Red Oak vs White Oak

[WarrenWood]

Hello all!

I'm looking for a local wood supply to run my stickburner, and where I live, oak is plentiful. An issue I've run into is the local firewood guys freely mix up white and red oak in the same cord. So before going all OCD I thought I'd ask a question or two here.

Has anybody tried both and performing a red vs oak taste test? Is there a noticeable difference on the same type of meat? Or a strength comparison, like 3 chunks of white oak = 2 chunks of red? From what I've read, the red oak may be stronger, but I haven't found a head-to-head comparison.

On my WSM I use KBB and peach chunks from Fruitawood (they air dry their wood chunks, not kiln dry.) I use 3 chunks of wood for a 6 hour burn, that's the strength and overall flavor profile I like. I normally smoke either babyback ribs or pork shoulder. Occasionally I'll do chicken. (brisket is my enemy... sigh...)

Thank you everybody!

 

[TNJAKE]

I use both and don't notice a difference. Buy it and smoke on!

 

[pc farmer]

Heres my take on it. I find red oak is alittle stronger, not much. We have alot of both here, I cut my own. Now kiln dried and air dried, my opinion is kiln dried will not have as much smoke flavor as air dried.

 

[jcam222]

Heres my take on it. I find red oak is alittle stronger, not much. We have alot of both here, I cut my own. Now kiln dried and air dried, my opinion is kiln dried will not have as much smoke flavor as air dried.

agree on kiln vs air dried. When I switched from buying store bought kiln dried wood chunks to a local source for air dried wood for my cabinet smoker the flavor difference was phenomenal.

 

[flatbroke]

Some around my area pay extra for red oak as they say it offers a superior taste.

 

[mike243]

I cant tell a difference, if its shipped it has to be kiln dried per federal Regulations,

 

[WarrenWood]

Thanks everybody! As far as local wood, it will be air seasoned. Now I just have to find a cutter that can cut splits small enough for my OK Joe Longhorn .

The only reason I bought up the kiln issue is that I was under the impression that Fruitawood was air seasoned as well. On my WSM, Fruitawood is MUCH better than Western or any other chunks I can buy from the box stores.

 

[Ringer]

I use both red and white oak. I prefer red but they are both excellent. I have mixed them before and the results are close.

 

[1MoreFord]

If it matters to you White Oak has more BTU's than Red Oak, but Shagbark Hickory has more than either Oak.

BTU Values of Wood Species

Wood species type BTU values of a cord burning wood in a wood stove

www.wood-heating-solutions.com

I don't know I can even tell a difference between the Oaks and Hickory in the cooked food but I can smell a sweet Hickory fire cooking a mile away.

 

[jaxgatorz]

Thanks everybody! As far as local wood, it will be air seasoned. Now I just have to find a cutter that can cut splits small enough for my OK Joe Longhorn .

The only reason I bought up the kiln issue is that I was under the impression that Fruitawood was air seasoned as well. On my WSM, Fruitawood is MUCH better than Western or any other chunks I can buy from the box stores.

Fruitawood is NOT kiln dried..Which is why I use them.

 

[uncle eddie]

Our farm has is about 75-80 acres wooded. Mostly with red/white oak and lesser amounts of hickory and walnut. When we cut wood, it has never occurred to me to seperate red and white oak...but we do seperate hickory. I think we might check this out.

For those of you that can't tell the difference between red and white oak...here is a not-politically-correct way using a cowboys and indians analogy

• Cowboys shoot bullets and are called "white man" - Bullets have rounded points as do white oak leaves
• Indians shoot arrows and are called "red man" - arrows have sharp points - as do red oak leaves

Since many oaks hold leaves all winter, you are good to go...

 

[Bearcarver]

I Don't know much about Smoking Red & White Oak.
However I made over 500 Red Oak Kitchens, including about 100 in my own Cabinet shop, over 10 years.
I believe White Oak is used more in the Furniture Business.

