Type of Oak for smoking

[jdr37]

Jeff says use oak wood as a base and add other as you prefer. I have always been told that oak is too "stringent" for smoking and have always used hickory and/or apple. Can some one claify this for me? I live in Florida and there are two basic types of oak here. 1) Scrub or blackjack (which I have heard the BBQ joints use) and 2) live oaks, water oaks, laurel, etc.
Thanks
jdr37

 

[davidmcg]

red oak here

 

[pineywoods]

JD I live in Florida and I use both types of oak for smoking. Depending on where in Fl you may be able to find some Hickory or Pecan maybe even some Orange Tree wood which is one I haven't tried yet

 

[sumosmoke]

I also live in FL and have grown accustomed to using oak. I've used blackjack, red heart, and also white oak to cook with. I find the oak wood is more mild than the hickory when used for long smokes.

 

[meowey]

I find that oak is lighter than hickory. Mix and match woods until you find a combination that you like best. Enjoy the journey!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[vtanker]

Red (red heart) oak is the best for smoking if you are using oak. Oak wood is a very hard wood and takes a long time to burn. That is why a lot of people use it for a base. I live in Knoxville TN and burn red oak in my fire place. I can get a truck load split deliver and stacked for $65.00 That is about 3 ricks or 2/3 of a cord. I use it as a base but I like the harder to get wood. when its in abundance you dont want it as bad. However if you use it as a base you dont have to use as much of the other woods.

I hope this helps.

 

[cajunsmoke13]

Red Oak down here

 

[alx]

I use red oak and white oak.White oak more with poultry and red with beef, pork.I like the mahogany color of red oak and cherry on ribs.Oak is definetly not too stringent for smoking-just age it properly.

 

[jdr37]

OK, Sumosmoke, I can find blackjack -- no problem. But what the hey is "red and white oak" I too am on the east (central) coast of Florida (Edgewater), just don't know what you are referring to.
JDR37

 

[pineywoods]

Blackjack is in the red oak family

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack_oak

 

[capt dan]

white oak is the hardest and burns the hottest, red oak is about medium hardness and density and very available, post oak is also a common wood and has a mellower smoke than red oak, but burns faster.
All 3 are great base woods for your coal base.

 

[smoke freak]

I have some white oak from Missouri. It burns well puts off plenty of heat and makes a good bed of coals...But...I dont get a lotta flavor from it...

I guess thats what they mean by milder than hickory...

 

[richoso1]

I use red oak strickly for beef, it's also great for grilling beef over an open fire.

 

[capt dan]

I should have stipulated : in a stickburner. Meaning oak is my fuel, apple, cherry,mullberry,maple,or flowering crabbapple are my flavoring woods.

 

[trapper]

All oaks belong to one of two families. The white oak family or the red oak family (I have seen the red oak family called the black oak family as well.)
Where I live in Missouri the white oaks we have include post oak, burr oak, and white oak. Yes, one of the members is just called white oak, kind of like New York New York. The red oaks include black oak, pin oak, shingle oak, northern and southern red oak, and black jack oak. There are more but those are the main ones.

 

[flash]

We have alot of different Oaks in Florida. I use Turkey Oak and Blackjack or Bluejack if we can find it. I like to use oaks with out the bark or smooth bark oaks. Oak does seem to color the meat darker than other woods.

 

[sumosmoke]

As the others have stated, red and white oaks are different "strains" of oak wood. We normally get the blackjack stuff around here (in Edgewater).

 

[alelover]

Has anyone smoked with pin oak? I have a few in my yard that are always dropping branches. May as well put them to good use.

 

[smokeydrewsky]

Has anyone smoked with pin oak? I have a few in my yard that are always dropping branches. May as well put them to good use.

Hi Alelover, I use pin oak all the time. It's a member of the Red Oak family, so it puts off a nice robust flavor. You'd just have to make sure it's been seasoned all the way.

 

 

[Bearcarver]

I would think all Oak is good for smoking.

Oak from the North is a bit harder than oak from the South, mostly due to the shorter growing seasons that cause a tighter grain.

Bearcarver