Woods For Smoking

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I don't know about the rest of you, but I will never let a piece of chicken get anywhere near mesquite smoke.
I'm just not a big fan of mesquite for anything to begin with.  It's a bit too strong for my liking.

My last several smokes have been either straight cherry, or a mixture of cherry with some apple.  I think the fruit woods are more mild, which suits my preferences.
 
Hi All
Any advice on how fresh your wood should be? I.E. Do you guys let your wood dry in a pile for a few months to years or do you prefer freshly cut wood? I have an oak that has been dead standing for over a year and was thinking of using it for smoke. Thanks for your replies.
 
Hi All
Any advice on how fresh your wood should be? I.E. Do you guys let your wood dry in a pile for a few months to years or do you prefer freshly cut wood? I have an oak that has been dead standing for over a year and was thinking of using it for smoke. Thanks for your replies.
Really depends on your oak tree how big around it is ? Standing dead could take up to 3 years and more depends on the size.I would cut and split it and stack.Get some air to the splits probaly would only take a few weeks to a few months to get it dry enough.Most of the branches should be ready to go.

Green wood can take 6 months to a year to dry and that all depends on the area you live in and how you stack it.

Hope this helps

Dan  
 
So I was in a World Market store on Monday.  They were selling pieces of used oak wine barrels for smoke wood.  Just wondering if anyone has ever used that and what difference, if any, aging wine in the wood prior to use as smoke wood makes on smoked foods.

Mostly I'm just curious.  They were selling about a dozen 8-9" pieces for $11, which seemed a little ridiculous to me.
 
@ smokey bruin

Honestly, I wait until the Santa Ana season. I don't know which part of socal that you live in, but where I live, the city plants a million bradford pear trees, and those things always snap in the wind. Another option, is find a citrus grove or avocado grove nearby. But, I would wait until the santa ana season honestly, or keep checking craigslist. 

Hope that helps, 

Tyler
 
Smokey Bruin,

I have 3 fig trees that have to be pruned every year and I keep the trimmings for the smoker. IMO the flavor is not as good as I expected it to be, kind of bland. I would much rather use apple, maple, cherry or hickory. I also cut down my Bradford pear tree a couple of years ago and I don't really care for the flavor from that wood either. So much for my trying to use free wood.

 I'm not very sure about using old wine barrels for smoke wood either as ThsMormonSmokes was asking, some of those barrels are treated on the exterior or so I have heard. I wouldn't use it!

!
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I've been a part time Arborist for several years.  That job got me into BBQ'ing.  I had more wood than I knew what to do with, so I sold a lot of the best stuff for BBQ while I was in Little Rock - Pecan, Apple, Hickory, Cherry, Oak, etc.  One thing to watch for, especially on your fruit trees, is whether chemicals were used during the tree's life.  If you are getting fruit tree wood from a friend or relative they should know.

I also became a fan of grilling over actual wood fires, rather than charcoal.  It gives a great flavor that is different than charcoal.
 
Gonna second what McKee said about the orchard wood. If you're sourcing smoking wood from orchards (apple, orange, peach, grapefruit, avocado, etc), you best remember that most growers are going to apply some sort of pesticide at some point. If you don't know for sure that the wood is chemical free, I'd walk. It just ain't worth your health.

Note that that also holds true for grapevines as well. Unless you know the vineyard manager and can be assured that it was a purely organic operation, i.e. no pesticides used EVER, don't use it. Grapevine canes can hold the chemical very well.
 
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I'm going to be using oak on my next smoke.  Would it be advisable to take off the bark? I've read that some bark can be bitter but this oak bark seems to be tight.  If I should remove it, any recommendations on how to do that easily?

Thanks for the help.
 
 
I'm going to be using oak on my next smoke.  Would it be advisable to take off the bark? I've read that some bark can be bitter but this oak bark seems to be tight.  If I should remove it, any recommendations on how to do that easily?

Thanks for the help.
Leave it on, it will not hurt a thing.
 
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