Favorite wood for smoking

[Thehardway]

Since most of us sawyers have a variety of wood and wood chips or shavings laying around, I thought this might be an interesting survey to hear what your favorite smoking woods are and what your favorite meats to grill with them are.  I have a Weber Smokey Joe, Weber Kettle and a Weber Genesis Special Edition.  I love the kettle grills but for convenience I typically use  the Genesis propane grill with a small stainless chip box placed across the flavorizer bars and filled with wood chips.  About a 10 min preheat to 500 F gets them smoking and heats the grates to searing temps.

I have been experimenting with wood chips and shavings left over from planing lately.  I have wild cherry, hickory, apple, red oak, red cedar and I picked up some mesquite at the big box store to play with since we don't have mesquite here.

My favorite meats to grill right now are boneless chicken thighs on apple/hickory
Beef Burgers on Cherry/Apple
Thick sliced bone in Pork Chops on Apple/Red Oak
Spanish Mackeral Fillets on Cherry

I would say my favorite is a toss up between Apple and Pear.  Pear is much harder for me to find.

Vote for your favorite.  Only rule is if you vote for secret you have to share it!  8)

[Raider Bill]

Never heard of smoking with cedar.
I'd have to say oak for me simply because of it's all around use and availability.

[Chuck White]

Most people around here use either Hickory or Apple for smoking!

[ET]

I use to use only hickory, but most recently started using apple this year as I had an apple tree bow down. It was a yellow delicious and the wood flavor is delicious too.

[sandhills]

One that is used commonly around here but not listed is mullberry, mainly do to it's availability but it also gives a nice flavor.

[isawlogs]

 Oak, apple, cherry and another not mentioned is maple. I'll use what ever is closer to me and available of these. ;D

[thecfarm]

That sure does sound good Thehardway!!

[Thehardway]

I have added maple and mulberry, two I will have to try soon.  I have them nearby but never thought of them.  Good suggestions!  keep em comin.

[bedway]

Anyone ever use sassafras?

[LittleJohn]

I use Oak, but mostly I do indirect grilling not smoking; I also use a bit of Hickory and Maple -> when available

[BradMarks]

I use rosemary and woody thyme, which we have a lot of in the backyard, or did before this winters hard freeze. Works nice on bird, pork, fish. Even did a big 'ol prime rib one time. It ends up with a lighter smoke flavor. Lots of people out here use Alder, particularly with salmon.  All that said I do appreciate a good mesquite smoked meat.

[21incher]

I mostly use Hickory or Mesquite for pork and Crabapple with Pecan, Grape, or Cherry for poultry.

[luvmexfood]

I like to use maple in the spring when the sap is up some.

[69bronco]

Apple Apple Apple!!

[thecfarm]

69bronco,welcome to the forum.
What's your interest with wood,besides cooking with it. 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

From the net.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/wiki/wood-types-and-flavor

Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc. Also ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER wood is unsuitable for smoking.

[goose63]

David now you tell me not to use elm I been using the small branch's at the top of dead elm trees for years to cook with it has a sweet smell to it when it burns and I ain't dead yet ;D

[clww]

I brought home a trunk (8" X 7') from a sassafras we took out today, but I just wanted to make some home-brew tea with it. First one we've taken out since I started doing this, so pretty rare in our area.
I've sold a bunch of different chunks people wanted for smokers: red and white oak, ash, pecan, hickory, cherry, pear, apple, fig, and peach trees.

[tule peak timber]

I use alder as the main wood , and finish the last half hour on manzanita.  Fish and chicken less finishing time on the manzinita - heaver meats more time . We also have a canyon live oak here that is VERY sweet for smoking . Cheers  Rob

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

My favorite is railroad ties.  :D


Goose....you're gonna start glowing in the dark.  :D :D :D

[tule peak timber]

yikes

[LittleJohn]

I am pretty sure if you smoke with the wrong wood long enough, it kind of has the Darwin solution to it.  Similar to going mushroom hunting without researching which ones are edible  ;D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Hickory is my favorite wood and there's plenty of it available to me.
I also use apple, oak, maple and pecan.

[Raider Bill]

Hickory is my favorite wood and there's plenty of it available to me.
I also use apple, oak, maple and pecan.

That's why I tend to use oak so much is it's available. I like 8 day live oak myself. Cut off a branch 8 days before smoking. I've got some pecan courtesy of WDH and Jake.

My smoker only needs a piece 1.5 dia x 6" or if using chips just a couple oz's in the chip box for the entire job. Lasts as long as I need smoke or until whatever I'm smoking stops taking it.

[Gary_C]

What about Hemp?

Not that I've ever tried it, but it still an alternative and it's about the same as wood.  ;D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 The greener the wood, the more smoke it puts out. But be careful, you can over smoke your meats and they will taste bitter.

Anyway that's what Iv found.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Smoking hemp makes me hungry.

[LeeB]

What about Hemp?

