# wood for smoking



## Stevebass4 (Nov 3, 2009)

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


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## smokinj (Nov 4, 2009)

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


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks Smokinjay  

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


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## Bootlegger (Nov 4, 2009)

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.


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## smokinj (Nov 4, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> 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..


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## smokinj (Nov 4, 2009)

Bootlegger said:
			
		

> 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


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## Mmaul (Nov 4, 2009)

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.


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## Dune (Nov 4, 2009)

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


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 4, 2009)

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?


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## fossil (Nov 4, 2009)

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


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## fossil (Nov 4, 2009)

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


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## woodsman23 (Nov 4, 2009)

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


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 4, 2009)

fossil said:
			
		

> 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


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## kenny chaos (Nov 4, 2009)

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.


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 5, 2009)

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


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## raven (Nov 5, 2009)

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


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 5, 2009)

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


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

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.


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 5, 2009)

awesome -  I love Bush's new steakhouse beans 

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


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> awesome -  I love Bush's new steakhouse beans
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> 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.


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

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.


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 5, 2009)

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


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## smokinj (Nov 5, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

> 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


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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


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## smokinj (Nov 5, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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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/


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 5, 2009)

awesome - thanks again guys 

heading out at lunch to get one of those remote thermometer probe things 

figure i'll pull it off the smoker when it hits 180 and let it rest for an hour


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## smokinj (Nov 5, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> awesome - thanks again guys
> 
> heading out at lunch to get one of those remote thermometer probe things
> 
> figure i'll pull it off the smoker when it hits 180 and let it rest for an hour


you can length 3 of those together and moniter your heat in the house when your not smokin! just a little fyi twofore if you will


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> awesome - thanks again guys
> 
> heading out at lunch to get one of those remote thermometer probe things
> 
> figure i'll pull it off the smoker when it hits 180 and let it rest for an hour



Pulled apart with a couple of forks, the addition of a dab of fresh Q sauce, a slightly toasted bun and a hearty beer.  A side of good slaw (or even topping off the sammich), and life is good my friend. :coolsmile:


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## smokinj (Nov 5, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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those bare claws are worth the price as well, you can pull a 10lb shoulder in just a few min.s even hot


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## Corey (Nov 5, 2009)

Hickory is the old stand by...seems to be in just about everything from baked beans to bacon.  I like oak with most beef and chicken - also seems to pair well with a nice oaky red wine if that's your thing.  Mesquite is another old stand by.  Cherry and apple are a nice change.  Who could go without cedar and seafood [me - as the closest ocean is 1000 miles away!  ]  Had some pecan smoked beef brisket once and it was very good - very light flavor.  There are all kinds of good smoking woods - just have to experiment and find your taste.


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## Creature (Nov 5, 2009)

There is a great BBQ forum site here: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/
Specifically, the Q-Talk area: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5
Warning, it might distract you from this site!  The pictures they post make me hungry.


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## paanta (Nov 5, 2009)

cozy heat said:
			
		

> There are all kinds of good smoking woods - just have to experiment and find your taste.



That's the truth right there.  Pretty much anything cooked low and slow is going to taste _damn_ good.  It's almost impossible to go wrong.  For wood, any fruit wood is going to be great for lighter flavored meats (chicken, pork, fish) and beef loves hickory/oak/mesquite/etc.  You can use almost anything for a rub.  Go nuts. Instant espresso, cocoa powder, old bay seasoning, any herbs or spicy peppers, etc.  Since you can scrape it off afterward, you don't even need to keep it strictly edible...I'll just toss whole limes and unpeeled garlic in the food processor and puree that with some oil and herbs for a Cuban-ish pork shoulder.   Keep the total number of ingredients, down, though or it gets weird.  Glazes can be made from anything, too.  Try boiling down some beer, wine, coca cola, a half gallon of apple cider, etc and add some mustard and (cider) vinegar.  

Regarding beans, if you're cooking something large like a 10+ lb butt, it takes about as long to cook as dry beans.  Soak the beans overnight in the fridge, drain 'em, then add whatever (ketchup, tomato paste, onions, brown sugar, molasses, whiskey, etc), make sure they're covered with liquid, and they should be about right when the pork is done...maybe later.  A big dutch oven full of dry beans can go for 24 hours without getting mushy if you cook it slooooooooow.  Nothing against the canned stuff, but BBQ is about the process just as much as the final product.  Catholics don't drink box wine and eat crackers and call that communion.


