Wood and fuel

[streetsmoker75]

Am looking at buying wood for the smoker when finished.. I've just acquired pecan.. Apple... Cherry.. Wood.. But was thinking about some oak and mesquite as well..

The pecan wood isn't that big around but has a lot of bark on it.. Is it best to remove bark.. It's pretty much just falls off... And try to at least split it in half so it burns better or does it really matter...

Also for does it matter what kind of oak or hard wood one uses in the smoker... I just don't wanna use some nasty wood that's gonna soot up my meat.. Thanks for the help

[Big T]

I knock all of the loose bark off of any type of wood and I prefer to split anything bigger than my fist. I use oak a lot, post oak, white oak, red oak and black jack oak. I mostly use oak and pecan with the occasional peach, I've tried mesquite a few times but it can be a little on the strong side if you use too much. Somewhere on the forum there's a list of wood types and their flavor profiles, I'll see if I can find it when I get a chance.

[Pete Mazz]

Hickory is my go to smoke flavor. Just stay away from coniferous woods like pine, spruce, fir, etc.

Wood Smoking Flavor Chart.pdf

(55.76 KiB) Downloaded 71 times

[Stewart]

Apple and cherry are my fav combo to use once in a while sugar maple always have good luck with them. Course my woods seasoned around 2 years too

[Sand Hiller]

I think I stray from the beaten path a little on the wood I use. Just keep in mind that necessity breeds brilliance in most cases and in others it still leaves you needing something!
My first smoke in my RF I used white oak. Good results for a newbie. Depleted the supply of oak with other "smokes". From there is where I strayed. I have a large pile of Ash and Osage Orange firewood. I used a 50/50 mix with ribs and brisket for new years. I like smoke flavor. However, the whole time I had "blue smoke is good" ringing in my ears knowing that the wood I was using had potential to be harsh. It was excellent! (sorry no pics) For me, just a back yard cook, I'm fine with what found. I'm sure I'll I'll try some of the "chosen wood" sometime but for now I'm good.

What's cool is everybody has their own taste and every smoker runs a little different....The fun part is finding the combo you like and works well!

[SAFETYHARBORREDNECK]

I'm from Florida.Oak(all kinds) is the most plentiful,so I use that.Not many hardwoods here.Hickory is scarce,so we usually just throw a couple chunks in to enhance the oak.
I hear apple and pecan are good,but never used it.
I'm a poor boy,and oak is so plentiful,the tree trimming guys will give you a load for free(gotta cut the large logs and split it yourself though)so they don't have to pay to dump it.So oak it is,AS LONG AS IT'S SEASONED.Can't stress that enough.It MUST be seasoned(dried out some)
And Big T,I met a girl in Ft.Walton beach once.LOVED her southern accent.Asked where she was from,she responded,L.A.!!!
I looked at her funny and she said,Lower Alabama.Gotta love them southern girls,LOL

[Squiggle]

I use oak too, got a massive heap free when we were trimming the trees at the truffle farm, pretty much the only usable hard wood around here, can't use eucalypts or pine.

[Big T]

Yea SHR I get a lot of strange looks when I tell people I'm from L.A. especially with my southern accent..lol

[temurf]

I use pecan because I like its mild smoke, but the real reason is that I get for free. My brother knows a guy who knows a guy who owns a pecan orchard. Once a year he has some of his trees trimmed and he invites a bunch of rednecks with chainsaws and pickup trucks & trailers onto his property to help clear away the branches. The limbs range from 2" around to about 8". We usually fill my bro's pickup with 6' to 8' lengths and then cut em down to smoker size at home.

I know. Rednecks with chainsaws. What could go wrong?
Here, hold my beer.

[ajfoxy]

[Squiggle]

Sounds legit!

[Pete Mazz]

Wish I had a source for pecan.

[Dirtytires]

I've used nothing but pecan for years. I've not yet found a meat that it doesn't like.

[KelvinLes]

I've used nothing but pecan for years. I've not yet found a meat that it doesn't like.

Sounds good, I'll give pecan a try.

[behind bars bbq]

I use mostly hickory, some oak and cherry. I find oak has barely enough flavor to suit me. Never tried pecan, would love to.

[Militant83]

A quick question since we are talking about wood choices here, If you are burning it down to get hot coals to cook over ,does it really matter what hardwood is used since you are not smoking with it? Does a bed of coals impart a certain flavor different from another wood choice like smoking would? In my area it is hard to find individuals who are selling a certain species that has been sorted out. I find a lot of guys sell a hardwood mix which is usually comprised of an oak, maple, ash mix. When you do find the guys selling just oak they want a pretty penny for it.

[towtruck]

The smoke from your coals is what most like to smoke with. Thin blue smoke is ideal. When adding more wood to the coals you will get a change of smoke for a bit and the type of wood you use will always have a direct relationship to flavor whether is't from a bed of coals or fresh logs.

[Dirtytires]

Wood type DOES make a difference but it depends on what flavor fits your tastes. Try the mix and see how it works for you and adjust as needed.

Personally, I use almost 100% pecan because that is what I like. I can taste the difference with other woods so stick with what I like.

[Militant83]

Dirtytires,

I was just curious since you can get a cord of mixed hardwoods around here for a between $100-$200 depending on who you get it from. But to get a cord of strictly oak you are paying $200-$300 depending on who yo get it from. But like you had mentioned I was thinking of doing test cooks one with just oak and one with the hardwood mix and see if I could personally tell the difference or prefer one over the other.

[Dirtytires]

No need to pay up for oak if you actually find you like another wood better.

Just for reference, I live in the middle of the south-west desert in Phoenix so quality smoking wood tends to be a bit expensive. My last cord was a tad over $500 and I had to load/haul/unload it. I would happily pay your $300 for oak.

[Militant83]

Dirtytires,

I am glad it isn't that expensive here but you are in the Desert so I can see the influx in rice there. What actually got me curious about if the wood type really mattered or not when burning it down to coals and cooking direct was this Youtube video about Scott's BBQ in Tn. They don't say what wood they are burning unless I missed it, but in part of the video it looks like they are burning down any kind of hardwood scraps and logs they have to make coals. I know when cooking direct you don't get as much of the smoke flavor profile as you do when actually smoking indirect and cooking with a fire rather than coals which was another reason that peeked my interest on does the species of hard wood really matter when cooking direct over coals.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfBqLK8vs4

[towtruck]

Dirtytires,

I am glad it isn't that expensive here but you are in the Desert so I can see the influx in rice there. What actually got me curious about if the wood type really mattered or not when burning it down to coals and cooking direct was this Youtube video about Scott's BBQ in Tn. They don't say what wood they are burning unless I missed it, but in part of the video it looks like they are burning down any kind of hardwood scraps and logs they have to make coals. I know when cooking direct you don't get as much of the smoke flavor profile as you do when actually smoking indirect and cooking with a fire rather than coals which was another reason that peeked my interest on does the species of hard wood really matter when cooking direct over coals.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfBqLK8vs4

I says in the comments they are using hickory.

[Militant83]

Towtruck,

That would make since as from what I've seen Hickory is the wood of choice in Tn. bbq. Just threw me off a bit in the video when it looked like they were tossing on scrap boards and such on to their pile to burn down for coals. But I guess it could be scraps they got from a mill that cuts hickory planks for furniture and building.

[McBroom]

Wish I had a source for pecan.

Where are you located?


- The Blue Mule

[Pete Mazz]

Wish I had a source for pecan.

Where are you located?


- The Blue Mule

Bucks County, Pa (about 45 minutes NE of Philly)