Not that I've ever tried it, but it still an alternative and it's about the same as wood.  ;D

Funny you posted that Gary. I was going to say it used to be my favorite smoke when I was a younger fellow.  :new_year:

[goose63]

Gary you might have the LAW from miles around comeing to eat 

[Magicman]

Oak, simply because that is what I have.  Grab a stick of firewood and whack it up.   

[Raider Bill]

Smoking hemp makes me hungry.

My smoker is sealed so tight over smoking is a big concern and very easy to do. Half a handful of chips will do a full brisket and 4 butts. A handful will over smoke.

[Thehardway]

On POSTONS reccommendation, I have removed Cedar and replaced it with his favorite, Railroad Ties 8)  To avoid trouble with the FF management,  federal authorities or being accused of being controversial or political posts, I have not added Hemp, although it seems to be popular among some of you and I suspect it might be the 3 secret votes  .

I am investigating the validity of the ban on conifers for smoking :P.  The results will be posted soon so stay tuned....

Some great suggestions here and I am definitely going to try some of them soon.  One I have cut up to try is Beech.  Anyone use it?

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I saw someone plank coking sides of salmon using beach, it smelled wonderful.

[21incher]

Just did a small chicken with wild cherry and it was a very light and tasty smoked flavor.

[Jemclimber]

Hey THW,   pm me with your address if you'd like and I'll send you a box of pear.  I've got plenty.  I can run it through the chipper or send pieces, which ever you prefer.

[Peter Drouin]

Smoking hemp makes me hungry.

:D :D :D

[Thehardway]

Jemclimber,

Thanks so much for the kind offer.  Watch for my PM.

I am really surprised that Apple seem to be the favorite by a significant margin so far.  I thought hickory or mesquite would be in the lead.

So as promised, I am going to post the outcome of my study on smoking with "cedar". 

DISCLAIMER:  ANYTHING YOU SMOKE WITH, OR WHAT YOU SMOKE WITH ANYTHING, MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!  READ AND PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.  NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDING NAUSEA, HEADACHE, REDNESS OR IRRITATION OF THE EYES, WATERY EYES, BLURRED VISION, DELIRIUM, HALLUCINATIONS, OVERACTIVE DREAM STATES SUCH AS DREAMS OF FLYING PIG ROASTS, BURNED FINGERS OR TONGUES, FREQUENT URINATION, EXCESSIVE BODY ODOR, EXCESSIVE WEIGHT GAIN, BURNS DUE TO BARBEQUE EXPLOSIONS OR FIRES, TEMPORARY LOSS OF THE USE OF LEGS AND/OR ARMS DUE TO ACUTE STOMACH ACHE AND DROWSINESS, iNABILITY TO ROLL OUT OF A HAMMOCK OR COUCH, COMPULSIVE EATING DISORDERS, SLEEP WALKING TO THE REFRIGERATOR OR BATHROOM, AND FREQUENT VISITS FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS.
DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY EQUIPMENT AFTER SMOKING OR EATING FOOD THAT IS SMOKED UNTIL YOU KNOW THE FULL EFFECT IT MAY HAVE ON YOU.  FAILURE TO DUE SO MY RESULT IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH DUE TO GREASY FINGERS BLURRED VISION OR EXCESSIVE DROWSINESS.
ALL SMOKED FOOD SHOULD BE TRIED AND TESTED FIRST AND LAST BY MAN'S BEST FRIEND,  IF BEARS ARE PRESENT IN THE AREA BE SURE TO CLEAN THE GRILLING AND SMOKING APPARATUS THOROUGHLY AND HANG ALL WASTE HIGH IN THE AIR ON A ROPE UNTIL IT CAN BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY.


OK now that we have all the legalities dealt with....


What follows here is in no way an attempt to discredit anyone or begin a argument of any sort.  I share only because I find this very interesting and important to those of us involved in cooking, smoking, and sawing wood.  "Cedar" is a pretty vague term and as a hobby sawyer and wood nut I should have been more specific before intitally placing it in the poll or advocating its use for smoking.  Poston did well to raise a red flag on "Cedar".  He inspired me to go on a fact finding hunt.  A lot of folks are probably very familiar with the practice of "cedar planking" salmon.  The "Cedar" boards can be purchased from many stores and high end cooking merchants such as Williams/Sonoma (read too expensive for my wallet).  For this reason I checked out the website that was previously mentioned, and apart from the blanket statement

"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc. Also ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER wood is unsuitable for smoking."

there was little reason given as to why these woods should be abstained from.  Certainly high end restaurants would not be serving cedar planked salmon if it is toxic or poisonous or so I thought to myself.

So I dug deeper.  The "experts" on the site claim that in "planking" the wood is just used to cook on and not burned or used to smoke the meat but this is not my personal experience and it was questioned by many of the forum members over there as well. 

So if you don't like an expert opinion, find another expert right?  Well, I'm not sure I found another expert but I did find a lot of good information I found intriguing.

