Pros or Cons to Using Straight Oak Wood To Smoke Meat

[daveinflorida]

I have a charbroil smoker with the side firebox.  Is there a specific technique to using straight oak wood vs lump or regular charcoal to smoke meat?

 

[so ms smoker]

  Hi Dave. Different woods and charcoals impart different smoky flavors in the meat. I believe oak produces a lot of heat and light smoke. I use pecan, apple, cherry for different flavours. You just have to try different combinations to see what you prefer. Happy smoking!

  Mike

 

[gone4nc]

I have a brinkmann snp side box. I use oak for heat, but I use cherry, appleand persimmon for flavor. I use charcoal to start and maintain the fire, but wood does the work.

 

[venture]

Don't know about your unit?

Most commercial units will work better with charcoal and chunks of wood?

Let us know?

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[dward51]

Might work better in a smaller unit if you start the wood in a separate container/grill/patio fireplace, etc....  Then transfer hot coals to the firebox of the smoker.  If you were to feed solid oak wood into a smaller smoker, I think you would have more trouble keeping the temps down than if you just used lit "coals" from the oak.   You might spend more time tending the firebox that way, but I think it would work just fine.

Either that or cut oak down into smaller 8 to 10" long mini-splits and try that.  A lot of oak will get very hot quickly.

 

[venture]

I am with that.

I like to pre burn even chunks.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[gone4nc]

I do keep my splits around 2 x2 x 9, the guy I get my eood from is really getting the hang of it. He splits it small then either he or I cut it with a chop saw to size. Using oak or maple has helped a lot in keeping temps up in the cheap brinkmann of mine.

 

[daveinflorida]

Thanks Guys. That does help.  Don't use straight oak wood but then its ok as long as you have something to get it down to glowing and then pop it in the smoker.  Here's my smoker.  

 

[jokensmoken]

I found a hardwood furniture maker in my area and get the scraps for nothing...Lots of oak and maple and on occasion cherry...It's definitely worth checking your area...Hardwood cabinet makers and wood finish carpenters can be great sources for small pieces of various hardwood boards and trims that are very easily turned into splits or sticks as nose of the lumber is already cut into 5/4 or 2 inch thick boards and most scraps are already ideally sized.