# Type of Oak for smoking



## jdr37

Jeff says use oak wood as a base and add other as you prefer. I have always been told that oak is too "stringent" for smoking and have always used hickory and/or apple. Can some one claify this for me? I live in Florida and there are two basic types of oak here. 1) Scrub or blackjack (which I have heard the BBQ joints use) and 2) live oaks, water oaks, laurel, etc.
Thanks
jdr37


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## davidmcg

red oak here


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## pineywoods

JD I live in Florida and I use both types of oak for smoking. Depending on where in Fl you may be able to find some Hickory or Pecan maybe even some Orange Tree wood which is one I haven't tried yet


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## sumosmoke

I also live in FL and have grown accustomed to using oak. I've used blackjack, red heart, and also white oak to cook with. I find the oak wood is more mild than the hickory when used for long smokes.


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## meowey

I find that oak is lighter than hickory.  Mix and match woods until you find a combination that you like best.  Enjoy the journey!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey


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## vtanker

Red (red heart) oak is the best for smoking if you are using oak. Oak wood is a very hard wood and takes a long time to burn. That is why a lot of people use it for a base. I live in Knoxville TN and burn red oak in my fire place. I can get a truck load split deliver and stacked for $65.00 That is about 3 ricks or 2/3 of a cord. I use it as a base but I like the harder to get wood. when its in abundance you dont want it as bad. However if you use it as a base you dont have to use as much of the other woods.

I hope this helps.


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## cajunsmoke13

Red Oak down here


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## alx

I use red oak and white oak.White oak more with poultry and red with beef, pork.I like the mahogany color of red oak and cherry on ribs.Oak is definetly not too stringent for smoking-just age it properly.


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## jdr37

OK, Sumosmoke, I can find blackjack  --  no problem. But what the hey is "red and white oak" I too am on the east (central) coast of Florida (Edgewater), just don't know what you are referring to. 
JDR37


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## pineywoods

Blackjack is in the red oak family

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack_oak


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## capt dan

white oak is the hardest and burns the hottest, red oak is about medium hardness and density and very available, post oak is also a common wood and has a mellower smoke than red oak, but burns faster.
All 3 are great base woods for your coal base.


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## smoke freak

I have some white oak from Missouri. It burns well puts off plenty of heat and makes a good bed of coals...But...I dont get a lotta flavor from it...

I guess thats what they mean by milder than hickory...


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## richoso1

I use red oak strickly for beef, it's also great for grilling beef over an open fire.


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## capt dan

I should have stipulated : in a stickburner. Meaning oak is my fuel, apple, cherry,mullberry,maple,or flowering crabbapple are my flavoring woods.


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## trapper

All oaks belong to one of two families. The white oak family or the red oak family (I have seen the red oak family called the black oak family as well.)
Where I live in Missouri the white oaks we have include post oak, burr oak, and white oak. Yes, one of the members is just called white oak, kind of like New York New York.  The red oaks include black oak, pin oak, shingle oak, northern and southern red oak, and black jack oak. There are more but those are the main ones.


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## flash

We have alot of different Oaks in Florida. I use Turkey Oak and Blackjack or Bluejack if we can find it. I like to use oaks with out the bark or smooth bark oaks. Oak does seem to color the meat darker than other woods.


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## sumosmoke

As the others have stated, red and white oaks are different "strains" of oak wood. We normally get the blackjack stuff around here (in Edgewater).


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## alelover

Has anyone smoked with pin oak? I have a few in my yard that are always dropping branches. May as well put them to good use.


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## smokeydrewsky

alelover said:


> Has anyone smoked with pin oak? I have a few in my yard that are always dropping branches. May as well put them to good use.


Hi Alelover, I use pin oak all the time. It's a member of the Red Oak family, so it puts off a nice robust flavor. You'd just have to make sure it's been seasoned all the way.


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## Bearcarver

I would think all Oak is good for smoking.

Oak from the North is a bit harder than oak from the South, mostly due to the shorter growing seasons that cause a tighter grain.

Bearcarver


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## timberjet

I love to use whiskey barrel oak whatever kind that is. Being in Idaho that's about all I can get in chunk.


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## dick foster

I wouldn't think Poison Oak would be a good idea. LOL


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## cecil

What about live oak. I ave some very old Live oaks at my house that I am constantly having to trim. Is Live oak a good smoke wood?


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## dick foster

I woun't think so. I don't think it is either a hard wood or a true oak. Nor would I use tan oak. We have lots of both around here but I've never heard of either one being good for smoking meat.


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## Bearcarver

We don't have any Tan Oak around here, but I think that is an evergreen tree. No evergreen is good for smoking.


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## dick foster

I think the rule of thumb to use is any oak that produces acorns or rather a nut or fruit depending on which camp you're in. The general rule of thumb for almost all woods suitable for smoking are fruit and nut trees that produce edible food product. Other than citrus. I don't think citrus would be good for smoking but having said that, I've never tried it myself. Maple would be another exception to the fruit and nut rule but we do consume the sap in great quantity. I don't think alder does either but I know it is used a lot for fish. At least lots of salmon in the Pacific Northwest.


