So right before I found Jeff's list of smoking woods, I bought some walnut wood, and then saw that the list says it is a heavy smoke and not to use it. But I had it sitting here and decided what the heck, let's try it on a chicken.
First I had to take the bark off as it had some icky looking yellow stuff on it. But the wood was dry enough so it wasn't hard to remove it with a small hammer and wedge.
I put a thawed chicken with a basic rub on the smoker at 300 degrees. I usually brine it first but didn't have time so I skipped it, and I thought it would probably come out horrible anyway (thus the lack of qview, sorry). I added a chunk of walnut and let it smoke until the chicken hit 140, then let the coals finish it off at 175 degrees.
After letting it rest for a while I grabbed a knife and sliced off a hunk of breast meat. To my surprise, I really I LIKED IT!! The walnut definitely gives it a unique flavor and it wasn't at all too smokey or bitter. Even Mrs. Al enjoyed it and she doesn't like the heavier smokes like mesquite or hickory.
So if you have every thought about using walnut and go for it!
Happy Halloween
First I had to take the bark off as it had some icky looking yellow stuff on it. But the wood was dry enough so it wasn't hard to remove it with a small hammer and wedge.
I put a thawed chicken with a basic rub on the smoker at 300 degrees. I usually brine it first but didn't have time so I skipped it, and I thought it would probably come out horrible anyway (thus the lack of qview, sorry). I added a chunk of walnut and let it smoke until the chicken hit 140, then let the coals finish it off at 175 degrees.
After letting it rest for a while I grabbed a knife and sliced off a hunk of breast meat. To my surprise, I really I LIKED IT!! The walnut definitely gives it a unique flavor and it wasn't at all too smokey or bitter. Even Mrs. Al enjoyed it and she doesn't like the heavier smokes like mesquite or hickory.
So if you have every thought about using walnut and go for it!
Happy Halloween
