Smoking Meats

[track61]

I am dry curing a ham to have at Christmas/New Years. I am planning on building a concrete block pit in the next few weeks to cook it in and would like to smoke it rather than just bake it with charcoal. I have used hickory, oak, pecan, and mesquite in the US, but have no idea if there is a wood native to Thailand that would fit the bill. I was wondering about coconut shells???? I am in a pretty remote area and don't get to western super markets much, do any of them have hickory or some other wood chips?

Appreciate any suggestions out there.

[griser]

I asked the same question in this thread Wood Question One man answered Lam Yai wood, which is also known as Longan, the fruit, but where do you actaully buy that kind of wood.

I'm sure a lumber yard wouldn't sell it, heh

Greg

[gregb]

I've heard you can use the wood from prik kee noo for smoking. Haven't tried it myself, but I mean to next time I get up to my wife's village. They have several bushes that I might be able to attack.

Supposed to add a kind of peppery flavor to the meat, similar to cloves. Could be interesting.

Another option according to Wilkipedia is farang. They quote "Guava wood is used for meat smoking in Hawaii and is being used by BBQ competitors across the United States."

So if you know anyone who has farang trees, you might try there. My guess is most hardwood fruit/nut trees would be possible candidates for smoking. If you have access to any type of tree, a few minutes on Google should tell you whether or not you can use it, and if so, what kind of flavor it has.

Look around your local area and see what kinds of wood you can get. And most importantly, let us all know your results after you've tried something.

Edited October 24, 2007 by gregb

[JR Texas]

I've heard you can use the wood from prik kee noo for smoking. Haven't tried it myself, but I mean to next time I get up to my wife's village. They have several bushes that I might be able to attack.

Supposed to add a kind of peppery flavor to the meat, similar to cloves. Could be interesting.

Another option according to Wilkipedia is farang. They quote "Guava wood is used for meat smoking in Hawaii and is being used by BBQ competitors across the United States."

So if you know anyone who has farang trees, you might try there. My guess is most hardwood fruit/nut trees would be possible candidates for smoking. If you have access to any type of tree, a few minutes on Google should tell you whether or not you can use it, and if so, what kind of flavor it has.

Look around your local area and see what kinds of wood you can get. And most importantly, let us all know your results after you've tried something.

Back in the USA wood from various fruit trees is often used. I know it can be dangerous to use any type of pine tree or related tree. My guess is that fruit trees in Thailand would work.

[JohnBKKK]

Hi,

in Bangkok Villa sells mesquite and hickory in small bags but it is quite expensive s0me 160.00 THB a small bag - we actually import our wood (beechwood) for smoking since there is really no loca wood good for this purpose. Coconut gives an acrid taste that the Thais don't seem t mind since they use it all the time. Also stay away from any carpentry shop here since mostly there will be treated wood mixed in and that is really no good unless you flavour the taste of terpentine ........

We have tried some local fruit trees with mixed results - they smoke flavor ranges from very strong to sucking at the tail pipe of a diesel pick-up -

Edited October 24, 2007 by JohnBKKK

[LtLOS]

Here's a link to another post:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=144730

Note on Mango, I've used it before in small quantities and it was OK, but some folks can have a reaction to it. I had well dried Mango from one of our trees that died, but used it for light smoking, as in only a handfull for chicken and pork on the grill.

You may also want to look up some more orietnal smoking techniques, such as tea and rice.

[JR Texas]

Here's a link to another post:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=144730

Note on Mango, I've used it before in small quantities and it was OK, but some folks can have a reaction to it. I had well dried Mango from one of our trees that died, but used it for light smoking, as in only a handfull for chicken and pork on the grill.

You may also want to look up some more orietnal smoking techniques, such as tea and rice.

One poster said "lumyai" was good. I wonder what it is. If you have a picture of it, post it. I also have thought that Mango would be an option......plentiful in Thailand. Orange trees are frequently used in the USA. There are lots of different fruit trees in Thailand and many would likely work for smoking purposes. Hickory is, of course, not a fruit tree. It is often used to make smoked BBQ in Texas. But it is very expensive to import it. I would try to find a local product and my best guess is that it will be some type of fruit tree.

[sceadugenga]

Here's a link to another post:

<a href="http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=144730" target="_blank">http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=144730</a>

Note on Mango, I've used it before in small quantities and it was OK, but some folks can have a reaction to it. I had well dried Mango from one of our trees that died, but used it for light smoking, as in only a handfull for chicken and pork on the grill.

You may also want to look up some more orietnal smoking techniques, such as tea and rice.

