SWEET SWEET SMOKE.

[DavidV]

The other day I was burning a first morning load that as far as I could tell was about 50/50 oak and beach. I opened the stove to stuff in a few pieces of elm and I got a really strong whiff of sweet smoke. Really sweet like it was incense or perfume. I've never noticed this before and when I took my kids out to the bus stop I couls smell it again. I found it to be very pleasant. Usually I can't even smell the smoke since the stove drafts well and it shoots up the chimney. On the mornings where I'm starting the stove back up and I go outside and the smoke has dropped to ground level, it's usually just ......smokey.! Not sweet. So has anyone else experienced this , and what kind of wood was it?? I have tried to reproduce that smell and can't. Does the sweet smelling wood tend to make smoked/bar-b-cued meats taste better?

 

[begreen]

Sounds like beech. When I was a kid I used to break a twig off of beech just to smell or chew on. Nature's perfume.

 

[DavidV]

I figured maybe it was the beech. I know oak smoke. Not altogether unpleasant but totally different from that smell. I have been trying to place my beech pieces close to the front of the stove to reproduce this effect but I have had no luck. I guess I shouldn't complain. I very seldom have any smoke or smoke smell come into the house.
Is it any good for cooking? barbecuing?

 

[Corey]

Many times, the dryness of the wood will affect the smoke quality as well. Wet oak for example is practically rancid smelling, but dry it out a couple of years and it picks up much more body. Could be that the particular combination of wet/dry logs in the fire at that moment gave the effect. Or maybe the outside of a particular log had charred away and the inside was burning with a slightly different character.

Corey

 

[wahoowad]

David, oak is a common wood to add to a smoker when making bbq. Of course the selection of wood for bbq is as hotly debated as burning it for firewood. But I use chunks of oak, and usually chunks of apple, peach or cherry with it. Who knows. Just when you start to believe a given experts advice in the subject they go off and say something else crazy.

 

[begreen]

I have a stick of dry juniper a friend brought to me that I shave off a few pieces and let it smolder. It has a great aroma. We also have a big bay tree that smells divine when the leaves burn. I sometimes put some dried leaves in with the kindling.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Im burning some poplar now, it also has a nice smell to it.

 

[DavidV]

we touched on the smell of poplar recently. Different varieties must vary greatly. The huge poplars around here smell like cat whizz when you split them so I never want to bring them inside.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

David I think you must have Catwhizz poplars around there.