# White Alder



## tyglover (Jul 22, 2019)

Scored a truckload of white alder rounds. It has a beautiful grain and has a nice scent when it’s split open. I got some planks out of it too. Can’t wait to start using it for cooking! Does anyone like using alder?


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## tallbm (Jul 22, 2019)

Not a stick burner here but I use Alder on my salmon smokes and it gives great flavor :)


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## 73saint (Jul 22, 2019)

Love alder on my salmon!


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## Fueling Around (Jul 22, 2019)

I hear Alder is similar to Ash.
Ash is my my favorite in the stick burner.  Nice clean burn


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## motolife313 (Jul 24, 2019)

Red alder grows in my area. Did this steak the other night Over some nice alder. It’s a very easy wood to split  it’s a known wood to use for salmon but really you can use it for anything like most woods


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## tyglover (Jul 24, 2019)

That looks great! Is alder smoke a sweeter smoke flavor wise? Did you use lose the smoke flavor in the steaks at all?
Thanks


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## motolife313 (Jul 24, 2019)

Thanks! I don’t really tell much flavor difference between the woods. And it tasted like it was on a propane bbq. Not much smoke. Cap steak btw from the butcher shop. I prefer it smoked myself.


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## tallbm (Jul 24, 2019)

tyglover said:


> That looks great! Is alder smoke a sweeter smoke flavor wise? Did you use lose the smoke flavor in the steaks at all?
> Thanks



Alder is described as being delicate and slightly sweet.

I'll try and describe what I taste though it is not easy to describe.

I can agree with it being "delicate" where that means mild to me.
As for the sweetness I kind of maybe taste it but I don't know that I would call it a "sweetness".  It is something that works well with the zest (orange and lemon) that I use in my salmon lox cure/mix and maybe helps highlight the light bit of sugar used in my cure/mix.  I almost perceive it being like the "sweetness" that you smell with fresh cut cedar BUT does not taste exactly like that and is just a hint rather than a very pronounced taste.

An analogy for how it affects the fish I smoke would be that is is like adding that 1/2 or 1 whole bay leaf to a giant pot soup you are cooking.  Without the the bay leaf it would still be great soup but man the little tiny bit of extra flavor makes it a fantastic soup!


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