People here use a wide assortment of woods and make many comments about their flavors. Wine snobs speak of notes of oakiness. Yeah. We discuss the flavor of the oak itself. So are we wood snobs? We can distinguish the flavors of many woods and describe them with some of the same terms as used to describe wines and sometimes hot peppers - some are light and bright, some are dark and deep, some flavors are slow to develop. They say a large part of your sense of taste is in your nose. Smoke is aromatic so when you taste something smoked you're smelling/tasting the smoke as much as the food.
So let me don my smoking jacket, relax in my chair, and opine ...
My favorite all-around wood is apple, I've never gone wrong with it. Light and mellow, suitable for fish and chicken but also great for pork because it makes a sweeter result than other woods. I think alder is similar but I never see it around here (central Ohio). These woods are good for smoking when the eaters are new to smoked foods, and a stronger flavor might turn them off. Crab apple is essentially the same.
Maple, ah maple, my first love. How can I thank you? You took my smoking virginity in the pine woods campsite, with the chicken and the legless Weber. This is another excellent all-around wood, with a sweet flavor a bit more complex than apple. Last year I reaped an actual windfall (storm damage) and I still have some of it. Hatchet, please.
Now things start getting more tangy. Hickory brings a, well, nutty flavor. It's the flavor I'm accustomed to from mainstream "smoked" products in groceries when I was growing up. This would be the Southern Gentleman of woods, softly spoken and of moderate temperament. It can be a bit strong for chicken but it's great for pork.
We move on to mesquite and oak. Both are strong and opinions vary. I prefer mesquite but I think I'm in the minority here. I've used oak only a few times and it was too strong for my taste. But, (running an offset) it's possible to fuel with charcoal and add just a bit of it. As for mesquite, stand on the horse crippler cactus and hug the ocotillo. People here complain about the strength of the flavor but I like the tanginess in moderate amounts. It's the flavor of the grilled meats in the better Mexican restaurants around here.
Edited to add: my mistake, not ocotillo but cholla. Speaking as a tree hugger, don't go near one of those things.
You lose me at walnut. It's excellent as fireplace wood, the flame is much more blue than other woods.
So, what are your opinions?
So let me don my smoking jacket, relax in my chair, and opine ...
My favorite all-around wood is apple, I've never gone wrong with it. Light and mellow, suitable for fish and chicken but also great for pork because it makes a sweeter result than other woods. I think alder is similar but I never see it around here (central Ohio). These woods are good for smoking when the eaters are new to smoked foods, and a stronger flavor might turn them off. Crab apple is essentially the same.
Maple, ah maple, my first love. How can I thank you? You took my smoking virginity in the pine woods campsite, with the chicken and the legless Weber. This is another excellent all-around wood, with a sweet flavor a bit more complex than apple. Last year I reaped an actual windfall (storm damage) and I still have some of it. Hatchet, please.
Now things start getting more tangy. Hickory brings a, well, nutty flavor. It's the flavor I'm accustomed to from mainstream "smoked" products in groceries when I was growing up. This would be the Southern Gentleman of woods, softly spoken and of moderate temperament. It can be a bit strong for chicken but it's great for pork.
We move on to mesquite and oak. Both are strong and opinions vary. I prefer mesquite but I think I'm in the minority here. I've used oak only a few times and it was too strong for my taste. But, (running an offset) it's possible to fuel with charcoal and add just a bit of it. As for mesquite, stand on the horse crippler cactus and hug the ocotillo. People here complain about the strength of the flavor but I like the tanginess in moderate amounts. It's the flavor of the grilled meats in the better Mexican restaurants around here.
Edited to add: my mistake, not ocotillo but cholla. Speaking as a tree hugger, don't go near one of those things.
You lose me at walnut. It's excellent as fireplace wood, the flame is much more blue than other woods.
So, what are your opinions?
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