One poster said "lumyai" was good. I wonder what it is. If you have a picture of it, post it. I also have thought that Mango would be an option......plentiful in Thailand. Orange trees are frequently used in the USA. There are lots of different fruit trees in Thailand and many would likely work for smoking purposes. Hickory is, of course, not a fruit tree. It is often used to make smoked BBQ in Texas. But it is very expensive to import it. I would try to find a local product and my best guess is that it will be some type of fruit tree.

If Lam Yai works then I'd say that related trees like Rin chee and Rambutan would also be suitable.

[track61]

Thanks to all for the info.

Funny enough I have a Lam Yai tree in my front yard that I was planning to prune after the cool season. Maybe I will do it now. Some of the people around here bar-b-que over a mango wood fire, mainly because they don't make their own charcoal and don't want to buy it I think. I've smelled it burning and I don't think I want to risk a ham I have invested almost 3 months in. One last thing, I just cut down one of those lime trees that have the bumpy fruit that are used in tom yom (I think it's called Kaffir lime). It is a very hard, dense wood with a fairly pleasant aroma when cut. I haven't burned any yet but will post the results. Meanwhile it seems this particular piece of meat is worth a 160 baht trip to Villa as well as being a legitimate excuse for a night out in BKK.

[simcity]

Keep posting, i ask friends to bring me some from Australia or Sweden !

I am doing smoked duck fillets and chicken...I have a smoker from Sweden

One day I did run around Bangkok with car’s friend trying to find right wood, did not succeed ! Chemical treated

Will not mind to try for LamYai wood one time!

[jaideeguy]

My german 'miesterbrief', who sells his sausages nationally under the name of 'g&m meats' uses mango for his smoking sausages and ham. it's true that there are some natural toxins in mango....the same toxins that poison ivy/oak have and if you have alergies, beware of the smoke and handling the wood, but if no alergy, then go for mango. i'm sure that the trace amt of mango smoke on your ham wouldn't harm anyone.

good luck

[jazzbo]

I would have considered it an anathema back in the USA, but if I got a gas-fired duck roaster/smoker, I would consider bringing some Liquid Smoke back with me next trip. Usually it is found in those sickenly sweet 'hickory' BBQ sauces, but it can also be used in the drip pan of a smoker. And, according to Wikipedia:

During the manufacturing process of smoke condensates, tar and ash are removed from the solution. By removing the tar from solution, the carcinogen level is reduced considerably if not completely removed. This process makes smoking with smoke condensates significantly safer for consumers than traditionally smoked foods (exposing meat, fish, or cheese to freshly combusted wood smoke).

The 2 main brands in the USA are Colgins ( Colgin dot com) and Wright's... Colgin was founded as a smoke house in 1869 in Mexia, Texas... and the flavors include hickory and mesquite

[LtLOS]

I'll add one more key item about smoking. It's very important you recognize the temperatures you use versus whether the wood is green or has been seasoned (dried). I won't go into all the specifics here, as there are plenty of good sources on the net, but bottom line is when using green woods if your temps are not right you can generate creosote that will ruin your bbq. google and you will find a lot of info.

[cmsoulbrother]

I've used both coconut shells ...which were ok and lumyai, which I like quite a lot. I've also done a ham (wet cured though) with lumyai, and I found it nice not an overpowering smoke for it. I also use it for bacon...very nice.

It's a good mild smoke. I can;t see you having any problems with it.

[pampal]

I am dry curing a ham to have at Christmas/New Years. I am planning on building a concrete block pit in the next few weeks to cook it in and would like to smoke it rather than just bake it with charcoal.

I built a brick bbq/smoker and it look better and performs better than concrete IMO.

[JR Texas]

I am dry curing a ham to have at Christmas/New Years. I am planning on building a concrete block pit in the next few weeks to cook it in and would like to smoke it rather than just bake it with charcoal.

I built a brick bbq/smoker and it look better and performs better than concrete IMO.

Not sure why brick or concrete would make any difference........just containing the smoke is the trick (but maybe it has to do with temperature regulation). The Native American Indians used to smoke meat beneath animal skins.....no bricks or concrete, and it apparently worked.

On a different note, I wanted to add that, if you use wood, remember that the "smoke" only penetrates the meat during the first hour or two of cooking. After that the meat is "sealed" and you are wasting valuable wood cooking it and trying to put more smoke inside it.

After 1-2 hours, you can switch to charcoal or gas and still have something that tastes very good after the required cooking time (up to 12-16 hours for a beef brisket; 9-11 hours for a pork shoulder; 3-4 hours for pork ribs).

In Texas we try to get a "ring" on the meat. That is the smoke ring that you see (reddish-looking, very thin, around the surface, just underneath the dark exterior).