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## Jags (Nov 5, 2009)

paanta said:
			
		

> Catholics don't drink box wine and eat crackers and call that communion.



The ones I know, do. :lol:  :lol:


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## smokinj (Nov 5, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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yep me too!


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 6, 2009)

quick question 

do you guys smoke (add chips) though the entire cooking  process - or do you stop adding chips at a certain time / temp - and how much wood should i use?

figure dinner is at 6:00pm Saturday night so 10 lbs id 15 hours - i was going to start cooking tomorrow night around 10:00 and then check it around 1:00 saturday  and then if it's done - let it rest for an hour or so in a cooler -


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## wahoowad (Nov 6, 2009)

I take a chop saw and cut baseball size chunks of oak, hickory and cherry off of seasoned splits. I'll bury a few chunks in my charcoal as well as sit a few chunks on top of the charcoal.

Dayum that stuff smells good while it's smoking!


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## Jags (Nov 6, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> do you guys smoke (add chips) though the entire cooking  process - or do you stop adding chips at a certain time / temp - and how much wood should i use?



Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  You can use the batch method of dropping a bunch of smoking wood on and let'er puff till that dies down, then repeat,  but most of the times I try to "manage" the smoke depending on what I am smoking.  With a butt on the smoker, I would go for a constant 15 hour "light" smoke.  Even light smoke for 15 hrs adds up to quite a bit. I use this because it allows time for the meat to do something with the smoke.  It is possible to over smoke.  You will know this has happened if your meat takes on a bitter flavor.  As a first timer, I would rather you be on the light side and produce something still edible than to destroy your product beyond consumption.  By "light" I mean to always see an opaque wood smoke coming from the smoker, not the chimney of a steam engine.

Thats a totally different method than if I were doing fish or some thick cut chops.  That I will do with the "batch" method for probably 3 doses (depending on thickness).

This is a discussion that will have as many answers as those that choose to answer.  Its like trying to give out your recipe for the perfect chili. :coolsmirk:


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## kenny chaos (Nov 6, 2009)

My old homemade 55 gallon drum grill finally dropped its bottom.
I just needed something to contain a fire, preferably with a top.
I found one of those charcoal grills that look like a flying saucer
for $20 at Dollar General (seasonal clearance) and figured that would be
a whole lot easier and better than building something else.
It was the big one, 20" across at the top.
I placed a metal plate on the lower rack that holds
the charcoal and placed fire brick around that to help
contain heat and to protect the thin metal from over-heat damage.
It's basically a fire pit on legs, with a top.
I pick up tiny branches out of the yard and get a fire going.
I add pieces from my wood processing and get a good bed of coals.
Now the fun part;
Add the meat.
If I want to crisp it up first, I put on fresh wood and leave the top off.
If it gets flaming too much, simply cover and the flames will die and the smoke will build.
As it dies down, remove cover to regenerate fire.
I kinda play with it and manipulate it by adding wood, covering,
uncovering.  As the wood burns down, more heat from coals and less smoke.
It's a whole lot easier to do than it is to explain.
Here's a blog by a handy gal who does some very yummy and creative cooking;
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/


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## smokinj (Nov 6, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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lol and there you have it


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 6, 2009)

well good advise to go lite  on the smoke for the first time - Thanks again guys!


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 7, 2009)

getting there


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## smokinj (Nov 7, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> getting there




Looking good!


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2009)

AND...........?????????


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## kenny chaos (Nov 9, 2009)

He's in the hospital from smoke inhalation. :lol:


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 9, 2009)

:lol: it came out AWESOME  - everyone enjoyed it although there was hardly any leftovers from a 10 lb butt between 6 people after it was cooked 

think next up some ribs 

Thanks again for all your help guys


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2009)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> :lol: it came out AWESOME  - everyone enjoyed it although there was hardly any leftovers from a 10 lb butt between 6 people after it was cooked
> 
> think next up some ribs
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> Thanks again for all your help guys



COOL.  For your ribs, stick to the same cooking method and temps, but hold the cook time to ~4 hours or a little more.  You should be able to grab a rib bone and twist it in the socket.

Also, an hourly spritz with a little apple juice is a nice thing.


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## smokinj (Nov 9, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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Jags your a wise man!


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## Jags (Nov 9, 2009)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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I'm a food whore. :cheese:


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## smokinj (Nov 9, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

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me too


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