# ?? for all you smokers who cut your own wood.



## junkcollector (Oct 24, 2012)

Hi,

I am slowly thinking about going into a wood based smoker in the future. I have no shortage of wood around here to cut as needed and plenty free for the getting off craigs list on a regular basis. 

Question is which variety if one is better than the other. 

I have hundreds of silver maple all over the farm and who knows what other varieties. Is one variety favored over another? 

Same with Hickory, is one favored over another?

Thanks

Louie


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## pgsmoker64 (Oct 25, 2012)

junkcollector said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am slowly thinking about going into a wood based smoker in the future. I have no shortage of wood around here to cut as needed and plenty free for the getting off craigs list on a regular basis.
> 
> ...


Hi Louie,

With smoking wood it's all a matter of taste!  What flavor you like best on your meat is what you should use.  I use a combination of Hickory and Cherry normally, but I have an AMNS and I use the pitmaster's blend in that, which is hickory, cherry, and maple.

The best advice I can give is to use what you like and sell the rest.


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## junkcollector (Oct 25, 2012)

PGSmoker,

Thanks for the reply. I just didn't know and was curious if there was enough flavor diffrerence in say shag bark and regular hickory to worry about it. Maples there are umpteen different varieties. We have several around here and I know the silver maples don't give any syrup. So I was kindly hoping somebody might be able to distinguish weather or not there is ***optimal*** maple tree to look for to cut. Or is all of it going to be similar and I should go ahead and us it all?

Thanks


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## woodcutter (Oct 25, 2012)

Try this link or search types of wood on the search bar.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/wood-types-and-flavor


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## pgsmoker64 (Oct 25, 2012)

junkcollector said:


> PGSmoker,
> 
> Thanks for the reply. I just didn't know and was curious if there was enough flavor diffrerence in say shag bark and regular hickory to worry about it. Maples there are umpteen different varieties. We have several around here and I know the silver maples don't give any syrup. So I was kindly hoping somebody might be able to distinguish weather or not there is ***optimal*** maple tree to look for to cut. Or is all of it going to be similar and I should go ahead and us it all?
> 
> Thanks


Louie, I never really knew there were that many types of maple trees...kinda not my thing.  However, if you are patient I'm sure someone will come along with the answer you are looking for.  Woodcutter provided some good info but still may not answer all your questions.

Good luck


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## ribwizzard (Oct 25, 2012)

Down here, I only used well seasoned oak with the bark removed. The hickory that Ive gotten from local sources has always been way to strong for my taste. When I smoke ribs, chicken or butts, I am looking for that sweet flavor that has no bitterness to it. I like my food to have that maroon color , not black. I will pre-burn the wood if I have the opportunity.

I have used ( some years ago) hickory chunks from Home Depo in charcoal smokers, and had good luck. I always fiqured they were harvested up north or something and of a different variety.

I would love to try maple, I actually use maple syrup in some of my recipes.


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## beefmeister (Oct 25, 2012)

junkcollector, in North Texas where I am, Silver Leaf Maple , as they're called, is considered a junk tree. However, you are apparently in its native range.

So go to this link and see what you think, especially the part about sap quality. I think it might actually make a decent smoking wood. If it does, please share your results.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume.../saccharinum.htm


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## junkcollector (Oct 25, 2012)

thanks for all the info and links. I really appreciate it. 

beefmaster, ours are also called silver leaf here. i just assumed it a member of the silver maple family. 

ribwizzard, there is a **SLIM** chance i'm coming to orlando for a show the begining of Nov. If your serious about wanting to try some maple, I'll see if i can round up a pile and bring ya. would you prefer logs, splits, or littler limbs? they'd be 12-18 inches on average. i'll check with my neighbor and see if he has any maple left over from last year already cut/seasoned. if not, it'll be fresh cut, that is if i do make the trip instead of somebody else, and am able to get things arranged before hand.

louie


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## so ms smoker (Oct 25, 2012)

If you come across some wood that you are not sure about, start a fire (in a fire pit) and burn some. If you like the smell of the smoke, then use it. If it stinks, I hope you have a fireplace!

   Mike


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## 3montes (Oct 26, 2012)

I use red oak and apple almost exclusively. The red oak is to me at least the optimal smoking wood. It burns hot and long and imparts a medium to light smoke flavor. I use apple wood for flavor once the meat is on the smoker. We have silver maple in abundance here but I have never used any of it in my smoker. I hear it is a bitter tasting smoke. I have heard the sugar maples are what you want for smoking.

I have purchased the bags of hickory logs from Gander mountain and I couldn't really tell the difference. The reason may be due to the fact I was trying to use it sparingly because of the cost so I didn't really get any noticeable hickory smoke flavor from it.

Plus I have a theory that wood like anything else can go stale and lose it's aromatic properties. I usually consider the bag woods to be stale especially around here where they will sit in the stores for a lengthy time.

I can tell you this. Once you go to stick burning you will regret not having done it much sooner. There is a bit of learning curve that comes with fire management but once you master your pit and turn out that good smokey Q you will be able to do something not everyone can do.


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## junkcollector (Oct 26, 2012)

beefmaster, your link doesn't seem to work for me. keep getting message saying *page can not be found*. do you have a current link possibly? 

So MS smoker, got plenty of wood still on the burn rick at the old place, once it is cut and split, i just burned it in the past. never cared what kind it was, it all burned and put off heat. now im going to have to get some of the older wood hounds to help me out. got close to 80 acres of woods here so i'm not lackin on wood. 

3montes, thanks for the heads up on sugar vs silver maple. i'll be sure to go for sugar instead of silver. I'll experiment with silver just cause there is SUCH a abundance of it around here.


