Wood with bark?

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BaxtersBBQ

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 5, 2020
171
190
Recently got a bunch of hickory chunks but has a ton of bark still on the wood. I’ve heard this effects the flavor? Anybody test this/anything to worry about?
 
Never tested it. I use wood with bark and without. Depends on the log I grab
 
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Some don't like it, but I've never noticed any negative impact from it. I cook with oak, hickory, apple, and cherry and a lot of the wood has bark on it (apple and cherry almost 100% with bark, oak and hickory about 50% with bark). I'll even throw chunks of bark on the fire if it falls off the wood.
 
Hmm
If you look at the Lumberjack pellet website they use the bark in the primary wood and strip it from the oak used for filler in blended products.

I've gotten away from wood smoking, lately. (Fridge build on hold and tossed the offset.)
When I did use wood, I usually stripped the apple bark as it was from me and I know the tree died from fire blight. The oak, maple, and ash I harvest from my trees the bark is left on the logs.
 
I smoke with bark on almost 100% of the time, anyone that says back has an off putting flavor has a way better taster than mine......I find about a 0% taste difference in the final produce.
 
Bark has more flavor in it than the wood, I use shag bark all the time for grilling , I would never waste it imo.
 
If the wood has bark on it, I use it. If it falls off then I use it to get a fire started, cause it burns quickly.
Al
 
If I'm using apple wood or any other fruit wood then I try to get the bark off. I'm not sure if it matters much, but the reason is when they spray pesticides on the fruit trees it mainly stays on the bark. Aside from that with other wood chunks if the back comes off easily I take it off, and toss it in my bon-fire pit.

Chris
 
I use wood about two fists in my charcoal cabinet. I use many of the chunks with bark on and have no flavor issues.
 
So I pulled the butts off the smoker this morning. Flavors amazing with the wood bark. Almost more hickory flavored than normal but not bitter or acrid. I think I almost prefer it now
 
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So long as it has been sufficiently cured, bark should not have any negative effects.
 
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