pecan wood???

[luke1982]

Maybe this is the wrong place to as, but yesterday I smoke a couple slabs of pork spare ribs.  When my family and I starting eating supper I noticed that when I was eating the outside part of the ribs it would give me a numbing feeling on my tongue.  I have noticed this before when I smoked.  What causes this?

 

[jaxgatorz]

Usualy that means too much white billowing smoke.. Causes creosite...That's the simple answer..I'm sure others will be here shortly with probably a better explanation..

 

[pineywoods]

Welcome to SMF

The usual cause of that is creosote. The usual cause of creosote is too much smoke or having the exhaust damper closed or closed too much. Always leave the top exhaust damper wide open. You want to see thin blue smoke (TBS) coming out or no smoke just the smell of the wood not white billowing smoke.

 

[jaxgatorz]

You want the thin blue

 

[richoso1]

Don't fret, we all learn how to use wood along the way to smokesville. Now you're one step closer. It's all good my friend.

 

[luke1982]

Thanks everyone.  This will help a lot.

 

[pineywoods]

I would suggest signing up for Jeff's 5 Day Ecourse its free and has some great info. You can also pick up lots of good info and recipes here on the site. Be sure to stop by the Roll Call section and make a thread and tell us about you and your type smoker

 

[crestwood buck]

Pecan is a great wood to use, it gives me a great flavor in my MES.  I am sure others will agree, hopefully you can try it again with better results.  Good luck and try for the TBS.

 

[scarbelly]

I regulary mix pecan and apple for a great smoke taste - They make a great combo

 

[rickypro]

A big pecan limb from my neighbor's tree fell in my yard today.  Thanks neighbor!

 

[beefmeister]

rickypro....

QUICK, hide the saw

 

[rickypro]

rickypro....

QUICK, hide the saw

I used some tonight for stuffed chicken thighs.  Pretty tasty.  First time I have used pecan and it was goooood!

 

[roller]

Yep too much white smoke for to long.It will do it no matter what kind of wood you use..Pecan is my very favorite next is Apple...

 

[chakara]

I love Pecan.  With friends that have a couple acres of them I'm set forever!

What about the nut shells - can you smoke with those?  

-Chak

 

[rabbithutch]

There were 3 pecan trees in the back yard of the house in NC where I was raised. AFAIK they are still there and they were 40 years old or more when I was born. I've used a lot of pecan in fires. There isn't much heat in it compared to oak and hickory in the fireplace or wood stove, but it makes a great smoke. Just be sure it is fully dry. Since moving to Texas where pecan is a very common native, I can collect all I'll ever use from storm damage and people trimming.

I have never used pecan shells for smoking, but it might be worth a try. Be sure they have lost all the residue of the green husk if you are using found nuts. I used hickory nuts for smoking for a long time, too. Hickory and pecan are basically the closest of cousins, genetically. I would crack the hickory nuts with a hammer and throw the shell and what little meat was in it on the top of charcoal when grilling steaks and burgers. It's a might strong for chicken but great with beef.

Good luck and keep us posted on the next smoke.