Smoker & Grilling Wood Profits?
- Thread starter ReggieT
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Nope - there are times I want it to shed heat. The aluminum body works good for that.
maple1
Minister of Fire
Ok, understood. There are also times when the heat shedding can vary, like if a breeze comes up & it clouds over or something. Some are big on insulating.
I'm new at the smoker game, got a LP vertical last fall, on sale. Have only used it a handful of times so far, but already modded it some & have gone to chunks. Chunks rock.
I'm new at the smoker game, got a LP vertical last fall, on sale. Have only used it a handful of times so far, but already modded it some & have gone to chunks. Chunks rock.
Hmm...temporary or fad works for me...I'm not looking to do it full time or even long term part-time...just capitalizing on the moment.Restaurant/commercial 'Q isn't the same as what we slave over in our back yards.
Competition 'Q, just like competition chili, is meaningless in the real world. It's a bragging right, but almost no fans of the real stuff like the ribbon-winning stuff.
And I say this as a prize-winning brisket smoker.
As for moisture, all wood should be fully seasoned (two years is marginal; three is better), to dry out the resins. Water is used to slow combustion and restrict heat, but those problems are better solved by proper smoker design (side-draft, low stack, all joints sealed).
ReggieT, if you're willing to hold out for a couple of years for the payout, the professionals in your area would probably pay a premium and produce better stuff. The quick profit could go to the faddish "green wood" smokers who would pay many times the price for a bucket full of green, than the pros would pay per cord of seasoned.
There are plenty of BBQ joints around Birmingham, stop in buy a sammich and ask the owner/pit master how they prefer their wood. I would bet most if not all prefer it seasoned as others have said. They also may be very particular on type of hickory. There are several varieties in the south and they are not created equal. I prefer shagbark and would never burn a chunk of bitternut or pignut in my cooker. I cut my smoker wood (cherry,shagbark,and white oak) into 6-8" chunks, as most my heat comes from a charcoal basket.
I think I know what I'll cook for Super Bowl next weekend. This thread has done made me hungry.
I think I know what I'll cook for Super Bowl next weekend. This thread has done made me hungry.
I take it that flavor is the biggest difference between shagbark & mockernut or pignut?
I've talked to about 8 so far...4 will take all the hickory & pecan I can haul...
BTW...I love that cherry/hickory mix!! UHMM-UH!
I take it that flavor is the biggest difference between shagbark & mockernut or pignut?
I've talked to about 8 so far...4 will take all the hickory & pecan I can haul...
BTW...I love that cherry/hickory mix!! UHMM-UH!
Yes flavor/ bitterness, shagbark is similar to pecan with a mellow hickory tone. Pignut, mockernut, and bitternut have a stronger tone and can become bitter easily, much like mesquite. Sounds like you scored a few buyers, are they paying a premium?
Been a while since I ate some cooked with shaggy...shaggy is one hell of a firewood that's for sure!
Mockernut has always been good for me...although I prefer cherry & pecan.
Cresolate on the meat when cooking with green...seriously? Not here!
Almost premium...
Here's some fresh cut peach I snagged from my uncle up in Athens the other day...relatively small tree...but used sparingly and mixed with my other wood...it'll last me quite a while.
Mixed it with hickory & cherry...hooked up a drunken chicken, a couple of steaks, & some brats last night...SON
!
Mixed it with hickory & cherry...hooked up a drunken chicken, a couple of steaks, & some brats last night...SON
!
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Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I would love to know what sort of hickory is in the plastic bags the people at "FireSpice" fill.
I bet they fill those plastic bags with the hickory you don't want and ship it to me.
Whatever it is in the bags, mixing hickory and apple about 50-50 gets everyone at my dinner table smiling.
I bet they fill those plastic bags with the hickory you don't want and ship it to me.
Whatever it is in the bags, mixing hickory and apple about 50-50 gets everyone at my dinner table smiling.
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