New wood in town

[gnappi]

I have a bunch of typical smoke woods on hand, but this week I bought 100 1/4 split logs of mixed Australian pine and oak. I got it primarily for my firepit  but with the idea of using the Aussie pine as a smoke wood.

 I've read that it mskes a good smoke wood.

Tonight I burned a batch of it and so far I'm not inclined to use it.

First up chopping and then cutting the 1/4 logs is tough, and it splinters alot. Making chunks on my chop saw is a beotsch.

Next it burns totally smokeless. No smoke, nada, zilch but burns HOT! 

Finally its tough to light and I wonder how usable it really will be as a smoke wood.

Anyone else using Australian pine to smoke foods with?

 

[browneyesvictim]

Pine of any type is generally not a good smoking wood. Oak would be a far better choice.

 

[gnappi]

Australian pine is NOT a pine ,it's a hard wood like oak. They call it a pine because it has long needle like "leaves " 

 

[tripleq]

I see you live close to me. What we call Native Australian Pine looks like this.  Long strait trunks.

Australian Pine.jpg

• tripleq
• Feb 11, 2017

And they are very pitchy. Ive probably got 20 in my yard. I tossed some wood from a tree a neighbor cut down in the fire pit... Acrid black smoke. I would never cook with it.

Now Dade county pine is very hard, termites don't eat it and burns like oak. All tho it didn't bellow acrid smoke, I could still smell it. Ill use it my fire pit any day but Im not sure I would put in my smoker.

Here is what it looks like, very gnarly and branchy.

dade county pine.jpg

• tripleq
• Feb 11, 2017

If you give it a go, please let us know how it turns out. If you got a pic of the live tree, put it up.

Tq

 

[gnappi]

Actually, those are SLASH pines and a soft "piney" wood not good for smoking. These are very desirable of the State to plant in parks and home scapes.

The australian pine is very different, it is a subspecies of oak, and they are invasive non native and the State is hell bent on finding a way of destroying them all.

Look up Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) for pics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casuarina_equisetifolia

 

[tripleq]

What ever you say my friend

 

[gnappi]

 
What ever you say my friend

??? It's not what I say it's what the world says. Whatever you think you know about the pic you posted is incorrect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_elliottii

 

[gnappi]

Oh PS. What they called "Dade county pine"Is supposedly extinct.

 

[kalante4421]

My family and I have been smoking with Australian Pine for a couple decades now. It's absolutely NOT a traditional 'pine'. It does smoke, but generally needs soaked for a while, as it does produce and maintain extremely high heat. Otherwise, it needs something between the wood and the heat source if not soaked. Smoke will come, it just takes a few attempts and understanding what the limits are.

A couple of decades and 'acrid' don't apply. We're alive and well. However, I wouldn't personally suggest using the smoked meats using Australian pine as a base for stews/soups. It's a lot better as a stand-alone flavor. It can be overwhelming until you get used to exactly how much of the flavor you want.

It'll grow on you fast if you're more of a mesquite style fanatic. It's got its own flavor though. Try it on a small batch of meat. It won't harm you. The whole 'pine' thing is distracting in making that assumption. I've smoked with other pines (more true in the sense) and have had high levels of success. Trick is moderation. Smoking with Firs though.. I'll do without.

 

[kalante4421]

Oh, and PS: Yes, the state is trying to remove most of the Australian pine due to it being 'infectious'. It's a non-native tree that kills off almost all of our native flora. It actually destroys our natural ecosystem (replacing it with its own). Though, since a lot of them have been removed from here, fishing has gone downhill. But other wildlife has gradually returned in droves.