# any body use hardwood maple or oak



## amigo4182 (Apr 13, 2013)

ok so the pecan wood and the hickory is really hard to find in my are but i called aguy and he said he has plenty of oak and also some hardwood maple,which i guess burns hotter and slower that softwood maple any one ever use those im running out of choices


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## bruno994 (Apr 13, 2013)

I use a lot of oak.  Any idea on the type of oak, there are so many.


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## amigo4182 (Apr 14, 2013)

no clue he just said oak


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## rgacat (Apr 14, 2013)

Oak is a good choice for about everything. You can use maple for white meats it is good on them.

Ronnie G.


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## cliffcarter (Apr 14, 2013)

Maple is better than oak, works on all meats IMHO. Milder smoke flavor and imparts a nice golden brown color to poultry.


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## geerock (Apr 14, 2013)

Oak has been a mainstay of bbq for a hundred years.  Wouldnt be without it.
Nothing wrong with the hard maple either.


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## ratboy5000 (Apr 14, 2013)

I found oak to add a bitter flavor on my food. cherry does the same.

I tested this with a plan chicken. 2 different cooks no spices added just chicken and wood... YUCK on both.

did a 3 - 4th cook with apple and maple way better.. hope this helped..


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## show me smoke (Apr 15, 2013)

I use white oak for my primary heat source...It works well, really like it for pork butts and brisket.


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## randya (Apr 16, 2013)

I use oak all the time.  Make sure it is seasoned dried.  I dry for 5 months before using and I remove the bark too.  I add apple to it during the main smoke period if I have any.. A good friend of mine picks me up some apple when he goes to Georgia.  Good luck.


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## amigo4182 (Apr 16, 2013)

i just got me some hickory and apple wood cant wait to smoke some ribs this weekend at my party


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## maple sticks (Apr 17, 2013)

I use MAPLE on everything


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## rickw (Apr 27, 2013)

Any type of oak is great, as well is maple. I use it all the time with great results. No bitter tastes I or anyone else has ever complained about.


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## roadkill cafe (Apr 27, 2013)

I'll take Oak over Hickory anytime. Love it.


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## wtipton (May 2, 2013)

Oak all the way, I use it on everything, I throw in a little apple also, but mainly oak. But it has to be seasoned. I only use oak that has been seasoned at leased a year...


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## ribwizzard (May 3, 2013)

I have always prefered to cook with Oak as well, just stay away from Water oak. I try to go with pieces cut from 8" diameter or bigger, and let it dry out enough that the bark peels off.

Here are some pics of thing to look for when deciding whick tree to chop up for the best smoking experience.

[img]http://s6.thisnext.com/media/largest_dimension/F135A79D.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.rainbowskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/566.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/31419/wm/pd3094091.jpg[/img]


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## woodcutter (May 3, 2013)

Oak and hard maple are both excellent. Maple adds a sweet flavor which I like on steaks.


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## oldschoolbbq (May 29, 2013)

Amigo, read this...

 Any Nut or Fruitwood is good. Oak and Maple are worth gathering all you can get. Stock-up and cure it(drying it under a tarp) for next year's smoking and you;ll not go to any Charcoal or Lump agasin, light with anything but Fluid(I hate the odor and taste) ,let it go to embers and heat the Smoker with it, then add warmed Pieces of wood:

Read this and it should help...http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101

Here's how I heat my wood :













FOOD I HAVE COOKED - ANYTHING 008.JPG



__ oldschoolbbq
__ Apr 7, 2013






and what my smoke looks like...













FOOD I HAVE COOKED - ANYTHING 009.JPG



__ oldschoolbbq
__ Apr 7, 2013






 have fun and . . .


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## buttburner (May 29, 2013)

oldschoolbbq said:


> Amigo, read this...
> 
> Any Nut or Fruitwood is good. Oak and Maple are worth gathering all you can get. Stock-up and cure it(drying it under a tarp) for next year's smoking and you;ll not go to any Charcoal or Lump agasin, light with anything but Fluid(I hate the odor and taste) ,let it go to embers and heat the Smoker with it, then add warmed Pieces of wood:
> 
> ...


I am not sure any nut is good. I have read that walnut is not good to use, for example.


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## sqwib (May 29, 2013)

Ratboy5000 said:


> I found oak to add a bitter flavor on my food. cherry does the same.
> 
> I tested this with a plan chicken. 2 different cooks no spices added just chicken and wood... YUCK on both.
> 
> did a 3 - 4th cook with apple and maple way better.. hope this helped..


_Cherry can be bitter if heavy smoke is applied, it's actually fairly mild._


ButtBurner said:


> I am not sure any nut is good. I have read that walnut is not good to use, for example.


_I have used black walnut mixed with cherry in my stick burner with no ill effects, but you need to be careful with black walnut use it sparingly, not sure if I would use it to apply smoke, but works good as a fuel._


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