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## pineywoods

LIve oak can be used to smoke with as well as citrus woods


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## dick foster

I'm sure you can but is it any good, that's the question.

Heck, I guess you could even use old pallets if you wanted to but I don't think it would taste very good. The wood they use for pallets can be almost anything as they aren't very fussy with cheap and available being the only two criteria that really matters. Sometimes you can find a few pieces of half way decent wood useful for some carpentry projects in sheet metal pallets. The runners are longer so they have less to choose from.  

Any idea of what kind of flavor these woods add to the taste when used for smoking? What kind of flavor do they add and what meats are they suitable for, fish, beef, pork, poultry or some of the more exotic things like you might find in Asia?

I don't know what makes an oak tree and oak but it seems to be all over the board more than most other kinds of tree. White red, black, live, tan etc. etc. And some look very than the others in bark and leaf. I think to be a true oak the tree has to produce acorns but I'm not botanist either.


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## ecto1

Post Oak is one of my favs to cook with makes a great brisket.


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## dick foster

What to hell is post oak? All kinds of oaks seems to have all these different local names and I think some of them really aren't oaks at all. I'm gonna get mad in a minute and get a book.


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## pineywoods

Go get your book because live oaks produce acorns and produce a pretty good smoke flavor. I think you can find a thread or two from Bmudd in which he used some orange wood chunks I sent to him.


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## bmudd14474

Dick Foster said:


> I think the rule of thumb to use is any oak that produces acorns or rather a nut or fruit depending on which camp you're in. The general rule of thumb for almost all woods suitable for smoking are fruit and nut trees that produce edible food product. Other than citrus. I don't think citrus would be good for smoking but having said that, I've never tried it myself. Maple would be another exception to the fruit and nut rule but we do consume the sap in great quantity. I don't think alder does either but I know it is used a lot for fish. At least lots of salmon in the Pacific Northwest.


There are only a few woods that you shouldn't use. Pine and Cedar are 2 of them.  I have used orange wood and its very good.


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## dick foster

What did you use in on? Citrus isn't too hard to find around here either.


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## pineywoods

Dick Foster said:


> What did you use in on? Citrus isn't too hard to find around here either.


I have some but haven't used it yet but I'm gonna try it with some chicken and I want to try some with some pork chops or a loin I think it should be good with them


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## dick foster

Please let us know.


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## roklimo

Good info.  I will be using Red oak since it is readily available.


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## miami smokes

I'm in Florida and all I've been finding is Live Oak and Blackjack. I'm looking to slow cook a brisket and would prefer to use Post Oak but have not been able to locate any in FL.

Anyone know where I can buy Post Oak in FL?

If I can't find Post Oak, would live oak or blackjack work well for slow cooking a brisket in an offset stick burner?


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## smokemachine

South Carolina here, I have a "water oak" that is coming down in my back yard soon. Any one have any idea how good it is in the smoker?


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## kevin adcock

Cecil said:


> What about live oak. I ave some very old Live oaks at my house that I am constantly having to trim. Is Live oak a good smoke wood?



Live oak I really good. I do believe that's what the Salt Lick BBQ joints in Austin's Texas use!


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## kc5tpy

Live oak IS what the Salt lick use.  And pecan husks.  People in Tx. have been using Live Oak, Pecan and Mesquite for smokin since?


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## oldschoolbbq

Oak is a great wood , you don't want it , load it up and send it to me...I like Oak ,less astringent that Hickory , a great pair with Pecan and long burning with lots of BTU's.

Whoever told you different is full of Poop
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Have fun and as always. . .


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## aarondunlap

Well I'm in hog heaven then. I just had a ton of limbs on my pin oak trimmed and I am cutting them to fit in my firebox AND a friend of mine is letting me have an entire pecan tree that just fell at his house. This is gonna be a fun winter. :-D


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## backwoods bbq

some of the greatest bbq restaurants and pitmasters in the world rely on oak. Pinoak is superb its a type of red oak (Spanish) and is about all I use when grilling fish, smoking beef, lamb, and even cheese. white oak is also great where one of the more famous is post oak (used by world famous central texas bbq restaurants. Any oak is great IMEO. Of course the black sheep of the oak family if you ask any real Texan will tell you is Blackjack. Not a favorite of the oak family but is used when need be.


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## t34mechanic

Im also from new Smyrna, where do u get your oak from?


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## matthew trello

yea, in Texas. oak is oa, cook on a dry day, with dry wood, and lots of air


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## matthew trello

hicory by river, and water sheads, most citus is gone now (blite and such) oak is everywhere, laurel,water,half breed live, oaks, and turkey too


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## matthew trello

tannin


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## matthew trello

tannin

The older the Oak is the milder, the harder the more btu's


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## matthew trello

back yard


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