Wood for grilling

[craigepo]

I am curious as to what my brethren here use for grilling wood, especially for flavoring the grill chow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/dining/for-these-chefs-even-fire-for-grilling-can-be-improved.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210

[wet dog]

I am curious as to what my brethren here use for grilling wood, especially for flavoring the grill chow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/dining/for-these-chefs-even-fire-for-grilling-can-be-improved.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210

Applewood, my suppliy is getting low, so I use it sparingly, but makes for great smoke and taste.

[Dusty]

Applewood, my suppliy is getting low, so I use it sparingly, but makes for great smoke and taste.

Roger that. Apple for smoking, mesquite for BBQ.

[Team Sergeant]

Apple, Cherry, Oak depends on what meat you're BBQing.... Sometimes I'll start with wood and change to big chunks of charcoal to finish. Always remember to baste!

[Snaquebite]

I use several types depending on how "heavy" I want the smoke flavor to be. For pork, hams, an heavy meats I want a stronger smoke flavor for fish an poultry not so much...Here's a good guide for several types of wood. Bottom line it sometimes boils down to what is available in your area. Being in the SE I often use pecan, hickory and oak a lot. I can get apple and mesquite at local stores and sometimes during the late fall after all the vines are dead I'll go out and get a bunch of blackberry which is similar to grapevines.

◦Alder - Delicate flavor with only a hint of sweetness. Good with lighter flavored foods like fish, pork, poultry and some game birds.

◦Almond - Sweeter smoke flavor which is great with most meats.

◦Apple - Mild, mellow, and subtle with a slightly sweet flavor. This is great with poultry and pork.

◦Cherry - Mild and fruity. Also great with poultry, pork and even beef.

◦Grapevines - Very dense smoke but it is rich and fruity flavored. Excellent accompaniment to rustic poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

◦Hickory - This, along with mesquite, is one of the most common and popular smoking woods. Sweet but quite strong and almost has a bacon-like smoke flavor. Good with full-flavored pork, ham and beef preparations.

◦Maple - Slightly sweet and mellow. Accents pork, poultry, and most game birds very nicely.

◦Mesquite - Another of the most commonly used smoking woods. Strong earthy aroma which if too intense can be mellowed by combining with other more mellow woods like apple or cherry. Can compliment beef, fish, chicken and game nicely.

◦Mulberry - Slightly sweet and not dissimilar to apple.

◦Oak - Very heavy smoke flavor. Good with red meat and pork (particularly on ribs!) as well as fish and heavy game.

◦Pear - Subtle, mellow and sweet flavor similar to apple. Very good with poultry and pork.

◦Pecan - Somewhat like hickory but with a bit sweeter and milder flavor. Excellent with poultry, beef, and pork.


Edit to add:
The trick used by the chef in the article is something I also do. Adding fresh herbs to the smoking wood also adds flavor.

[MiTTMedic]

I do a bit of woodworking in the garage. I separate all my scraps. Sometimes I use oak, pecan, maple, etc. just depends on what's in the smoker.

My neighbor, and recent addition to the great state of Texas, was firing up his smoker. I asked him what he was using...he said he had some left over 2 x 4's & was using them for smoking his meat. Wow. Of course, I squared him away with some of my private stock of pecan as a starter, lol.

[Snaquebite]

Here's a more inclusive chart that covers about any kind of wood you could use....

19342

[The Reaper]

My neighbor, and recent addition to the great state of Texas, was firing up his smoker. I asked him what he was using...he said he had some left over 2 x 4's & was using them for smoking his meat.

Pressure treated?

TR

[Snaquebite]

Pressure treated?

TR

The best kind....however, it should be aged.

[mark46th]

For pork ribs, shoulders, butts I like oak, especially red oak with the bark on. Here in Kollyfornia we grill a lot of Sirloin Tri-tip. This style is from the ranchers and cowboys of the central coast area. A bed of hot oak coals in a big square grill box with the grill on a pulley system to raise and lower the meat, is the preferred method. The tri-tip is coated with a dry rub then seared directly over the fire on both sides, I move it away from the direct fire and cook it for about another 30 minutes. It should be rare to medium rare with a nice bark on it from the juices and the dry rub. Anything more than medium rare is considered a mortal sin, you may as well turn it into pot roast. The traditional side dish for tri-tip is Pinquito Beans... For seafood and chicken I like mesquite.

[SLVGW360]

The best elk jerky I ever made was using a brown sugar style recipe for brine/marinage whichever is the correct term. Then I cold smoked it with cherry. I have been making deer and elk jerky since I was a kid. I haven't found a better way since.

Apple for smoked turkeys every Thanksgiving.

Good luck!

