I now have enough cherry to smoke till the pigs come home

 

[C.L.Button]

we had to take out a couple large wild cherry trees today in order to do the fence and landscape for a back yard. One was standing dead, the other green. I now have enough cherry to smoke till the pigs come home

Just make sure you stack or pile it up off the ground. Cherry is a big fav of ants and they will have a field day if left exposed to the dirt. It also helps to keep mold from growing on it.

 

[WhiteRubi]

Hey guys, where might a man find all these different types of wood?

 

[C.L.Button]

ALL of them ?

IF so, there will be some shipping involved.

 

[raktrakr]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried Sasafrass?

 

[C.L.Button]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried Sasafrass?

Yes

Got to soak it good and keep it at the bare edge of the coals. IF it catches fire will burn hot and fast !

Great flavor for Salmon, Trout, Pork Loins.

 

[bub901]

Smoke Flavor

Something I tried this past year that you may think about is whiskey barrell staves! They are mainly white oak and just soaked to the core with Kentucky's finest. I take the staves, cut them into brickets and soak in water over night. Then when the flame is right, I drop them "close" to the flame and let them simmer. Once they're smokin' pretty good I drop the meat on the flame, brown heavy on both sides, reduce the flame and let finish.
Good Lord!!!!!

 

[C.L.Button]

Something I tried this past year that you may think about is whiskey barrell staves! They are mainly white oak and just soaked to the core with Kentucky's finest. I take the staves, cut them into brickets and soak in water over night. Then when the flame is right, I drop them "close" to the flame and let them simmer. Once they're smokin' pretty good I drop the meat on the flame, brown heavy on both sides, reduce the flame and let finish.
Good Lord!!!!!

I use these too. I cut them to length, then I try to seal them up best I can. I try to keep as much Bourbon moisture in the wood as I can. It is a different flavor, but good. I wish I could mulch some of the staves and make a "feather" type bed with them. I LOVE that smell of Oak & Bourbon together. Good idea bub

 

[rcb216]

Has anyone heard of using red cedar, it smeels good but has anyone tried it, my guess is it needs to be mixed with something sweet?

 

[barney]

Hey C.L., what do you think about corncobs, have you ever used them? I always add some to the hickory, when cold smoking hams in the smokehouse. My grandfather always used this "recipe", and I'm, just carry'n on the tradition.

 

[luckydawg]

Barney that sound pretty cool. how do you go about using the corn cobs. do you just put them in the sun to dry out? and also what is the best foods to use it with?

 

[barney]

Barney that sound pretty cool. how do you go about using the corn cobs. do you just put them in the sun to dry out? and also what is the best foods to use it with?

The cobs I use are fresh ones, and they have a moisture content. I have never used them to prepare food for the table, just a mix of hickory, and cobs to "cold" smoke, country hams, and mids. in the spring.

Corncobs, may be something to try in the smoker, I've never heard anyone else mention them?

 

[C.L.Button]

Corncobs work great but you must use them "green". When dried they burn quick & have a bitter smoke. Not good by any means. I have mixed them with Hickory & Cherry doing Butts during Deer camp. It is a different and interesting flavor for sure.

It has been a few years since I tried that. I'll have to try it again this year. Thanks for the reminder.