Woods For Smoking Meat Here In Los....what's Best?

[jaideeguy]

I've just recently started to smoke meats instead of Bar B Qing and am experimenting with lodally available woods and trying to find the best. so far, I've tried tamarind growing near the house and it's a really hard wood to deal with and I can only get it in it's green state and it produces a sooty smoke.

Then I noticed a neighbor had pruned all his lumiai [sp?] and it burned good, but also produced a sooty smoke that made the 3 kilos of belly bacon quite black. Taste of the wood is overpowering.

Any other suggestions and possible sources of tropical hardwoods that may produce a milder smoke??

I have heard of people that use mango wood, which is easily available, but I know that it contains the same toxins as poison ivy and poison oak and I'm reluctant to use it.

[stoneyboy]

WOOD SELECTION FOR SMOKING & GRILLING

Q: Would someone please tell me what kinds of wood are suitable for grilling?

A: The traditional woods for smoking are HICKORY, PECAN and OAK. Here is a list of woods suitable for smoking:

ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.

APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.

ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.

BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.

CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.

COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.

CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.

GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.

LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.

MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.

MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.

OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.

PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

BBQ List members and other internet sources report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: AVOCADO, BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA, OLIVE, BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i.e. pear, cherry, apple, etc.) are also suitable for smoking.

Q: Are there any types of wood I should not use for grilling?

A: Yes. There are many types of wood that are unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.

There are many trees and shrubs in this world that contain chemicals toxic to humans--toxins that can even survive the burning process. Remember, you are going to eat the meat that you grill and the smoke particles and chemicals from the wood and what may be on or in the wood are going to get on and in the meat. Use only wood for grilling that you are sure of.

It is beyond the scope of this FAQ to provide a complete listing woods that are unsuitable for smoking. If you have some wood and do not know what it is, DO NOT USE IT FOR GRILLING FOOD. Burn it in your fireplace but not your smoker.

BBQ List members report that ELM and EUCALYPTUS wood is unsuitable for smoking, as is the wood from SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER trees.

Here are some more woods that you should not to use for smoking:

Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used. For all you know, that free oak planking could have been used in a sewage treatment plant.

Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Paint and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat and old paint often contains lead.

Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated.

Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison.

Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat. If you have some good cherry wood (or other good smoking wood) that is old and has a fungus growth and you want to use it, pre-burn it down to coals before you put it into your smoker.

Grilling over a wood fire is more challenging than grilling over charcoal. Wood burns hotter than most charcoal and as a consequence, burns faster. Wood also stays in the 'hot coals' stage for a shorter period of time than charcoal

[kennedy]

I think you need a smoker with a fire box further away from the meat (soot problem)

[SurfRider]

.

I know of one smokehouse that uses coconut husks and their products are very good.

http://chef-a-gogo.c...-coconut-husks/

.

[meatboy]

i used mango wood which i soaked for 4days,not bad at all,but it did get too hot and cooked the meat.

[jaideeguy]

nice list stoneyboy, but not any tropical woods.

Coconut.....interesting and no shortage here.

mango.....I'm still reluctant as I have heard of people with the alergy to poison ivy can have severe respatory problems by just breathing the smoke. that's not an old wive's tale!!

any comments on lummiai [sp?] or tamarind??

[laochef]

Here in Laos we use coconut husks, excellent, and also sugar cane (get the canes from a sugar-cane juice maker, normally free).

"John West" brand sells canned mussels & oyster, smoked with sugar cane, also excellent "wood" to smoke with.

[U235]

Also use coconut for a while, great.

Tip for easy hot smoking. Put some husk in a wok, heat it till smoke starts to devellop, lower the fire as much as possible, (but not too low or smoke devellopment will stop), put grill with meat on top of the wok. Cover the whole thing

[lujanit]

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to hot smoke or cold smoke. Big difference between the two. Coconut husks, as mentioned before, are extremely good. Just make sure you are using completely dried out husks before you soak them in water. Sounds a bit weird, yet it the right way to do it.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

I had no idea you could use coconut husks to smoke meat....interesting. Also, sugar cane.

[meatboy]

home pro has a few on promotion all at 69bht.a bag,hickory,alder and mesquite,i used some mesquite to hot smoke some fatboy sausages and cobia fish fillets,the sausages well now you see um now you dont yumee,the fish was very nice but it would have been better cold smoked then poached in milk.

[kdefay]

I use lamyai and it works great!!

[Route21]

I use lamyai and it works great!!

Lam yai = Longon (Google Translate).

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[zeichen]

Stoneboy, nice cut and paste. Perhaps give credit to the source.

First you need to season your wood in a dry place for at least 1 month. I use 2-3" thick branches, You also must take the bark off. Then if you are smoking, it is best to use indirect heat. Put the coals as far away from the meat as possible with a rack between and put a water bath or something to catch drips and what not. Do not put too much wood chunks or chips on the coals at a time. IF you see white clouds of smoke, you have too much wood. Don't let flare ups hit your wood. I use a metal box with holes in it for my chips and put next to the coals. Usually lasts for 30 minutes and I just refill every once and a while. Light thin smoke, my trick is if you put your face near where your air vents are if it burns your eyes too much smoke.

Basically, any fruit tree is good, but citrus tends to be better when blended with other woods. If it smells good it usually will taste good smoked.

Your technique is the issue not the wood. Read smoking forums and do not watch videos on youtube most I have seen do it poorly Clouds of white smoke coming out will make your food taste bitter.

Intake and outtake vents need to be controlled for heat and airflow.

[ricku]

Well as long as you don't use wood from the rubber trees.

[NanaFoods]

I heard lumyai wood is actually quite nice.

I use mango wood... and it works nicely as well.

You might have a problem with proximity or style of smoker.

i have a two-chamber homemade brick smoker. The firebox is separated by a 3-foot cement tube that flows the smoke into the separate meat chamber, which is much taller. I put large logs (cut to fit) in the firebox so they smolder overnight -- never cooks the meat.