Manzanita for smoking wood?

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red dog

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jul 24, 2011
702
38
Central Oregon
While looking on ebay I saw a guy had some manzanita listed for smoking wood. I did some research on the net and some say it is great for smoking but I haven't seen it mentioned here in the forum. I purchased some to try out of curiosity. Has anyone ever tried it and what can I expect.
 
I don't see it listed on the guide on this site.  On other sites I have read that it is fine for smoking.  A very hot burning wood.  Flavor is said to be mellower than many commonly used woods, so probably not the greatest for beef and some other applications.  I would think seafood and poultry, but I have never used it.  I should try it because there is a lot of it in the mountains not far from here.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Thanks Venture. I put the smoker together today and plan on doing a couple of chickens for the first smoke so that might be a good test for it.
 
Let us know what you think.

Also, for chicken, if you have any dry corn cobs laying around, they are great.  When we eat corn on the cob, we throw the cobs on the RV slab to dry.  My neighbor is kind enough to throw his over the fence too.  They also provide a light, mellow smoke.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Red Dog,

Here's a post from 2008.

Looks OK to me.

Bear


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Wood Smoke: what wood goes with what food?

Here is a list of smoke wood and there characteristics. This seems to come up often maybe an administer can stick it to the top of this page for future references. Wink
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. Donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]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.
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.
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hope this helps you, seems a lot of folks use olive oil on the meats they grill smoke ect..seems the wood should be just fine..except I did not know we had olive trees in the us. but i do live a shelterd life..lol.

charbroil (hooters) very modified Charcoal
BAH 4 gal fryer propane
jen air s/s propane
smokintex Model 1400 with all the extras cold smoker plate ect.
BBQ grill ware charcoal very old and well seasoned charcoal "Portable kitchens" grilllandmann very modified wood/charcoal smoker.3 discos.like a...
 
Good shot, Roller.  Living in Taxifornia, I am a criminal if I poison weeds or ants unless I am very careful.  Or I don't get caught.  LOL

Good luck and good smoking.
 
I know you can in Oregon but you need a permit on national forest. It's not protected on private lands to my knowledge. That's one reason I was interested in it. Here in central Oregon all we have is pine and aspen but we do have manzanita. Also very few fruit trees do to climate. I know it is sold in pet stores for bird perches because it has no toxins that would harm birds.
 
We were very spoiled when we lived in Western Oregon. We had a free unlimited supply of alder, big leaf maple, vine maple, wild cherry, apple, and pear.
 
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