White Alder

[tyglover]

Scored a truckload of white alder rounds. It has a beautiful grain and has a nice scent when it’s split open. I got some planks out of it too. Can’t wait to start using it for cooking! Does anyone like using alder?

 

[tallbm]

Not a stick burner here but I use Alder on my salmon smokes and it gives great flavor :)

 

[73saint]

Love alder on my salmon!

 

[Fueling Around]

I hear Alder is similar to Ash.
Ash is my my favorite in the stick burner. Nice clean burn

 

[motolife313]

Red alder grows in my area. Did this steak the other night Over some nice alder. It’s a very easy wood to split it’s a known wood to use for salmon but really you can use it for anything like most woods

 

[tyglover]

That looks great! Is alder smoke a sweeter smoke flavor wise? Did you use lose the smoke flavor in the steaks at all?
Thanks

 

[motolife313]

Thanks! I don’t really tell much flavor difference between the woods. And it tasted like it was on a propane bbq. Not much smoke. Cap steak btw from the butcher shop. I prefer it smoked myself.

 

[tallbm]

That looks great! Is alder smoke a sweeter smoke flavor wise? Did you use lose the smoke flavor in the steaks at all?
Thanks

Alder is described as being delicate and slightly sweet.

I'll try and describe what I taste though it is not easy to describe.

I can agree with it being "delicate" where that means mild to me.
As for the sweetness I kind of maybe taste it but I don't know that I would call it a "sweetness". It is something that works well with the zest (orange and lemon) that I use in my salmon lox cure/mix and maybe helps highlight the light bit of sugar used in my cure/mix. I almost perceive it being like the "sweetness" that you smell with fresh cut cedar BUT does not taste exactly like that and is just a hint rather than a very pronounced taste.

An analogy for how it affects the fish I smoke would be that is is like adding that 1/2 or 1 whole bay leaf to a giant pot soup you are cooking. Without the the bay leaf it would still be great soup but man the little tiny bit of extra flavor makes it a fantastic soup!