New to smoking

[Bogue Chitto]

I use mayhay or blueberry wood.  Gives a mild sweet taste to the meat. I also like cherry.

[Axe Handle Hound]

I like hickory or mesquite with salmon, but for all other meats the sugar maple is king in my book.  It's not too sweet, not too strong, and there's plenty of it up here.  That's not to say I wouldn't use some apple, pear, or cherry if I could get it.   When I was a kid in Alaska my family always used alder for smoking sausage.  I remember it being some really good tasting stuff.  I knew a guy that smoked a muskie over lilac once....I'm happy that he never offered me any.   

[Al_Smith]

Smoked meats it seems there is a fine line between making it flavorfull and turning it into a briquette as far as taste. Some in my opinion  are about as tastey as a lump of coal. Yuck!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Thanks Wildbill I just ordered it.

Jon

[Chris Burchfield]

Someone posted on smokewoods before.  I saved it as a document:

Quote
The traditional woods for smoking are HICKORY and OAK. Here is a list of woods suitable for smoking:

ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.

APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.

ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.

BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.

CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.

COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.

CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.

GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.

LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.

MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.

MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.

OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.

PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

BBQ List members report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA and OLIVE. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i. e. pear and cherry) are also suitable for smoking.

Other Internet sources list the wood from the following trees as suitable for smoking: BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW.

[JuniperBoss]

I thought this topic was about how you're a smoker and your wife is getting you to quit with an electric smoker :D.
I must have drank too much this morning :D.

[Al_Smith]

Confucius say many man smoke but fu manchu .

[JuniperBoss]

Confucius say many man smoke but fu manchu .

Al did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

[semologger]

i am ready for it to get a little bit warmer so i can fire back up the smoker. 30 degree weather is just a little to cold right now. I am a fu manchu wife does want me to stop that one.

[ohsoloco]

I like mulberry, apple, and cherry to smoke with (I cold smoke). 

[semologger]

I like mulberry, apple, and cherry to smoke with (I cold smoke). 

i am ready for spring. When its above 50 its no longer considered cold smoke right. ;)

[ohsoloco]

Can't remember the last time it's been above 50, I put a real dent in my firewood pile already this year.  My dad and I still have to make a batch of bologna and get it smoked before the weather gets too warm.  Actually, for cold smoking the best weather is in the upper 30's to low 40's, drizzly and/or foggy.  Seems to produce the most smoke, and it just hangs in the air...I love to see it just rolling out of every crack in the smoke house 

[Raider Bill]

I picked up a couple NYS Strip steaks from Publix yesterday. Dinosaur cuts about 23 oz each.
Smoked them on the Weber using a blend of Hickory, Laurel oak, and Mesquite. Finished them with 600 degrees for about 2  minutes each side. Also had roasted red potatoes, corn on the cob and a fresh baked blueberry pie!!


  

  

  

 
DELISH!!!!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Oh, that hurts Bill  :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Did you eat both Steaks or did you share?  ;D

[Raider Bill]

I shared but neither of us were able to finish them.  [BTW I would hesitate to date a girl that could eat all that food in one sitting as all my bikes have passenger weight limits and I always obey the rules :D :D :D]. For lunch today I took the potatoes, sliced some of the steak very thin and warmed them in a fry pan. When nice and warm I dropped 3 fresh Largo Farms [SW] eggs on top, swished them around some then gobbled it down like a starving dog with a couple slices of crusty french bread slathered with salted butter. A nice piece of that blueberry pie and a cup of strong Cuban coffee rounded lunch out.



  

  

 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I had a Pimento Cheese sandwich today at the store.  >:(

You make me sick Raider.  :D

[Yoopersaw]

I mostly use hickory, since I have a lot of it growing on our property, but I also like fruit woods, especially with pork. A few easy ideas- almost any kind of sausage is great on the smoker, and it doesn't take very long. Another favorite is ABT's. I cut the side off of a jalapeno, scoop out the seeds and membrane, stuff with a cheddar and cream cheese mixture, and wrap with a half slice of bacon. They usually smoke for 1-1/2 hours, depending upon your smoker temp. There are many other variants for stuffing. I have never made enough of these- they are always GONE!

Your killing me.  I ran out of my frozen stash of ABTs the other day; and, now you post about smoked ones.  I'm going to starve before pepper season.  The store ones up here are a joke.  Help me.

[scgargoyle]

Hey- I'm building a house in SC, and my smoker is 600 miles away, in FL, so I feel your pain!

[JuniperBoss]

Stop it Raider you're making me hungry!   

[wildbill]

Did you eat both Steaks or did you share?  ;D

not with me

[WDH]

You are a dog for sure, but you do not appear to be starving.......

[thecfarm]

Breakfast, lunch, supper,take your pick,it's good at anytime.