wood for smoking

[Stevebass4]

picked up an electric smoker today

can i use any of my hard wood for smoking meat - i have some red oak and ash but no apple or anything else

just seems silly to buy wood chips

 

[smokinj]

oak has a harsh bite to it I like any fruit wood or hickroy is the best... smokinjay is from people saying jays smokin again! and the kids turn it into smokinj's barbque

 

[Stevebass4]

Thanks Smokinjay

don't have any hickory - looks like i'm buying wood chips

 

[Bootlegger]

Oak is good for beef, maybe a pork shoulder. It is strong and you'll want to wrap in foil the second half of the cooking, but its amazing with brisket.

 

[smokinj]

Thanks Smokinjay

don't have any hickory - looks like i'm buying wood chips

you dont need a lot in the ele. smokers frist 3-4 hrs will give you a nice smoke ring..

 

[smokinj]

Oak is good for beef, maybe a pork shoulder. It is strong and you'll want to wrap in foil the second half of the cooking, but its amazing with brisket.

I got to many complaints with the oak some really like it and the others will say it taste like a camp fire

 

[Mmaul]

You can use oak logs if its an open fire, the smoke wont be consentraded. I have grilled many a time on an oak fired grill delicious. Not good for long smokes but fish or steaks works well.

 

[Dune]

Apple is worth getting. There must be thousands of wild apple trees in Franklin. Go cut a branch or two.

 

[Stevebass4]

good point Dune - i have an apple tree in my yard - not sure what type of apple tree (not crab i know that) i'm going totake your advice and cut a branch

second question - consider myself a decent cook but never smoked anything. you guys have easy recipes for a first time smoker?

 

[fossil]

I'm gonna move this thread over to "DIY/General Non-Hearth"...seems to me a more appropriate place for it. I'll continue to follow it, because I'm planning on getting a smoker of some sort (my first) in the Springtime. Rick

 

[fossil]

Last time I was thinking about this, I looked around a bit on the web, and found a plethora of sites all about smoking. Recipes galore, cooking technique tips, even places that sold bags of different kinds of wood...which is cool, because lots of us don't have those nice smoking woods readily available. Rick

 

[woodsman23]

I use crap apple branches right from the trees near my pond. Cut a couple branches about 1/2-1" thick and maybe 6-10" long. Then place them in water for about 30 minutes then place them in foil and add more water then seal up the foil and cut slits in the top of the foil place in smoker/grill and have at it.

I smoke right on my grill with the method. I place the wood/foil on the left side of the grill under low heat and place meat on middle and left side close lid and allow it to get up to 250 f and let it rip until done. Chicken breasts skin on, ~1hour, legs/thighs (the best) 1.5 hrs -2.5hrs. turkey breast 2 hrs maybe a bit more. Just check with a temp probe for proper temp 180 inside meat.


Okay now i am hungry

 

[Stevebass4]

Last time I was thinking about this, I looked around a bit on the web, and found a plethora of sites all about smoking. Recipes galore, cooking technique tips, even places that sold bags of different kinds of wood...which is cool, because lots of us don't have those nice smoking woods readily available. Rick

i hear ya Rick BUT ther's somethin about paying for chips when i have TONS of chips by my work area

plan is to smoke this weekend - i'll post some pics

 

[kenny chaos]

Like anything else, you can get as anal as you want.
Year around, I cook/smoke at least two to three times a week on the grill.
I've never used charcoal or lighter fluid.
Just like cider, applesauce, whiskey, or women, the best comes from a mix.
I use mixed scraps from my wood processing.
Don't worry so much about having the "right" wood
as getting the hang of using wood/smoke correctly.
Have fun.

 

[Stevebass4]

it's started

10 pounds of Boston butt

recipe says coat with mustard

and then season - used McCormick's mesquite

then wrap in plastic wrap

will toss this in the smoker sometime early Saturday morning

 

[raven]

I use the chips from ash, cherry,maple and apple. in my electric smoker and they work great,i just lay down a tarp when i cut and let em dry

 

[Stevebass4]

good idea!! i ended up buying a bag of hickory chips but this will be the last time i "buy" chips

 

[Jags]

Keep the mustard in your recipe and get rid of that mesquite. That stuff is nothing more than a trick from our Texas brothers to export a noxious weed out of their state. :sick:

Using mustard as a base will "glue" the dry rub on the meat and will yield virtually no taste to the finished product. Hickory is KING, but as said above, most any hard wood will do. Apple on pork is outstanding. Maple for more delicate stuff like fish is a good goto. Stay away from pine or most any softwoods. The only acceptable "soft" wood I would use would be something like cedar planking (for fish or scallops).

For quick cooking with smoke, I will often use my grill with the indirect method (chicken, pork chops, steaks, etc). For larger stuff or long cooking stuff (pork butt, ribs, jerky, ham, etc) I walk over to the "real" smoker. I am passionate about real smoking and built my own unit, it will hold about 80 pounds of meat and is about 6ft tall, I can hang whole shanks or very large stuff that way.

Do yourself a favor. Get a throw away aluminum pan and fix up a batch of beans to go into the smoker as well. If possible, locate UNDER the food you are cooking. A quick way is to get a large can of Bush's baked beans and doctor it up (add a little brown sugar, some finely diced un-yone, and a little bit of what ever dry spice you rubbed your meat with) if you don't want to go whole hog.

 

[Stevebass4]

awesome - I love Bush's new steakhouse beans

can they stay in the smoker for the whole 15 hours while the boston butt cooks?

 

[Jags]

awesome - I love Bush's new steakhouse beans

can they stay in the smoker for the whole 15 hours while the boston butt cooks?

I wouldn't. They will have a tendency to dry out and turn to glue. A good 1-1.5 hours during your heaviest smoke period will do just fine. I assume that with that butt for about 15 hours that you will be running in the 215-225 degree range?? Its a perfect match.

 

[Jags]

Being new to the game, you may want to review this: http://www.barbecuen.com/

Smokey is an old school low and slow guy. Tons of real world info.

 

[Stevebass4]

cool thxs jags! and yup that's the temp i'm shooting for

 

[smokinj]

Being new to the game, you may want to review this: http://www.barbecuen.com/

Smokey is an old school low and slow guy. Tons of real world info.

been getting his emails for years now

 

[Jags]

Being new to the game, you may want to review this: http://www.barbecuen.com/

Smokey is an old school low and slow guy. Tons of real world info.

been getting his emails for years now

:lol: I remember his old website, the one he has now, is far superior.

 

[smokinj]

Being new to the game, you may want to review this: http://www.barbecuen.com/

Smokey is an old school low and slow guy. Tons of real world info.

been getting his emails for years now

:lol: I remember his old website, the one he has now, is far superior.

yep hes been working on it for awhile he can help with the learning curve for sure. The barbeque store is a great place for supplies
http://www.barbecue-store.com/