some wood questions

[Muskoka Smoker]

Hey all, its possible im over thinking things. I have a wood lot, answers may be the difference of buying wood vs free wood.

specifically what "cherry" bbq smoke wood is preferred -

I have access to (human eating) cherry fruit wood, limited for some $
Also, Black cherry (furniture, large tree) economically bought/split/dried. or limited free on my wood lot.
lastly, Pin Cherry, (scrub tree, bird berries) this is abundant and free. It grows first very abundantly on cleared areas of wood lot.

Also, I have a tone of large free beech wood, I don't hear many bbq using beech. Thoughts ?

I have a custom smoker with large burn box. I can very easily with room left over fit four plus 15''x8'' woods onto of huge coal bed.
Is splitting wood/ logs necessary if dry ?
Is bark an issue ?
should soaking the wood ever be considered

Thx all for your thoughts in advance !

- Greg

 

[tpc74]

I'm no expert on wood species, but I think the fruitwood would be preferred over the others. I think think bark is an issue if the wood is split/dry, the bark should be dry as well. I don't think soaking would be the way to go.

Have you tried procuring some of each and just burning it, and smelling how it burns? I've found I've enjoyed more foods I have smoked or cooked directly over a fire if the medium used smells pleasant to me. Sounds simple, maybe it is this simple?

 

[chopsaw]

Also, I have a tone of large free beech wood, I don't hear many bbq using beech. Thoughts ?

I'd be all over that . I use the pellets for hams and bacon . Wish I could get splits or chunks .

 

[normanaj]

I've used beech pellets and chunks when I've found them which is rare around these parts.

 

[1MoreFord]

Any version of cherry should work. Not sure which one you will prefer.
If the stick/log is big enough you will have to split it. I would split your example at least once. Maybe twice.
Split it first thing if you want it to dry quicker.
The bark will be a non-issue. It will dry with the wood.
Never soak wood.
I've never used any beech but have heard it works.

 

[mike243]

Beech works very well, no shrubs only trees for me.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Just get enough of each species to do a cook with it... Keep notes for comparison... I don't see any species mentioned that are a real no-no...

 

[DougE]

specifically what "cherry" bbq smoke wood is preferred

I don't think you will find much meaningful difference between the wood from an orchard cultivar versus a wild cherry.

 

[Muskoka Smoker]

Thx all for your thoughts !

Ton of great points that has caused me to consider the amount of impact one smoke can vary from another. After all, its smoke.

I will experiment

As an Ontario/Canadian I guess I take sugar maple and beach for granted, so plentiful. Have only been using it for primary burn. Once I have my coals and meat goes on I was thinking I needed something "special".

Yesterday I did a short cook of a pork loin with Mulberry and cherry logs. It turned out great, but did I really feel the smoke was that different . . . not really.

-Greg

 

[forktender]

Thx all for your thoughts !

Ton of great points that has caused me to consider the amount of impact one smoke can vary from another. After all, its smoke.

I will experiment

As an Ontario/Canadian I guess I take sugar maple and beach for granted, so plentiful. Have only been using it for primary burn. Once I have my coals and meat goes on I was thinking I needed something "special".

Yesterday I did a short cook of a pork loin with Mulberry and cherry logs. It turned out great, but did I really feel the smoke was that different . . . not really.

-Greg

Greg, you're a very lucky dude, cherry, sugar maple, beach, and mulberry wood are all amazing woods for smoking.

Have fun, and make sure to post up some pictures of your smokes, and a few pics of your wood lot would be very cool to see as well.

Smoke on Bruth'a.
Dan.

 

[Mechanic of Smoke]

Beech works very well, no shrubs only trees for me.

Do you like beech in general or for a specific cooke?
Because I've read a lot of reports: "Beech is great on ham."

I live in Bavaria, Germany and it is difficult to get the usual woods from America.
I would therefore like to use local woods such as beech, oak and cherry.

 

[arthurbraun]

Cherry fruit wood is top-notch for BBQ—worth the splurge if you can get it. Black Cherry is also excellent, offering a richer flavor, and if it's more economical, go for it. Pin Cherry is less common but free—why not give it a try? Beech wood isn’t widely used, but it has a mild, nutty flavor that could be interesting.

For best results: split the wood even if dry, remove bark if you’re worried about bitterness, and skip the soaking—dry wood smokes better. Enjoy experimenting and happy smoking!

 

[Mechanic of Smoke]

Thank you for your feedback.
Then I'll go into the race with oak, beech and cherry and see what comes of it.

 

[Muskoka Smoker]

Hey all, I appreciate the comments are still coming.
I think what im getting out of this to some degree at least is ... we all want or appreciate what we cant have. At lease when pertaining to quality wood, im starting to realize its all good.

As a Canadian, I think I got caught up in the hype of wood typical to southern US BBQ. I feel its possible those woods became popular due to availability. Of course due to Bbq popularity of certain regions I associated those wood flavours as "good or Proper" bbq.

Its possible my palette sucks. Or, as long as im using quality wood I find it effects flavour very little, its just good smoke!

Ive been smoking quite a bit, practicing/learning. Trying not to burn the family out on smoke Bbq, neighbours too. Actually, I started sharing with many on my street, and it started something. I now don't by alot of meat. The neighbours buy it, and I cook. Others scan the sales. Also, we have baker that got in on the fun and contributes by making dessert. Cool and unexpected way to bring the neighbourhood together.

So, I have a bunch of bought Red Oak, Cherry, and Mulberry, not getting used. It seams the wood of preference by everyone/many is the Sugar Maple and Beech. Ha, who knew !

 

[DougE]

Do you like beech in general or for a specific cooke?
Because I've read a lot of reports: "Beech is great on ham."

I live in Bavaria, Germany and it is difficult to get the usual woods from America.
I would therefore like to use local woods such as beech, oak and cherry.

Beech, oak, and cherry are good smoking woods. I don't use much beech or oak, but cherry, pecan, apple, and hickory are what I use most. Which one(s) depends on what I'm smoking.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

It very much depends on where you can locally source your wood. In So Cal I mostly use Coastal Red Oak, Hickory and Mesquite. I prefer hard woods over fruit woods for the stronger smoke for meats and fish.

 

[Mechanic of Smoke]

What you write really reassures me.
In Germany, large companies and a lot of advertising strongly promote the fact that it has to be Hickory or Mesquite.
But apart from chips, this is very difficult to get and then very expensive.
The fact that oak and beech can be used in exactly the same way makes it much easier. And cherry can also be obtained with a little more effort.

 

[mike243]

The beech is a mild smoke and I would rank it similar to apple, I would say hickory is my favorite wood but all have good flavor, pulled pork has to be hickory for me, chicken gets mesquite when I can find it. Here is the kicker, any wood that gets shipped has to be heat treated, that hurts the flavor some as far as strength, local natural dried wood will always give better flavor, chunks give better flavor than chips and pellets brings up the rear as least amount of flavor,

 

[Mechanic of Smoke]

Here is the kicker, any wood that gets shipped has to be heat treated, that hurts the flavor some as far as strength,...

I knew that wood was treated like that, but I didn't associate it with BBQ.
But that's a good point, of course, and it makes me even more convinced that I'll stick to local wood.
As I've already mentioned, it makes things a lot easier and cheaper.

 

[grabber]

Here's something I found that may help.

Best Wood for Smoking Meat (13 Types)

Understanding how wood contributes to smoking meat is an intrinsic part of capturing the quintessential flavor. Find out the best wood for smoking.

carnivorestyle.com