# Can smoking with certain wood cause allergic reaction?



## LilSmoker2020 (Jul 26, 2020)

My son has allergies to multiple tree nuts so it does worry me a little about smoking with certain woods. I would just like to see if anyone has any experience with having a family member that has allergies to tree nuts and if smoking with those certain trees has triggered a allergic reaction? Thanks


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## chopsaw (Jul 26, 2020)

My guess and opinion would be not to use what he's allergic to . Wouldn't be worth the chance to me .


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## mike243 (Jul 26, 2020)

I would use apple maybe cherry or others that don't produce a nut, apple is really good, welcome to the site


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## LilSmoker2020 (Jul 26, 2020)

I've only used apple as of now, but my dad has some pecan that I wanted to try out. They say hes not allergic to pecans but they also say hes deathly allergic to soy and he eats soy products. Maybe someone who owns a BBQ joint would know? I'm sure there would have to be a sign at a restaurant if smoke on the meat would cause a allergic reaction?


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## BandCollector (Jul 26, 2020)

I would stay away from the wood of the nuts he is allergic to.  Fruit trees produce great flavor.

John


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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2020)

Don't know if this will help, but I found this:

*Allergic to Wood Smoke?*
My daughter is allergic to tree nuts, pecans being one of them. Recently, the question arose is she allergic to meat smoked with pecan wood? I started reading around a little, and my husband gave my daughter some of the smoked meat, and here’s what we found:
• She has no allergy to the meat cooked with pecan wood. She ate it a little apprehensively, but she had no allergic repercussions. After we kept asking her, she said her mouth may itch a little, but then she confessed because we kept talking about it and she was really fine.
• Most people with tree nut allergies are fine with the wood from the same nut plant.
• It is compared to people with egg allergies being fine with eating chicken (I never even thought of that!). The nut itself has the proteins which are where the allergens usually lie, the wood is a completely different part and does not contain the same proteins that cause the allergic reactions.
• Some woods themselves are high on the allergy chain, like cedar, sycamore and hemlock.
• Some fear the oils from the wood will be transmitted to the meats that are cooked. However, again, the oils contain fats while the nut meat contains proteins. the allergens are usually within the proteins. That is why a lot of people allergic to peanuts can still eat peanut oil. I don’t know enough about this, because if I saw pecan oil or cashew oils in a food, I don’t think I’d allow my daughter to have it. Or maybe after this bit of research, I would.
• Some people are actually allergic to the wood smoke itself, regardless of the type of wood. This however, will induce a more respiratory/environmental type of reactions or can cause problems with asthma if that is the case, as opposed to a food allergy reaction. (Allergy to Smoke: Myth or Reality)
It makes you wonder how careful to be. Reading some of the posts out there on wood smoke allergies make you see how people from all sides view allergies. There are those cautious and careful and both sides of the extremes. But it’s hard to know. If it’s yourself or your child, you don’t want to risk, but then there is the over careful, too. At least now we know, my daughter can safely and happily eat her grandparent’s pecan wood smoked meats!


Bear


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## TNJAKE (Jul 26, 2020)

Good article 

 Bearcarver
 posted. If it were my kids I'd confirm with their doctor. And I wouldn't chance it before that.


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## chopsaw (Jul 26, 2020)

I agree . Good article . I know with wood working some won't even use walnut in the boards because of this reason . Not saying I agree with that because I don't know .
Edit
Boards was meant to be cutting boards .


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## Bearcarver (Jul 26, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> I agree . Good article . I know with wood working some won't even use walnut in the boards because of this reason . Not saying I agree with that because I don't know .




All I know is Walnut kills horses. We could get rid of Walnut sawdust to Cow Farmers, but Horse owners wouldn't take it for their bedding. They said It causes Laminitis---Absorbs it through their Hoofs. Secretariat died of Laminitis.
All I know is Walnut tastes terrible when you Saw or Sand it, and breath some into your mouth.

Bear


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## jcam222 (Jul 26, 2020)

LilSmoker2020 said:


> I've only used apple as of now, but my dad has some pecan that I wanted to try out. They say hes not allergic to pecans but they also say hes deathly allergic to soy and he eats soy products. Maybe someone who owns a BBQ joint would know? I'm sure there would have to be a sign at a restaurant if smoke on the meat would cause a allergic reaction?


This truly is a question best posed to a doctor. All of us can speculate but that speculation could make your boy sick. I’d either avoid nut woods or talk to the doctor about it.


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## LilSmoker2020 (Jul 26, 2020)

Thanks for all the input. I appreciate it.


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## daspyknows (Jul 26, 2020)

Stoll lots of great options.  Oak, Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Cherry and other fruit woods.


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## TNJAKE (Jul 26, 2020)

daspyknows said:


> Stoll lots of great options.  Oak, Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Cherry and other fruit woods.


Hickory and oak are nut trees


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## daspyknows (Jul 26, 2020)

TNJAKE said:


> Hickory and oak are nut trees




thx, learned something new


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## LilSmoker2020 (Jul 26, 2020)

daspyknows said:


> thx, learned something new


Right. I never knew they produced a nut.


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## kmmamm (Jul 26, 2020)

The proteins that cause human nut allergies are found in the plants fruit, not the wood.  I have family members with severe nut allergies and we have never had a problem with  the smoke produced from the wood of nut trees.  If you are still skeptical,  think about why someone with an egg allergy can chow down on fried chicken all day long.


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## TNJAKE (Jul 27, 2020)

LilSmoker2020 said:


> Right. I never knew they produced a nut.


Oak= acorns, hickory=hickory nuts


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## TNJAKE (Jul 27, 2020)

kmmamm said:


> The proteins that cause human nut allergies are found in the plants fruit, not the wood.  I have family members with severe nut allergies and we have never had a problem with  the smoke produced from the wood of nut trees.  If you are still skeptical,  think about why someone with an egg allergy can chow down on fried chicken all day long.


This is not true. Just as some people claim to have allergic reactions to nuts and nut woods there are people allergic to both eggs and chicken. It's called Bird-Egg syndrome.

It's one thing for us to give food safety advice pertaining to meat temps and such. Probably not the right place for people to give medical advice


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## one eyed jack (Jul 27, 2020)

Apples to oranges, to some extent, but years ago a friend told me of his dad burning a pile of poison ivy twigs and roots.  His mother was down wind hanging up clothes and inhaled the smoke.  Poison ivy in the lungs nearly killed her.

I would at least, be concerned about smoke from the nut woods.  Better safe than sorry.


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## LilSmoker2020 (Jul 27, 2020)

That's pretty crazy. Now that I think about it I recall buying some briquettes labled oak and hickory to grill with and he didnt have any reaction to it. I honestly never realized oak and hickory were nut trees till it was just pointed out.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 27, 2020)

LilSmoker2020 said:


> That's pretty crazy. Now that I think about it I recall buying some briquettes labled oak and hickory to grill with and he didnt have any reaction to it. I honestly never realized oak and hickory were nut trees till it was just pointed out.




Yup---I love Hickory Nuts. We have lots around here, in PA.

Oak "Acorns"  aren't that Great, but the Deer sure love them!!

Bear


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## etotore (Aug 28, 2020)

To add, oils in tree's are fuel to fire when burning.
So oils will be converted to energy, so fire. 
There will be leftover residue, but chemically it will probably be very different.
So I will say the approach of giving a small amount of food for test on the person is the best approach.
Always have antihistamine, ready if unlikely reaction does happen.

I do have allergies myself, don't think any doctor can advice on this matter with any science to back him up.   
So if you have deadly allergies to one type of nut, I would say stay away, from that type of wood, because it's not worth being a guinea pig


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