SoCal Newbie

[beachbunny]

Hi all! :) Short background: I love cooking. All sorts of cooking. Smoking is new territory for me. I FINALLY bought a small Traeger and I'm ready to re-create the amazing ribs that my dad does on his own Traeger.

I just smoked my first brisket today. I found a recipe that called for a mop with apple juice so I used apple chips with it (the rub was great... the finished product was great... an hour later than I thought it would be). Despite my little brother giving me a hard time for using apple with beef, it turned out really well. So, I guess I'm questioning the "wood rules" right off the bat here... 

 

[noboundaries]

Welcome to SMF BeachBunny!  A love of cooking is what got a lot of us started too so you're in good company.  A smoker is basically a smoky oven, and lets face it, you've probably cooked some wonderful briskets in the oven and there was no smoke anywhere near the meat. 

There is no "right" way to Q except what you love to taste.  Experiment with woods and meats to see what you like best.  Consider the wood like a seasoning.  It is surprising how your tastes can change and adapt with experience.  When I first started smoking I really could only taste the difference between strong woods (hickory and mesquite) and mild woods (apple and cherry).  With experience though, as you train your tastebuds, you start to notice subtle differences.  That's when you start mixing woods to get different flavors and colors.  Even though apple is a relatively mild wood it still creates a nice smoke flavor.  It can taste different on beef than on chicken or pork.   

Enjoy your new toy, have fun, and don't forget to take some pictures!  

 

[themule69]

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...
Happy smoken.
David

 

[gary s]

  Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a rainy and cool day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[gary s]

Not really any rules on wood, go with what you like. Generally people use the lighter or fruit wood for fish and chicken, Beef can take the stronger woods like Hickory, Oak Pecan Mesquite etc.   But go with what you like  I do.

Gary