# Peach wood?



## skinnerc06

A friend of mine had a peach tree removed from his yard.  I wanted it to burn in my outdoor fire pit.  Was wondering if anyone has used it to cook with.  I dont wanna ruin a nice butt.  Thanks


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## TulsaJeff

Peach is excellent.. did I mention it was excellent!?
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






It is not a real strong flavored wood in my experience.. you might want to apply the smoke a little longer than you would say hickory, mequite, oak, etc.

Some other excellent fruit woods are:

Apricot
Plum
Apple
Cherry


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## smokincowboy

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. 
also look for a post with wood dos and don't


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## skinnerc06

cool thanks a lot.  the only problem now is chopping it up to use.  right now their around 100 pound logs, guess i better start chopping if im gunna be able to use it tomrow haha.  ill check out that dos and donts page too.


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## TulsaJeff

Not sure how long the tree has been down.. you will want to make sure it is seasoned and not green when you use it.

I usually recommend 6 months cut and in the dry before using.

I have cut up small pieces of green wood before and baked them in my wife's kitchen oven at 225 for about 12-14 hours to more or less kiln dry them rapidly and it worked out ok in a pinch.

I barely survived the aftermath when my wife found out but never the less.. it did work
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





If you cut up small limbs to where you have small round logs of about 1 inch width and 2-4 inches in diameter you can easily see if the wood is dry enough for smoking.

It will have very distinct cracks that look like a spider starting from the center and out toward the edge of the wood.


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## smokincowboy

skinner  here ya go  it was posted by another member  very good info     Wood dos and donts

This is information that was provided as a download from bigdaddyviking. . . 

Reference guide for Woods used to Smoke Food 

ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. Is a very hot burning wood. 

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds. 

ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats. 

APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork. 

ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats. 

BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry. 

CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor. 

COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking. 

CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood. 

GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb. 

HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef. 

LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb. 

MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds. 

MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning woods. 

MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple. 

OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game. 

ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry. 

PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork. 

PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood. 

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. 

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game. 

Other Internet sources report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: AVOCADO, BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA, OLIVE, BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (I.e. Pear, cherry, apple, etc.) are also suitable for smoking. 

Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc. 

There are many trees and shrubs in this world that contain chemicals toxic to humans--toxins that can even survive the burning process. Remember, you are going to eat the meat that you grill and the smoke particles and chemicals from the wood and what may be on or in the wood are going to get on and in the meat. Use only wood for grilling that you are sure of. 

If you have some wood and do not know what it is, DO NOT USE IT FOR GRILLING FOOD. Burn it in your fireplace but not your smoker. 

Also ELM and EUCALYPTUS wood is unsuitable for smoking, as is the wood from SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER trees. 

Here are some more woods that you should not to use for smoking: 

Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used. For all you know, that free oak planking could have been used in a sewage treatment plant. 

Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Paint and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat and old paint often contains lead. 
Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated. 

Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison. 

Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat.
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## rowane

As a newby to outdoor smoking you'd not expect to hear much from me on this, huh? Well, here goes.

I've used pear, peach, apple, mesquite, hickory, and mulberry for smoking pans in the kitchen. ( This was a commercial kitchen with professional exhaust fans, don't try it at home without them)

Using a smoking pan can impart a light flavor that is almost ephemeral in nature. They are mostly used for fowl and fish as the temps are too hot for other meats to be flavored properly this way.

OH, BTW, you can also use a covered wok with a steamer basket inside. put the meats in a single layer in the basket, get the wok screaming hot before you add anything to it. Put the soaked wood chips into the wok and immediately cover it after two minutes raise the lid just enough to get the basket in. Check the food temperature every fifteen minutes until it reaches serving temp, keeping in mind that you will lose hot smoke every time you check the temp.


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## ultramag

I had never had the opportunity to use peach until this spring. It has quickly become one of my favorites for pork, chicken, turkey, and even ribs. Usually I'll still use a little hickory w/ the pork and ribs though. Probably 25% or less of the wood used is hickory in those cases.


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## johnt

This may be a silly question but here goes...

In the post above about the use of wood it states never use used lumber to smoke.
Does that include scraps of say oak or maple that you know come from rough cut lumber?


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## ultramag

If you knew for sure it hadn't been treated or stained and/or varnished at some point you would be OK. Also, if it very old and dry, you won't get much flavor and it will burn up fast and a half.


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## deejaydebi

Proud to say I have the most comprehensive list on the net. You can download it here:


http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downl...lavorChart.pdf


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## johnt

I'm sure it was kiln dried so it's prabably no good for smoking 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  but I seem to remember Alton once using saw dust in his cardboard box smoker 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I just remembered we have some Birch in the garage that the wife was going to use for an art project...hmmm I wonder if the would notice if it went missing


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## dacdots

Like Ultramag said make sure it doesnt have anything on it.I bought two loads of rough cut oak to build with and I use the scraps all the time.I cut it in about 6 inch pieces and soak it.If you want smaller sticks it is very easy to split with a hatchet or a hammer and wood chisel.


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## lynx mark

My Uncle's peach tree lost a limb and he just gave it to me yesterday. Going to try a small bit of it with black cherry today. Trying it with chicken. Should come out very mellow in flavor if I heard right.


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## joe black

If you can believe anything that you see on TV, Myron Mixon, Robbie Royal and some of the other Georgia boys use a lot of Peach.  That aside, I would try it if I could find it.  I would not have any problems with Peach.  Goo luck with it,   Joe.


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