juniper

[PolishDeli]

Anyone know where to buy common juniper (Juniperus communis) wood chips for smoking?
Alternatively, what landscaping varieties of juniper would be good? I’m in zone 9b for plant hardiness and have red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) in the yard. Suitable substitute?

I’m planning to make another batch of Polish juniper sausage (kiełbasa jałowcowa. Recipie: https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/juniper). I usually use a mix of Apple wood and juniper berries for smoke with good results; but I’d like to try it with juniper wood.

 

[zwiller]

I think you hit it out of the park with the red cedar. http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/redcedar

Cedar chips are easy to find too. As you are likely aware, using softwood has it's risks so proceed with caution. If you are looking for another european type wood that is a little more common try beech. Just used some and I liked it and think it would work well for your application.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/why-not-cedar.111356/page-2

 

[PolishDeli]

Thanks!

I’ve never tried beech; will pick some up next time I see a bag.

Cedar seems awfully controversial. I’ve read a lot about risks with using soft woods, but it’s difficult to find the rules amid all the lore. One paper talks about the dangers of smoking pines; but the danger was from occupational levels of exposure, and the target organ was the lungs. Some cedars (like white cedar) contain thujone, but so does absinthe. Evergreens do have a lot of sap and turpentine which aren’t tasty (ever heard of wine or whisky aging in pine barrels? I haven’t); but then again salmon grilled on cedar planks is quite popular, and pretty good.

I guess I’ll have to test drive this, and form my own opinion. Finding some common juniper to compare it to would be nice though.

Thanks again

 

[zwiller]

LOL. Saw thujone and knew of it in absinthe too! Agree the info is hard to find BUT no doubt it is being used. Most info I found was searching black forest ham. I think if you keep it TBS you'll be fine but I would imagine opposite to true as well: Thick white smoke from juniper will not just be bad, but REALLY bad.

 

[dave schiller]

Folks, be careful of what you are calling cedar. There are many kinds of trees throughout the US and the world with the common name of cedar. The only true cedars are in the genus Cedrus and are not native to North America. The common Red Cedar we're familiar with is actually a Juniper. Fish smoked on a cedar plank is from the Pacific Northwest and probably on Western Red Cedar (Thuja). Common names are not a good way to identify wood. See below:

Pinaceae family

• Cedrus or cedar, a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae
  • Lebanon cedar, Cedrus libani, a cedar native to Lebanon, western Syria and south central Turkey
  • Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, a cedar native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria
  • Deodar cedar, Cedrus deodara, a cedar native to the western Himalayas
  • Cyprus cedar, Cedrus brevifolia, classified mainly to distinguish it from the Cedar of Lebanon, found in the island of Cyprus's Cedar Valley in the Troodos Mountains
• Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica), occasionally erroneously referred to as Siberian cedar

Cupressaceae family

• Atlantic white cedar or Chamaecyparis thyoides
• Bermuda cedar, Juniperus bermudiana, a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda
• Chilean cedar, Austrocedrus chilensis
• Clanwilliam cedar, Widdringtonia cedarbergensis, a species of cypress endemic to the Cederberg mountains of South Africa
• Eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, a species of juniper native to eastern North America
• Eastern white cedar, Northern white cedar or Thuja occidentalis
• Incense-cedar, Calocedrus
• Iranian cedar, Cupressus sempervirens
• Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica or other members of (Cryptomeria); known as 杉 (Sugi) in Japanese
• Mexican white cedar, Cupressus lusitanica, a species of cypress native to Mexico and Central America
• Mountain cedar, Juniperus ashei, an evergreen shrub native to northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States
• New Zealand cedar, Libocedrus bidwillii
• Persian cedar, Cupressus sempervirens
• Port Orford-cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
• Prickly cedar, Juniperus oxycedrus, native across the Mediterranean region
• Sharp cedar, Juniperus oxycedrus, native across the Mediterranean region
• Western red cedar, Thuja plicata, a cypress of the Pacific northwest
• Yellow cedar, Cupressus nootkatensis, also called Alaska cedar and Callitropsis nootkatensis

 

[DanMcG]

Although I've never tried it, smoking with juniper berries gives an interesting flavor.