I Need to Ask

[dave schiller]

Many folks post the question here asking about what kind of wood to smoke with. For some reason, I started thinking about how the Native Americans did it and what fuel they used. Focusing in on the plains people, it seems buffalo chips were the primary fuel for heating, cooking, and smoking meat. You can use your imagination, but when someone here starts discussing the difference between red oak and white oak, well ................. There seems to be a very wide choice of fuels, so perhaps we shouldn't get drawn in debates about minor differences about wood. Just saying.

 

[BurntWeenie]

Many folks post the question here asking about what kind of wood to smoke with. For some reason, I started thinking about how the Native Americans did it and what fuel they used. Focusing in on the plains people, it seems buffalo chips were the primary fuel for heating, cooking, and smoking meat. You can use your imagination, but when someone here starts discussing the difference between red oak and white oak, well ................. There seems to be a very wide choice of fuels, so perhaps we shouldn't get drawn in debates about minor differences about wood. Just saying.

No sh!t

 

[indaswamp]

There is a difference between using a fire for survival and using smoke for flavor.....the Indians did the former while most here do the later.

 

[thirdeye]

it seems buffalo chips were the primary fuel for heating, cooking, and smoking meat.

Cooking for sure. But a lot of meats were dried instead of smoked. Salt was not in steady supply, but it was used to preserve too.

 

[SmokyMose]

The Plains tribes probably burned Buffalo "chips" because there weren't many trees.
They likely would have preferred wood.....

 

[jcam222]

I would say that in a blind taste test I doubt people could distinguish between types of oak vs each other and the same with most fruitwoods. I know many who say they can but I’d like to see it done blind. Now surely you can taste difference between say oak, hickory, mesquite and a fruit wood.

 

[SmokinEdge]

True buffalo chips were burned. They ate prairie dogs and mice as well, but they needed water always and around water we often find cottonwood trees. In some of my research the first packing houses in Missouri and Kansas they used the bark from the cottonwood in their smokehouses. They liked it because it didn’t make their eyes tear like other smoke woods when they were inside tending to meats. I bet the Indian used cottonwood also.

 

[mneeley490]

I would say that in a blind taste test I doubt people could distinguish between types of oak va each other and the same with most fruitwoods. I know many who say they can but I’d like to see it done blind. Now surely you can taste difference between day oak, hickory, mesquite and a fruit wood.

I used to be able to tell what kind of wood was being used just from the smell of the smoke. There was a place not far from where I work that would make wood-fired pizzas, and vent the smoke outside. They'd use whatever hardwood was available, and I'd walk in a guess it right about 95% of the time. Not quite as accurate anymore.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I would say that in a blind taste test I doubt people could distinguish between types of oak va each other and the same with most fruitwoods. I know many who say they can but I’d like to see it done blind. Now surely you can taste difference between day oak, hickory, mesquite and a fruit wood.

Really I think this is a brilliant point Jeff.
Woods in category are hard to distinguish, but the category of woods is pretty simple to distinguish.
Mesquite vs fruitwood as an example. But getting peach and not cherry is tough. I might add the nut woods as a category though, they are generally somewhere between fruitwood and hickory.

 

[Sowsage]

I would say that in a blind taste test I doubt people could distinguish between types of oak vs each other and the same with most fruitwoods. I know many who say they can but I’d like to see it done blind. Now surely you can taste difference between say oak, hickory, mesquite and a fruit wood.

I have to agree with you Jeff.. I used to use apple for fruit wood because it was just always available.. My fruit wood of choice now is cherry... But only for the color it ads to the meat... Can I taste a different flavor compared to apple?? Not really...

 

[DougE]

It may just be in my head, but with really mild flavored stuff like fish, I believe I can taste a difference between pear, plum, and cherry, but on stronger flavored meats like beef, I highly doubt it. I freely admit that I may fail a blind taste test if someone were to smoke some salmon with each wood, and test me.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I have to agree with you Jeff.. I used to use apple for fruit wood because it was just always available.. My fruit wood of choice now is cherry... But only for the color it ads to the meat... Can I taste a different flavor compared to apple?? Not really...

This is my experience also. I’ve burned a kings ransom in apple wood over the years, plus peach, apricot and pear, but never cherry. I switched last year to pecan from the advice here and it made a big difference in color and the flavor is similar to apple but stronger noticeabley. I have now acquired some cherry and plan to mix the two mostly for the color. The flavor I don’t expect to change.

 

[TNJAKE]

This is my experience also. I’ve burned a kings ransom in apple wood over the years, plus peach, apricot and pear, but never cherry. I switched last year to pecan from the advice here and it made a big difference in color and the flavor is similar to apple but stronger noticeabley. I have now acquired some cherry and plan to mix the two mostly for the color. The flavor I don’t expect to change.

Pecan/cherry my favorite combo

 

[jcam222]

I have to agree with you Jeff.. I used to use apple for fruit wood because it was just always available.. My fruit wood of choice now is cherry... But only for the color it ads to the meat... Can I taste a different flavor compared to apple?? Not really...

I’m 100% in camp cherry. Even for beef I use cherry with some oak mixed in.

 

[1MoreFord]

I used to be able to tell what kind of wood was being used just from the smell of the smoke. There was a place not far from where I work that would make wood-fired pizzas, and vent the smoke outside. They'd use whatever hardwood was available, and I'd walk in a guess it right about 95% of the time. Not quite as accurate anymore.

I can distinguish Hickory 100% of the time by aroma but others I can't. I simply love the aroma of Hickory! I don't think I can distinguish any woods by flavor if the food is cooked over a good clean fire.

 

[allbbq]

Many folks post the question here asking about what kind of wood to smoke with. For some reason, I started thinking about how the Native Americans did it and what fuel they used. Focusing in on the plains people, it seems buffalo chips were the primary fuel for heating, cooking, and smoking meat. You can use your imagination, but when someone here starts discussing the difference between red oak and white oak, well ................. There seems to be a very wide choice of fuels, so perhaps we shouldn't get drawn in debates about minor differences about wood. Just saying.

I find my Applewood is all around go to. But I do use all sorts of varieties for specific meats. Still new to the forum, so it surprises me there is arguing over a topic like this.

 

[DRKsmoking]

I'm in the same boat/camp as most as I only have 4 types of wood in the smokers shack
Mesquite, Hickory, Apple and Cherry, While I can smell the difference in the Mesquite and the hickory
while it is smoking and I love the taste of both . I could not tell you Apple or Cherry for flavor, but like the
color from the cherry.
My go to is Mesquite mostly and Hickory . Depends on the day. But just love the smell around the yard
while any of it is producing smoke.
Warm fuzzy feeling ......because I know dinner is on the way lol

David