# Mediterranean Smoking Wood--My Exotic Woods



## alfa01 (Apr 17, 2017)

Hello Everyone!

Hope you all had a Happy Easter.  I've been on the forum for a bit, mostly posting about my recent project, a reverse flow smoker build.  I've been delayed in the build and posts to the forum due to a lot of work.  I've particularly been cutting firewood and smoking wood.  

The styles I've been cutting for smoking wood include: fig, holly oak, olive, apricot, almond, bay leaf, lemon, orange, tangerine and oak.  Not sure on the real name of the holly oak, as I only know the Greek name for the medium brushy type tree.  It's an oak, with white oak wood characteristics (yet much smaller), red oak coloring and leaves like a holly (much smaller, however).  It also bears large acorns.  The thing grows in the beginning like a brush, but after many years here in Greece, they become trees with approximately 10" trunks.  

I got a lot of field dried olive that was cut 1-2 years ago.  Really nice dry stuff ready to go in the smoker.  The others are chopped and ready for drying in the summer sun.  I have to say that bay has become one of my favorites.  I have a big bay tree in my backyard and I use the leaves for cooking and smoking.  The wood actually holds very similar characteristics to the leaves and gives a very nice savory flavored smoke.  

Any smoking advice or experiences with the above mentioned woods, would be awesome.  I've heard that fig is really nice for smoking and I have a ton of it this year.  Looking forward to the fall when the wood is good and dry.  

I'll post up some pics tomorrow...it's dark and raining so no chance of pics today.  

Cheers,

Dan


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## alfa01 (May 1, 2017)

Got around to uploading some pics.  

Fig













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Holly Oak













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Citrus (Mainly Lemon)













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Bay Leaf













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The Wood Pile (the 25% on the right is smoking style woods).













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## bbqwillie (May 13, 2017)

WOW! I would love to have some Fig and Bay Leaf wood to play around with. The Olive sounds nice too! You're very lucky to have native woods like that to use for smoking. I envy you. I wonder what a Fig or Olive smoked brisket would taste like...


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## crankybuzzard (May 13, 2017)

I'd like to ha e that around to work on, not just smoke with!   

As for a brisket with fig or olive wood, I'd have to try it for sure!


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## alfa01 (May 19, 2017)

BBQWillie said:


> WOW! I would love to have some Fig and Bay Leaf wood to play around with. The Olive sounds nice too! You're very lucky to have native woods like that to use for smoking. I envy you. I wonder what a Fig or Olive smoked brisket would taste like...


Thanks for the reply.  I'm waiting for it to dry and then I'll certainly be smoking some briskets!  I've used a lot of olive for smoking.  It's great but easy to over smoke with and you need it really dry.  Patience and moderation is the key with olive.  Bay has quickly become one of my favorites.  I have a tree right behind my smoker, so when I make a Jamaican Jerk chicken, I'll grab a hand full of fresh green leaves and use them to smoke with.  I don't have access to pimento, so bay it is.  

Cheers!


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## alfa01 (May 21, 2017)

CrankyBuzzard said:


> I'd like to ha e that around to work on, not just smoke with!
> 
> As for a brisket with fig or olive wood, I'd have to try it for sure!


I've got some plans to build a few projects.  I just fixed a couple of broken pieces on the outdoor furniture that were made from Eucalyptus.  We had a wind storm that broke off some Eucalyptus limbs that I saved and then cut down to replace the old parts.  

It'd be nice to have a bandsaw that way I could easily process some of the larger chunks in to plank size material.  

Thanks for the reply and happy smoking!

Cheers,

Dan


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## cksteele (May 27, 2017)

wow that sounds great to have all that wood to play with so many flavor  profiles you could get!

 from what ive read olive is kinda like mesquite it can be quite heavy but im sure on short cook like chicken  it would be great  not sure  about the others. but  some of the woods like bay and fig would be great compliments to a oak for long cooks like beef ribs or  brisket or pork butt but  have fun playing with them !


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