# Cedar smoking debate...



## coastside (Oct 10, 2015)

I see alot of references here in this forum as well as others that discuss NOT using cedar for smoking... But this seems very vague and unclear as there are numerous types of cedar ranging from hard to soft and since I just saw a bag of whiskey seasoned wood chips at Lowes that clearly ARE cedar ( I woodwork with alot of Western Red Cedar as well as Alaskan Yellow Cedar, and know the wood quite well ). The bag was clearly full of western red cedar chips and chunks! I get the fact that any resinous wood should NOT be used for smoking, so using western red cedar should NOT be an issue, since ALL the stuff I have worked with not resinous in nature. SO how about someone get some clarification on this forum as to the types of cedar that should be fine, based on the fact that Lowes is clearly selling cedar chips for smoking... and no the bag does NOT say for fish only.


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## cedar eater (Oct 13, 2015)

coastside said:


> I see alot of references here in this forum as well as others that discuss NOT using cedar for smoking... But this seems very vague and unclear as there are numerous types of cedar ranging from hard to soft and since I just saw a bag of whiskey seasoned wood chips at Lowes that clearly ARE cedar ( I woodwork with alot of Western Red Cedar as well as Alaskan Yellow Cedar, and know the wood quite well ). The bag was clearly full of western red cedar chips and chunks! I get the fact that any resinous wood should NOT be used for smoking, so using western red cedar should NOT be an issue, since ALL the stuff I have worked with not resinous in nature. SO how about someone get some clarification on this forum as to the types of cedar that should be fine, based on the fact that Lowes is clearly selling cedar chips for smoking... and no the bag does NOT say for fish only.


I nominate you for getting some clarification. If you like it, smoke with it. When I burn Northern​ White Cedar, the only cedar that grows locally, in my outdoor wood burner, it is the most acrid smoke of the local woods. It tastes fine with planked fish, but I have so many other woods to choose from, that it's near the bottom of my woods to try.


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## coastside (Oct 14, 2015)

As to taking on the clarification... I will say that Alaskan Yellow Cedar might NOT be a good choice if you live in a "drug free zone", due to its very strong odor resembling a really good bud. Not like here in La Honda where folks like Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters and Timothy Leary hung out in the sixties and left such an indelible impression, that driving through La Honda today and attending the local fairs leaves you wondering if you just time traveled in the car. Pot smoking, tree hugging, tie-dye wearing flower children (older now) living everywhere surrounded by a redwood forest.. Even Neil Young shows up from his quiet abode in the local hills on rare occasion to keep the parties in perpetual motion. So if the BBQing wood smells better than the weed you are smoking, the BBQ might bring the hippies out of the woods.

I have not tried using AYC for BBQ'ing, but having run it through the saw, the only thing missing is the high!


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## cedar eater (Oct 14, 2015)

coastside said:


> As to taking on the clarification... I will say that Alaskan Yellow Cedar might NOT be a good choice if you live in a "drug free zone", due to its very strong odor resembling a really good bud. Not like here in La Honda where folks like Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters and Timothy Leary hung out in the sixties and left such an indelible impression, that driving through La Honda today and attending the local fairs leaves you wondering if you just time traveled in the car. Pot smoking, tree hugging, tie-dye wearing flower children (older now) living everywhere surrounded by a redwood forest.. Even Neil Young shows up from his quiet abode in the local hills on rare occasion to keep the parties in perpetual motion. So if the BBQing wood smells better than the weed you are smoking, the BBQ might bring the hippies out of the woods.
> 
> I have not tried using AYC for BBQ'ing, but having run it through the saw, the only thing missing is the high!


Well, if it smells that sweet, I say go for it. But if it has anything like the same effect, you might get the munchies from your munchies and eat every bit of whatever you smoke with it before you notice what you're doing. Not that I have any experience with anything like that.


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