Wood for smoking?

[Waterboy]

That's pretty universal regardless of smoker type, because many things we use to flavor food (including wood smoke) are much more readily absorbed by fat than muscle.

I know that now. I didn’t 10 years ago when I got my smoker. That thanksgiving turkey looked like it was wrapped in electrical tape.

 

[hunterjmj]

Old skids work well for smoking a skunk, just funnin ya.

I almost got a skunk on the way home from work. I straddled him going 70 mph. Didn't want skunk juice all over my pickup.

 

[Waterboy]

Depends on meat, I like cherry for pork. Apple and hickory on turkey, ckn.
Hickory and oak on game meat

I lIke hickory & mesquite for beef and pork (might add fruit wood) I’m big on hickory and apple. Honestly I’d smoke salmon or turkey with hickory and do a butt with apple wood. Regardless of what I use the food is always good.

 

[Waterboy]

You telling me grape vines are good for something after all? Lol. I’m gonna have to give it a try.


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https://rokslide.com/forums/members/mike-islander.34540/ heard it thru the grape vine

 

[MTtrout]

I now buy wood chunks for my smoke. For those of you making your own, how do you do it? When I first started smoking I tried making my own from plum/apricots varieties we had access to at our rental to a colleague giving me peach and cherry cuts of branches. I’d strip the bark but it always had a bitter taste or off taste. All the wood was dry. I’ve stopped trying that and have bought wood chunks since then. Is there a trick to drying or preparing the wood? I’d like to try again with some apple trees we have. Thanks

 

[Waterboy]

I’ve done it before. I tried to get 2-4” chunks. I cut them up and stored them until I forgot about them. Lol over a year depending on moisture/storage.

 

[Felton]

I now buy wood chunks for my smoke. For those of you making your own, how do you do it? When I first started smoking I tried making my own from plum/apricots varieties we had access to at our rental to a colleague giving me peach and cherry cuts of branches. I’d strip the bark but it always had a bitter taste or off taste. All the wood was dry. I’ve stopped trying that and have bought wood chunks since then. Is there a trick to drying or preparing the wood? I’d like to try again with some apple trees we have. Thanks

I like pecan wood. I’d take a 8-14 in diameter limb and cut it into 3 inch plates. From there I’d bust those up into chunks the size of my fist maybe a little bigger. I use charcoal as my heat source and throw 3-4 chunks on as needed. When I thought about it well enough in advance I’d soak my wood the night before to help down the burning.

 

[Mike Islander]

You telling me grape vines are good for something after all? Lol. I’m gonna have to give it a try.


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Yes. Grape WOOD.

Excellent for pork. Not sure about little vines. I'm talking old growth, well cured, 2" diameter vines.

 

[Swamppirate]

I mainly use hickory and oak. When I do a butt on the grill it’s mesquite.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I use an A-Maz-N pellet smoker now for everything in all my smokers. I had a guy here who sold the pellets on a side hustle for cheap. Apple, cherry for beef, ALL hog meat gets hickory (should be illegal to use anything else IMO). I've been goofing with mesquite for a few items and have liked it too.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Come on down to my house and bring your biggest trailer and a chainsaw
I have a 35 foot tall pecan tree you can have for free ( not a joke )
probly 20-30 cord to cut and use

 

[Boxerboxer]

One thing to think about if you haven't cut your own before (hard to tell from the original post) is that it will take time for the wood (depends on thickness some but a year is a good rule of thumb) to dry out enough that it's good to smoke with. You may already be well aware, I just didn't see it come up in this thread yet.

 

[hunterjmj]

One thing to think about if you haven't cut your own before (hard to tell from the original post) is that it will take time for the wood (depends on thickness some but a year is a good rule of thumb) to dry out enough that it's good to smoke with. You may already be well aware, I just didn't see it come up in this thread yet.

Great point. My dad made me chop and stack wood as a kid so we always had seasoned wood for the fireplace.

 

[ChrisS]

I'll second the recommendation to check with a local cabinet or furniture shop for oak scraps. You don't need much and they probably have waaaay too much. I've slowly been building out my woodshop over the last few years and even as a hobbyist, I empty a 30 gal tub every other month. In the past, I just would use a few chunks of apple or oak on lump charcoal. It was plenty.

 

[Eyeman]

TEXAS Mesquite.
I soak chunks in water overnight and throw em on.
Neighbors love the smell and the chickens I bring em.

 

[ptarmigan]

Mesquite for beef, fruitwoods for pork and chicken, and alder for fish (I don't mind it for beef either, like they use at Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage). Wait for deals at Lowes or Ace and load up. My buddy bought a pallet of mesquite logs at Lowes for next to nothing once. I cut up a few totes of alder out in Prince William Sound last year. Got enough to last forever.

 

[Waterboy]

One thing to think about if you haven't cut your own before (hard to tell from the original post) is that it will take time for the wood (depends on thickness some but a year is a good rule of thumb) to dry out enough that it's good to smoke with. You may already be well aware, I just didn't see it come up in this thread yet.

Yeah a year depending on how and where you store it. Climate matters too. I cut a bunch of hickory up and stored it under a lean-to and it took about a year and a half for it to dry up.