"Cedar" planking Salmon or other food for that matter appears to be done with two primary types of wood.  Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), and Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis).  Although both are not true cedars, belonging rather to the Cypress family, they both do contain known toxins.  Thujone, (the toxin found in Absinthe which is know to cause partial paralysis, siezure and possible death) and plicatic acid which is know as a respiratory irritant and allergen to many people causing asthmatic attack when inhaled.

I have found no information as to what happens to these chemicals and their toxicity when they burn other than that they are both aromatics and produce distinct aromas.  The concentration is highest in Western Red Cedar and significantly lower in Northern White Cedar. 

I will not advocate one way or the other for its use.  Make your own decision. Certainly it sounds like it could pose a health hazard but on the other hand, it has been traditionally used for centuries with no documented ill effects for cooking, smoking, drying or planking that I could find.  All wood smoke contains toxins and poses a hazard especially if concentrated and intentionally inhaled this includes all hardwoods and softwoods.

So what about the other woods listed.  Well, the "Cedar" that I have on hand is Eastern Red Cedar,  Juniperus Virginiana, which is also not a true Cedar but rather a Juniper. It also is listed as containing the known toxin, Thujone.  It apparently does not contain significant amounts of Plicatic Acid although many people do have allergic reactions to Eastern Red Cedar wood, sawdust,  or the oil contained in it.  So what happens if you burn it or smoke with it.  I really don't know.  We have eaten both steak and fish cooked on planks of it and exposed to its smoke without any effect noticeable to me or my wife other than delight and wishes for a second plate. It was recommended to me by a friend who does it much more extensively than I and apparently has suffered no immediate ill consequences although he has had quite a few accidents while operating both heavy and recreational equipment.  Of course this does not mean it is safe or recommended for all.  So I dug a little deeper yet.

Common Juniper has a longstanding traditional use as well.  It was used for making boxes for dairy products in Scandinavia, a practice brought to America and still practiced by some in the midwest. It's berries were used in flavoring gin and in making Absinthe (thujone again), the berries have long been used in european cuisine for flavoring game meats and gravies when cooking and apparently the green branches were often added to alder fires by natives when smoking and drying salmon and other fish in the northwest territories.  Ripe berries have been used for dry curing fish and other meats for a long period of time.  Many parts of the tree were used as medicinal remedies by the Native Americans and it was spiritually highly revered by them.  It's close cousin the Eastern Red Cedar was considered a sacred tree and was used for ceremonial ritual which in many cases included the practice of "smudging" (green branches placed in hot coals to produce smoke in a confined space in which people would immerse themselves for ritualistic cleansing).  This is in no way saying it is safe. Native Americans did a lot of things I would not try.  They also used it for purging the body of parasites and as a mild laxative.

Here is what NCU has to say about it. http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/juniperus-virginiana/
Notice it is listed as low toxicity and the toxic parts are the leaves, cones, berries but it also talks about ingesting it as a tea.  Very conflicting...

So you can see why one website might list it as off limits and another embrace it wholly.

As for the statement all conifers are unsuitable, that is a pretty broad sweep.  Conifers of the pine and fir variety, it seems contain Abietic acid.  This is similar to Plicatic acid in that it is a known irritant to human lungs and airway and has caused cancer in laboratory animals exposed to it in high concentration.   I don't make a habit of cooking on pinewood fires but I have burned a lot of pine in open fires and roasted meat over the coals.  It always tasted good and I never got sick.  This is not an endorsement of it.

One website I encountered actually advocated the use of Pinion Pine for smoking meat

http://www.theingredientstore.com/joesplace/swap1.pl?noframes;read=4345
while another sells it for burning as an aromatic but says it is not for smoking or cooking food

http://www.smokemebbqwood.com/products.html

Very conflicting. So I guess there is no hard and fast rule, it is a "smoke it if you have it but at your own risk". 

From a health perspective, smoked foods contain quite a few things that are probably not the best for us.  Especially those that contain artificial smoke flavors or "liquid Smoke flavoring".  That said it is one of the oldest means of preserving food and I would rather eat 10 day old meat that was smoked than 10 day old meat that wasn't.  It is much safer and tastes much better than raw or unsmoked meat and certainly better than starving.  I guess at this point I should make a distinction that there is a difference between smoking a meat and cooking over a smoky fire.  Cedar Planked salmon or steak is fully cooked to temperature, not merely smoked for long periods of time for curing purposes at low temperatures.

I will also mention that any wood used for burning, grilling or cooking purposes should be taken straight from the natural source to ensure that no toxic preservatives of any sort have been applied at any time.  I think one of the big reasons for warnings on softwoods is fear that people will source them from lumber suppliers.  This is not recommended.  Don't go to your local big box and buy a 1x6 Western red cedar board and use it to cook on or a piece of treated pine.  You don't know where it has been or how it has been processed and it may have chemical treatment.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

THW......I really enjoyed reading your report. Very good my friend! Thanks. 

[Compensation]

I use the top 5 and like to mix them.

[Tom L]

nice report hard way

no mention of sweet gum, I have been burning it on the open grill all summer and it seems to have found it's purpose there.

in the smoker I like oak and hickory, only because it is readily available