Woods For Smoking

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Squeezy;139867 said:
Many people simply enjoy the flavor of sassafras. However, in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of sassafras in food and beverages because it contains safrole, an oil believed to be carcinogenic
... here's the kicker

It is also used in the manufacture of the drug ecstasy, and as such, its transport is monitored internationally.quote]

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And to think when I was a little girl in girl scouts we used to go out in the woods naming the different trees and once we found a sassafras sapling, we all took turn taking a chew on the young bark!!
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I never had sassafras tea, but we grew up on A-Treat Sassafras soda!
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I have a good selection of wood to prune at my mother-in-laws, Apple - Wild Cherry – Alder – Hickory – Mulberry – Black Walnut - Oak. I was curious as to the sizes I should cut the blocks and what and where is the best way to store the blocks? This will be for a GOSM propane smoker. Is it bad to cut wood that wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be used for a couple of months?
 
Well I'm sure you already no the seasoning part. Cut them now to the size that fits your smoker if you have the time. and just lay em out to dry/ season. If no time, cut them to fire wood size incase you feel romantic.
 
I use a lot of Willow and it smokes just fine for Beef,Pork and Chicken,but prefer oak for the fish on the ECB. Did found that Birch was much better with the bark removed,left a real bitter taste if left on.Got a big Red Oak that is going to get Swedish blite this winter,so will be able to see if there is much difference from English oak.
 
Can ANY ceder be used, where I bow hunt, the farmer has been harvesting cedar, I believ it is white cedar? He offered me any amount of wood I want for smoking my meat. So question is, any cedar is safe?
 
Cedar is never used fer smokin. The only time cedar is used fer cookin is in grillin such as fer fish. Ifin ya burn cedar, it will give off a horrible smoke that will be very bitter.
 
Fair number a variables there, logs take longer, split it down as small as ya can use, stack it so's the air moves through it some, chunks will dry faster. A loose fittin tarp ta keep the rain off an let the air in works to.

Three months ta six months bout the usuall fer me.
 
Well today I bought a truck load of white oak for $65 not to bad i like oak is a good heat source i have had no problem burning the bark too most of the time ill just use oak alone but i do have some hickory and pecan i like to mix the with the oak
 
Don't know why you include sassafras on your list of do not use, it is the best wood for chicken I have ever found. Makes a really sweet red flavor, I have used it for years as do many around this part of the country.
 
From reading this sticky I'm good with ash, but should I strip the bark for use in a stick burner? Will I get enough heat from ash or should I alternate in the firebox with oak?
 
If you can strip the bark it is always a good idea.
Some woods the bark won't make a huge difference but they all do add a bit of bitter flavor, some more than others, and you have to figure...all the impurities and bugs doing their vomit and sexy actions, dirt and dust and pollen blowing, smokes, pollutants, all of that that hits a branch of tree will be somewhat absorbed into the wood itself but tha majority of "bad" bits will be contained in the bark.
Isn't it amazing how nature wants us to smoke meats?
It provides perfectly cleaned/filtered wood, many flavors. Many, many different cuts of meat perfectly suited for the low and slow, lines and markings in the meat to help us cut it better, this is what man is meant to do, we are supposed to cook natural meats over a natural fuel source like wood, nature makes sense, and tastes delicious.
 
This year I started talking with one of the other dads on my sons football team. Turns out he's an arborist. He also loves BBQ. We made a deal, he gives me whatever wood I need, and I feed him.

So far I've gotten maple, three different kids of oak, cherry, apple, pecan, and most recently, apricot.

The only difference between the wood I get from his inventory and the stuff I used to buy in boxes is the bark. The place that I used to get it from markets to restaurants and their wood is clean. This stuff has the bark on it, and sometimes moss. So I pre-burn it, and don't put it in my smoker until the bark has burned off.
 
I saw where someone mentioned a paper birch. Is that the same as a river birch? I ask because I have river birches in my backyard and they shed limbs easily. The bark looks like thin sheets of paper peeling away from the trunk. If these are not the same trees, would my river birch be a good wood to use?
 
Well I just found that a paper birch and river birch are two different species of birch trees. However, I am still trying to find out if the river birch is a tree suitable for smoking.
 
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