Bear

 

[zwiller]

White oak is big in boat building as it essentially waterproof and is why it is used for making barrels for aging liquor. As a super taster/smeller I think I can tell the 2 apart but they are close. I agree with Adam pc farmer red is a tad stronger and has a bitter medicinal smell. White oak has sweeter smell and has a whisky-ish vanilla note IMO, which liquor takes on when aging in barrels. Oak is easily my fave wood to smoke with. No idea what is used in "oak" pellets but I bought A LOT from Todd a few years back and I find it has the vanilla note so I guess mostly white. Very happy with it. Around here, quarter sawn white or "tiger oak" furniture is REALLY popular. I have some myself and lots of my family collect it. Not mine but really close.

 

[BurntWeenie]

White oak is big in boat building as it essentially waterproof and is why it is used for making barrels for aging liquor. As a super taster/smeller I think I can tell the 2 apart but they are close. I agree with Adam pc farmer red is a tad stronger and has a bitter medicinal smell. White oak has sweeter smell and has a whisky-ish vanilla note IMO, which liquor takes on when aging in barrels. Oak is easily my fave wood to smoke with. No idea what is used in "oak" pellets but I bought A LOT from Todd a few years back and I find it has the vanilla note so I guess mostly white. Very happy with it. Around here, quarter sawn white or "tiger oak" furniture is REALLY popular. I have some myself and lots of my family collect it. Not mine but really close.

View attachment 518606

Like Stickley/Mission furniture

 

[Bearcarver]

Just thought of it----Red Oak SawDust is very Acrid, taste & smell.

Bear

 

[Mr. Zorg]

There are a lot of different oak species that fall into either red oak vs white oak.

I used a lot of Water Oak, a member of the red oak family, when we lived in SE Louisiana where it was locally abundant.

Here where South Texas meets the Hill Country, I've used some Post Oak, a member of the white oak family.

Personally I can distinguish a difference in the smoke flavor, and smoke odor, from these two specific species. Water Oak has more of a "spicy" smoke, is the best way I can describe. I don't have first hand experience cooking with any other oak species.

The Salt Lick in the Hill Country uses Live Oak, not Post Oak, at their restaurants and they've done a booming business for quite some time. I personally find the mystique built up around Post Oak a bit overblown. I grew up in the Texas Coastal Bend and used only mesquite for cooking wood for a long time, even when I lived in San Marcos in the Hill Country for several years. There's plenty of mesquite available in the Hill Country in addition to Post Oak, Live Oak, and Pecan.

 

[zwiller]

Just thought of it----Red Oak SawDust is very Acrid, taste & smell.

Bear

I had a buddy in that business quit and said one of the biggest reasons was working with red oak.

 

[Bearcarver]

I had a buddy in that business quit and said one of the biggest reasons was working with red oak.

Yup--Red Oak is a bitch, but it Mills so nice! Probably if I'd have worn a Mask then, I wouldn't need Oxygen all the time now. I loved working with Red Oak. 90% of my kitchens were Red Oak, because I gave a discount for "Natural Red Oak".

Bear

 

[zwiller]

Yup--Red Oak is a bitch, but it Mills so nice! Probably if I'd have worn a Mask then, I wouldn't need Oxygen all the time now. I loved working with Red Oak. 90% of my kitchens were Red Oak, because I gave a discount for "Natural Red Oak".

Bear

FIL was a painting contractor and was hot heavy in that oak era. Your "Natural Red Oak" is probably our "Golden Oak" era. I helped him when he was real busy. Red oak is a breeze to finish and pretty much anything worked and looked great but 99% of the time we used Minwax Golden Oak followed by poly. Matched those oak and brass toilet seats everyone had perfectly!

 

[Bearcarver]

FIL was a painting contractor and was hot heavy in that oak era. Your "Natural Red Oak" is probably our "Golden Oak" era. I helped him when he was real busy. Red oak is a breeze to finish and pretty much anything worked and looked great but 99% of the time we used Minwax Golden Oak followed by poly. Matched those oak and brass toilet seats everyone had perfectly!

My "Natural Red Oak" had no stain on it at all.
It was plain Red Oak, with 2 coats of Pre-Catalyzed Clear Sealer, finished sanded, and then One coat of Pre-Catalyzed Clear Lacquer on top.
My competitors gave discounts for their Stained Oak, because they could get cheap ugly Oak & bury it with Stain.
I paid a Premium for "LANRO" (Light And Natural Red Oak), and made up for it by not having to spend time staining my Wood. Therefore I could discount "Natural Red Oak".

Bear