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## woodcutter (Oct 26, 2012)

I heard once that there are around 80 varieties of maple. You need hard maple for smoking. The sugar maple is abundant here in Wisconsin and really does sweeten meat when smoking. The silver maple (at least the ones around here are soft maple) does not have a pleasant smelling smoke. Most fruit trees are hardwood. My favorites are red oak, apple, cherry and hard maple. 

You can tell when cutting hard or soft wood with a chain saw. The correct maple is harder than most of the other woods. I've heard it called rock maple, sugar maple, hard maple. Hard maple is used for cutting boards because of its hardness and resilience.

I hope these ramblings help a little.


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## ribwizzard (Oct 26, 2012)

What maple produces the Maple syrup?


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## diggingdogfarm (Oct 26, 2012)

Hard Maple AKA Sugar Maple, which is best for smoking, IMHO.

I like swamp hickory a bit better than shagbark.

~Martin


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## cliffcarter (Oct 26, 2012)

Ribwizzard said:


> What maple produces the Maple syrup?


There are 4 maples used in maple syrup production- sugar, red, silver and black. IMHO you should be able to use all of them for BBQ. I personally use red maple in the CharGriller a lot, it smells like smokey sugar to me.


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## dward51 (Oct 26, 2012)

Several years ago I had three hickory trees that were killed or damaged by lightning at our other house.  When I paid to have them removed, I asked them to leave me the main trunk wood cut into fireplace lengths.  Rented a splitter for half a day and we are on our 4th year of hickory this winter (they were huge trees, some logs were 40" diameter).  Saved the best looking to be cut up into fist sized chunks for the WSM.  Probably have about a 10 year supply stacked and cut in the basement (for the WSM).

Buddy at work has an apple orchard on his mini-farm (40 or 50 trees) and he brings me the trimmings and blow down all the time. De-bark and burn.

Now my BIL has a red oak down that is about 36" in diameter.  So that is my next project. It's still a booger to cut with a 20" Sthil though (029 super). Free firewood and free smoke wood!!!!!


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## so ms smoker (Oct 27, 2012)

I have a co-worker that lives on several acres with many pecan trees. Hurricane Issac blew one down recently and she asked if we wanted it. Duh! We cut it up and another that she wanted taken down. Brought it home and split it. It is now seasoning. Nothing like free wood! Especially when it is one of your favorites for smoking!

   Mike


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## oldschoolbbq (Oct 27, 2012)

Collector, wood is a great flavoring agent. The land your friend has will have a lot of good varieties of wood for smoking... as stated, Maple is a great wood(not Silverleaf however - but any of the green leaf cvarieties). I use it regularly for extending my heat periods as it blends so well with other types of wood.

You don't need a chord of each wood, but a choice of , say Cherry , Oak , Hickory, Apple , Pecan , or any other Nut or Fruit tree , is a nice larder of flavoring woods. Ask him if you can harvest some of each and experiment with the flavors and intensities.

Have fun and...


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## beefmeister (Oct 27, 2012)

jc, I couldn't navigate to the page with the link either. I had copy the link, open a new tab and paster there. Then what i got was a title page with a list of all the Maples (family Acer) listed.  Try that, or just do what MS Smoker suggested and make a fire with the stuff. Sounds like more fun anyway.


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## junkcollector (Nov 7, 2012)

sorry i didn't reply sooner, had forgot about this thread. i really appreciate the opinions.


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## oldschoolbbq (Nov 7, 2012)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101, if you are going into 'Stickburning , here's some reading...


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## junkcollector (Nov 7, 2012)

thanks oldschool, i've got that link saved already. seriously thinking about it. i just haven't jumped off the bridge yet.


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## cooknhogz (Nov 23, 2012)

Ive cut enough apple in the last few weeks that if I wanted I could burn just apple for prob 2-3 years. Free wood is great.


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## junkcollector (Nov 23, 2012)

it sure is, i have approx 180 acres, neighbor has 90+, and all the apple i want if i can ever get time to get skid steer over to another jobsite.


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## emo85 (Jan 3, 2013)

Any Maple can be used for syrup, the ones Cliffcarter listed usually put out more usable sap; sugars have a higher sugar content in the sap, the silvers I have access to put out a lot of sap and the others depend on the tree and enviroment.  I started doing rotissere chicken and turkey on propane grill, but I built a cover to fit over my block arch sap boiler.  Have used mainly oak so far, Thanksgiving turkeys have come out juicy and a nice smoke flavor.  Have used some maple, it burns quicker than the oak, but it is good to get thinks burning if the fire gets too low.  Found cutting the wood down to about 8 inch length and about as thick as my wrist or smaller seems to burn well for smoking food.  Have to keep adding wood about evry 15-20 minutes, but the results are worth it.  Longer lengths same diameter for boiling sap.  Smoking and Syruping are good outdoor hobbies.


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## wes w (Jan 3, 2013)

3montes said:


> I can tell you this. Once you go to stick burning you will regret not having done it much sooner. There is a bit of learning curve that comes with fire management but once you master your pit and turn out that good smokey Q you will be able to do something not everyone can do.


I agree I00%   There's nobody around that can touch the pork that comes out of my brick, wood fired smoker.   I use mostly hickory and red oak.  Personally, I can't tell a lot of difference in wood.  The main thing is you have to keep the smoke blue.  If it goes white, that's when you get the bitter taste in your meat.  It took me a few times to figure out how my smoker wanted to smoke.  If you want to blow your friends away, do some wings  over a wood fired smoker.  You will never buy wings at a wing joint again. 

Wes


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