Got wood?

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medic92

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 19, 2014
84
13
Mount Sterling, IL
I had a truck load of seasoned cherry wood delivered today and I'll have a load of oak delivered this weekend, which should be enough to eliminate the use of charcoal in my offset smoker.  I'm smoking a pork butt tomorrow and I'd usually use pecan or apple wood but I'm thinking about going ahead and using the cherry, which I've used for brisket but never on pork.

Does anyone have any advice for changes in the kind of rub or any spices that work better with cherry on pork, or should it be fine with my regular stuff?  I usually use a basic rub for pork butt (SPOG, Frank's Red Hot Seasoning), apple juice in the water pan and spritz it with orange juice while it's smoking.  I intend to use JJ's finishing sauce on this one since it just sounds better and better every time I think about it.
 
I definitely would not use straight up cherry for the whole smoke. I like to start out with cherry then switch to something milder like pecan or apple. Stick with your favorite rub. Good luck and happy smokin'!
 
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I definitely would not use straight up cherry for the whole smoke. I like to start out with cherry then switch to something milder like pecan or apple. Stick with your favorite rub. Good luck and happy smokin'!
Yeah, I've got some pecan and hickory laying around.  I really wish he would have delivered the oak first, but when you're getting truckloads of wood at $30 it's hard to complain.

Thanks for the advice!
 
I have found hickory and pecan to be stronger than cherry....  At least from my experiences.  I have a bunch of cherry (well did at least.  it is continuing to dwindle down).  I don't really change my rubs based on what kind of wood I use, but I will change my wood mix for different kinds of meat.

My current wood supply consists of prob 1/3 rick of cherry, 1/3 rick of white oak, and a couple bundles of pecan and hickory.

Pork and Beef:  maybe 20% hickory or pecan / 40% oak / 40% cherry

Poultry:  50% oak / 50% cherry

Cherry tends to go well with everything.  So does oak.

I'm about to pick up a truckload of pecan wood from my inlaws in GA over Christmas!!!
 
Also, have you ever burned just straight wood (stickburning) in your offset instead of charcoal?  If not, you may be in for a learning curve which could take a couple of rounds, but boy is it a fun thing to learn.  And once you learn how to master a fire in YOUR pit, you will gain a whole new appreciation for BBQ and what a pitmaster means.  

Here is a link on stickburning.  And I'm happy to share my experiences as well.  If you have experience doing this, then just ignore!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101  -- Old School takes his stickburning seriously...
 
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I was hesitant to click on the thread with that title 
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Also, have you ever burned just straight wood (stickburning) in your offset instead of charcoal?  If not, you may be in for a learning curve which could take a couple of rounds, but boy is it a fun thing to learn.  And once you learn how to master a fire in YOUR pit, you will gain a whole new appreciation for BBQ and what a pitmaster means.  

Here is a link on stickburning.  And I'm happy to share my experiences as well.  If you have experience doing this, then just ignore!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101  -- Old School takes his stickburning seriously...
Thanks for the help, I've decided to hold off on going to straight stick burning for today's pork butt.  I'll practice on some smaller (ok, cheaper) cuts before I commit completely.  I'm definitely excited about learning though, there's nothing more fun than playing with fire!

I'll spend some time reading Old School's instruction and advice.  I thought I had a pretty decent handle on smoking meat until I started learning from people on here.  I've got a lot to learn but it's some of the most delicious learning out there!

Thanks again for all the help!
 
Thanks for the help, I've decided to hold off on going to straight stick burning for today's pork butt.  I'll practice on some smaller (ok, cheaper) cuts before I commit completely.  I'm definitely excited about learning though, there's nothing more fun than playing with fire!

I'll spend some time reading Old School's instruction and advice.  I thought I had a pretty decent handle on smoking meat until I started learning from people on here.  I've got a lot to learn but it's some of the most delicious learning out there!

Thanks again for all the help!

I didn't mean to make it sound like rocket science. But just wanted to let you know that there may be some trial and error. I actually think a pork butt is great to learn on because it is very forgiving - plenty of fat. You can also pick up some chicken leg quarters and learn on those - they are cheap.

Have fun and let us know if you have any questions.
 
One other link below I thought I would share. If you haven't read this thread, it's great. Details each type of primary smoking wood and the different flavor profiles associated with each, and which meats go well with which woods. As i said above, I always thought cherry was on the mild spectrum. If you have meat taste bad from cherry, it may have been creosote from unseasoned / green wood and not the actual wood profile. Or could have been choke cherry (an ornamental landscape cherry plant/shrub). Black cherry trees provide superior smoking wood. I've used cherry for the past year and love it.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/50439/woods-for-smoking
 
Personally, cherry is my favorite for pork. I use the same ole rub I would use if I was using something else... Enjoy it brother!
 
I didn't mean to make it sound like rocket science. But just wanted to let you know that there may be some trial and error. I actually think a pork butt is great to learn on because it is very forgiving - plenty of fat. You can also pick up some chicken leg quarters and learn on those - they are cheap.

Have fun and let us know if you have any questions.
No worries, I just didn't really consider all the ramifications (that's a good word, huh?) of going to straight wood and I'm glad you let me know.  Chicken is my "go to" meat for learning.  I wouldn't want to waste an entire pork shoulder experimenting.

Then again I've got enough wood now that I don't have to have anything in the smoker, I can just work on learning prep time, burn times and all that jazz.

Thanks again!
 
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