[Team Sergeant]

The best kind....however, it should be aged.

Not a good choice.

Heard a story of a barnyard full of dead cows. Seem farmer Joe got rid of some pressure treated lumber, just tossed it in the yard and set it on fire. Cows came over afterwards and ate some of the ashes, all dead. Never use "pressure treated lumber" in food prep.

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/pressure-treated_wood.html

Pressure-Treated Wood
Should I or Shouldn't I Use It?
A brief look at the pros and cons of pressure treated wood and some of the alternatives
By Gregory W. Lemley, adapted by the Ecology Center
November 3, 2000

Pressure Treated Wood: Should I or Shouldn't I Use It?

Of course, no one can answer this question but you, but it might help to look at the facts.

•Pressure treated wood is 30 to 40% cheaper and last twice as long as redwood. However, the rest of the picture is not so pretty.
•By far the most common type is designated PT CCA (Pressure Treated Chromated Copper Arsenate).The publication Environmental Building News (March 1997) has called for a phase-out of PT CCA. This is largely due to concerns related to its disposal.
•Pressure Treated Wood is poisonous to insects, fungus, and bacteria. It is also poison to humans and other life forms. It is listed by the State of California (and most other states) as a carcinogen. The basic elements involved are copper, chromium, and arsenic. All are hazardous to human health and the environment and do not break down into harmless substances.
•The companies that produce this product claim that the compounds are chemically locked to the wood itself and therefore not a hazard to human health and the environment. However, they don't tell us that these compounds and particularly the arsenic are released in highly toxic levels when the wood is burned. It should never, ever be burned!
•There is also evidence of arsenic leaching from CCA-treated wood into the surrounding environment. Leaching of arsenic from PT CCA wood in raised garden beds has been found to be limited to about 6", but that 6" is permanently contaminated. It means that you should not grow vegetables in that strip nor can you turn that soil into the rest of your garden. It also means that that soil is still contaminated long after you and your garden are gone. Not a good legacy!
•This leaching also means that arsenic salts are continually coming to the surface of the wood where they can easily be transferred to you or your children by contact. Try teaching your 6-year old to keep his or her hands out of their mouth or for that matter not to eat dirt!
•Only small amounts of these compounds are taken up in vegetables grown in contaminated soil. These amounts are generally considered too small to be immediately toxic. However, the effects of repeated exposure to these low levels are not well understood.
•The disposal of this product is by far the more serious environmental problem. It should be placed in lined landfills (itself not a great solution) but construction waste is often too bulky and not allowed in these special landfills. The fact is that it often ends up in unlined landfills where it is subject to eventual leakage into the environment at large.

[Snaquebite]

Guess I should have said..."the best kind, but it should be aged". :rolleyes:

[Dusty]

I use black walnut when I grill for the in-laws. ;)

[incarcerated]

I use black walnut when I grill for the in-laws. ;)

I actually prefer the Copper Arsenate when I grill for mine.





:rolleyes:

[Shadow1911]

I smoke Texas style BBQ.
I use a combination of wood.
60% Apple
30% Cabernet barrels thru a chipper
10% mesquite.

I don't like to go any higher on the mesquite. It can make the bark a little bitter.

[Team Sergeant]

I smoke Texas style BBQ.
I use a combination of wood.
60% Apple
30% Cabernet barrels thru a chipper
10% mesquite.

I don't like to go any higher on the mesquite. It can make the bark a little bitter.

I like the way you think. Why not incorporate some cabernet in your BBQ sauce?

[Shadow1911]

I like the way you think. Why not incorporate some cabernet in your BBQ sauce?

Tradition TS, It is a very old family recipe. Using a great rub that I leave on for 24 hours befor smoking and a Mop while it's smoking. If we are having company I will take what is left of the mop and thicken it up a little for those that need a sauce.

I do marinate my steaks (fillet or ribeye only) :D in cabernet and crushed garlic. i like to smoke the filets about 20 min befor I put them on the grill for a fast philly char. rare . then enjoy the cab when we eat.

Edit: By the way Thanks, From you, that is a very big compliment.

[MiTTMedic]

Not pressure treated...the regular indoor type. But, then again, he hasn't been quite right ever since.

[lonewolf726]

I use alot of oak and hickory, and a combination of both when I cook a whole hog. A small amount of black walnut used when cooking a London Broil on the grill has produced excellent results for me. Mesquite is good, but hard to get here.

[BOfH]

I have used a peaty/smokey scotch in my sauce at times, its nice quick fix for lack of hickory and/or mesquite. Lagavulin and Laphroaig are my favorites, but most/any Islay(i.e. Bowmore) malts should do. Again, YMMV, and there is no real substitute for true smoke.

bofh