# Hard or soft maple?



## yt7t7 (May 10, 2010)

When people say they use maple for smoking, is it hard maple, soft maple, or sweet gum maple, or does it matter?


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## Bearcarver (May 10, 2010)

I don't think it matters. I would think for burning & smoking, Maple is Maple. I know it's a NO-NO to use different Maples in the same cabinet, because of the different expansion & contraction rates, but none of that matters for smoking. I think soft Maple is really only about 25% softer than hard Maple. If it's Maple, smoke it.

LOL----I wouldn't carve either one of them!

Bearcarver


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## cliffcarter (May 13, 2010)

Sweet gum maple is not of the genus "Acer" like hard maple, silver maple, black maple and red maple- the trees used to make maple syrup. Trees of this genus are fine to cook with, the sweet gum I don't know about, perhaps someone who has cooked with it will chime in.


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## coffee_junkie (May 13, 2010)

I lived in Oregon and had around 15 cord of the big leaf maple, I think it is considered "soft maple" it made wonderful firewood, and was a joy to cook with, very tasty. I also found out that a few woodworkers would have killed for the stuff that I was burning, it was VERY figured and beautiful. We did save about 1500 board feet for lumber, just missed some of the really neat stuff. Oh well at least we stayed warm for several years!


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## cliffcarter (May 23, 2010)

I think I will say no to smoking with sweet gum, read about it here-
Sorry, but the link to info on sweet gum would not copy, I kept getting a link I had posted in another forum.
I will keep trying. 
Done-

www.sfp.forprod.vt.edu/factsheets/sweetgum.pdf


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