Anybody like pecan wood?

[txbdyguard]

I have several pecan trees on the property.  One that was 3' on the stump blew over and I cut some of the trunk in 6" slabs and then spilt it up.  when the slabs are only 6" thick you can almost bust them with a hammer.  I said almost.  Easy to spilt and I use it for pork, turkey, brisket, and chicken.  Does great.

 

[bhawkins]

Smoker21 The reason you let your wood dry out is because the sap in the tree will cause cresote and bad tastes. If you are picking dropped limbs up from the ground they should already be dry enough to use.

 

[txbdyguard]

My trunk pieces are stacked and drying right now.

 

[shonuffdreday]

Has anyone tried pecan wood with apple wood? I love pecan but have never tried the apple. I imagine that apple would add a mild, sweet flavor!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Has anyone tried pecan wood with apple wood? I love pecan but have never tried the apple. I imagine that apple would add a mild, sweet flavor!

I've used pecan/apple, pecan/cherry, and all three in trio...great on pork shoulder cuts, chops, loins and ribs. For beef, the pecan/cherry blend seems to carry itself a little better than with apple,,,apple seems a bit too sweet in the background for the stronger flavors of most beef cuts, but for the milder cuts would do fine.

Apple/pecan is very good with poultry, but if you want to kick it up a little, add a touch of hickory...not a lot, maybe 10-15% of your total smoke wood...gives just a little sharpness up front, the apple coming in soon after with a nice sweet flavor, then pecan bringing up the rear with that wildly enticing aroma and flavor...nice combo for birds.

Oh, pecan/cherry/hickory has a great snappy flavor from the hickory, a deeper fruit flavor from the cherry and that pungent aroma and slightly nutty flavor you love so much. I've used this with pork shoulder cuts and most beef...GREAT with brisket!

If you have hickory, cherry, apple and pecan, you can do some pretty awesome blends of smoke for just about anything...I've even gone as far as pecan/cherry on a few milder fish such as tilapia or cod...light smoke of course...not at all what you would expect from hot-smoked fish, but unique and interesting, in a good way. I don't have alder for fish, so I played with smoke more than once.

Play the fields with your smoke woods, though...you may have different tastes than myself and many others, but what I mentioned above is based on my personal experiences.

Great smokes to ya!

Eric

 

[so ms smoker]

  A pecan apple mix is my favorite for pork and chicken!

   Mike

 

[themole]

I know I'm a little late to this tread, so I would like to suggest something for those looking for pecan shells to smoke with. We used bags & bags of pecan shells at the power plant I retired from. They were used for the purpose of sending them through the turbine blades to clean them for efficiency. They are also used as blasting media by sandblasting companies.

I don't know where you would purchase them, but this could be a good lead on where to begin. Find out where the media blasters purchase theirs.

Just a thought.

 

[kevin terry]

If you do the Pecan mixture do you add together or start with hardwood then add fruit wood.

 

[stripernut]

Someone mentioned not to use green Pecan wood.  I just cut up a downed limb. Why do I want to wait for it to dry?

Pecan is in the same genus as the hickories, and is a preferred smoking wood here in Alabama where it is grown commercially for nut production. We use it green or dry with great results. Smoke on, Wes.

pecan.jpg

• stripernut
• Jun 26, 2013

 

[akhap]

Smoker21 The reason you let your wood dry out is because the sap in the tree will cause cresote and bad tastes. If you are picking dropped limbs up from the ground they should already be dry enough to use.

Sorry, but the fact is those creosote compounds are exactly what folks are smoking flesh for... It preserves the fish and whatnot by creating an environment that fungus, molds, and bacteria do not enjoy.

Green wood can produce off tastes, but it is easy to neutralize them.

Do not listen to the dry it "One Year per inch of thickness" rule, as it is bogus in virtually every aspect. In dry conditions 12" long limb sections of almost any wood will be bone dry in just a bit over a month.
art

 

[cliffcarter]

Do not listen to the dry it "One Year per inch of thickness" rule, as it is bogus in virtually every aspect. In dry conditions 12" long limb sections of almost any wood will be bone dry in just a bit over a month.
art

I agree with your first statement, but not the second. After a month or so that 12" limb will be dry on the ends and still have a moisture content of 30%-40% in the center, at least as measured by my moisture meter. Cut the branch into 3" long pieces and your 1 month or so drying time will happen.

BTW it's always nice to see these old threads resurrected, I was a bit surprised to see BigAl's avatar, I didn't know he was a member here.  

 

[stripernut]

I know I'm a little late to this tread, so I would like to suggest something for those looking for pecan shells to smoke with. We used bags & bags of pecan shells at the power plant I retired from. They were used for the purpose of sending them through the turbine blades to clean them for efficiency. They are also used as blasting media by sandblasting companies.

I don't know where you would purchase them, but this could be a good lead on where to begin. Find out where the media blasters purchase theirs.

Just a thought.

I'll have to check this out as there are tons of shells left over here each fall from pecan cracking operations. On a somewhat related topic, but not pecan, my bro-in-law works at a distillery in Bardstown, KY and he can get me all the residual wood bungs from when they open aged barrels that I want. These bungs are tulip poplar, I believe, and are soaked in whiskey. Tulip poplar is a low btu wood that produces a light, white smoke. I have used these before, and the scent of the burning whiskey is very pleasant. Bung smoked butts turn out very tasty. Have any of you used whiskey bungs for smoking?

Smoke On,

Wes

 

[akhap]

I agree with your first statement, but not the second. After a month or so that 12" limb will be dry on the ends and still have a moisture content of 30%-40% in the center, at least as measured by my moisture meter. Cut the branch into 3" long pieces and your 1 month or so drying time will happen.

BTW it's always nice to see these old threads resurrected, I was a bit surprised to see BigAl's avatar, I didn't know he was a member here.  

I should have been a bit more specific... but I stand behind my comment completely. A 2" limb is going to be almost completely sapwood in most species and water moves much more readily through the grain than against it and it only has to move 6" to reach the surface and evaporate away. Rule of thumb in the wood drying world is water moves 15 times faster longitudinally than radially.

Lumber which dries much more slowly than the described limb wood due to increased length and relying on much slower radial and tangential water movement dries in a dry kiln in less than 10 days for most 4/4 lumber. In high humidity areas, and I assume you must be in one, the wood is only going to go down to 12-15% by air-drying.

There are woods which due to their specific gravity dry or extractives that plug the passageways needed by water to leave will dry very slowly. White oaks for example or some of the really heavy woods.

More in a little bit...
art

 

[smoker21]

Thanks all for the replies. A couple months outside and I'm good to go.

 

[cptkirk]

I have been using pecan wood chunks for over a year now, prior to that I had used applewood, which is good, but I prefer pecan over hickory, apple and others, I just found more economical 18 inch quarter split pecan to use in my 60 inch Lang smoker,  Happy smokin!

 

[yfz404]

Pecan is what i use for most of everything. It is lighter in flaver and has the best aroma to me. They arent as easy to come by in my neck of the woods though.

 

[foureyes45]

I like to start off with Ozark Oak Lump for a bed of coals and then add Cherry and Pecan...I have a Friend that Gives me Split Pecan age 6 mos or more I'm buying a cord of Cherry wood next week  --Cherry is hard to find in this area for some reason...

 

[raastros2]

Love it!!

 

[sparkypyro]

Pecan/apple combo for my turkeys and chicken. Nothing better than the smell of the 2 together, the entire hood knows what I'm cooking based on the smells filling their homes. The taste is great.


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[rjlaird]

I have a lot of cured pecan wood. Any size you would like. I'm trying to find buyers