To Mesquite or not to Mesquite?

[tapeop]

Hi All

I am new to this forum and also new to the BBQ smoking game. I have recently ordered a serious backyard Pit from Dave Klose but I have a question. I have always been told or read (except for this site texasbbqrub.com) that Mesquite is too strong of a wood to smoke with but great for grilling. Can somebody clear this up for me? I have also been told you can ruin your smoker if the smoke is too strong or maybe if you get the wrong kind of smoke such as "creote"(this word maybe misspelled). If anybody has any info on this I would be thankful as I am fixing to let go of about 2700 bucks on this new smoker and certainly don't want to ruin it. Also anybody had any experience with Klose smokers? I have done some research, and have got some good feedback on them.
Thanks for your time L Patterson (tapeop)

[txbbqcarrie]

I prefer Mesquite over any other wood!!! The Best flavor!!!

[texasbill]

Tapeop:
I would like to clear up some of the information on the web about mesquite wood. First, I use it for all of my smoking and so do alot of true BBQ smokers. I have talked to hundreds of cooking teams and found that at least 1/2 of them use mesquite, either in connection with another wood or all by itself. See mesquite is the wood found in South Texas more than others except maybe oak. We don't have hickory or apple or any of the other woods you hear people talk about all over the net. My experience has been that people will use the type of wood that is readily available to them in quantities available for smoking at a reasonable price. So you get alot of BS as to which of the woods is the best etc. My opinion is the best wood for you to use is 1. what is available to you 2. costs are reasonable to acquire the wood 3. the wood has a good flavor for the type of meat you are going to cook 4. you can get your hands on it in enough qualtity to make it work on your pit.

As for some of the BS that is on the net relating to mesquite folks that use it love it. In south Texas the only wood used more (but not by much) would be oak. Pecan would come in 3 rd place. Personally, I think Hickory is the strongest tasting wood out there but heck I am from South Texas and don't ever cook with it and seldom eat any meat cooked with it because it just is not available down here in large quantites. So you can use the wood you like the best, heck try a few out and see. Also try mixing up a couple of woods during cooking and see what you think. I occasionally will slip an oak log on my pit with the mesquite simply because when I have my wood delivered it will have some oak mixed in there with it. Just try different things.

As for ruining your pit with bad wood, creasote you call it, it can be done. When you first get your pit you should spend at least 12 hours curing the pit. David Klose will tell you this also and if you ask them there they will tell you how to do it. But never use pine wood in your pit or cedar in your pit. They will ruin it for sure by leaving a bad taste in the pit and in fact will make folks sick if you smoked with those woods for long periods of time. You will need to coat the inside of your pit with oil, I personally use peanut oil as it burns less, and coat the inside of the pit with a good bath of oil. Then use DRY SEASONED (AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BETTER A YEAR) wood and burn a fire in the pit for up to 24 hours at 200-225 degrees. After that it is ready to go.

You have bought one of the finest pits on in the market today. I rank Klose and Tejas Smokers as the two best (but again we can all get into discussions of that subject). But talk to David or Monty there when you pick up the pit and ask away with questions. They have the answers. I personally have 2 Klose pits. Both are trailer mounted and are larger than what you have purchased but they are great pits.

I hope I was able to answer the wood question. Mesquite has a sweet taste to it and some will tell you it is impossible to cook with if it is 100% of the wood you use. Wrong answer for them. You need well seasoned mesquite for sure or you can get a bitter taste on the meat and a smokey taste, but heck you use wet wood of any kind and you will get smokey meat every time.

So enjoy the pit. Experiment. And have some fun. There is some good info on the net but some of it is terrible. If you want to call me feel free to call me. My number is listed on the contact page. It is 281-240-7110.

Thanks for joining the forum and hope we all can help you out.

Bill-Texas BBQ Rub

[tapeop]

Thanks Bill for all your info. I think when I recieve my pit I will try mesquite as well as other woods. I was going to stay away from mesquite for smoking but after your e mail I am not so skeptic anymore. Thanks again for the reply. I am so amazed of the wealth of info out there on the various BBQ sites. People are willing to tell you their secrets so that you can make your product better. I agree with you that friends are your best feedback, if it taste good to them they are the best judges. I hope to share with the group more as I develope my BBQ skills down the road.
Thanks again L Patterson (tapeop)

[Qjunkie will]

Hey tapeop I am new to the site too but I have talked to bill extensivly and he knows his stuff. I have cooked with mesquite for the last ten years (All wood with lump charcoal as a starter) and have never over smoked accept once when the wood was to green.(The less red color the mesquite has the more seasoned)

[Texana]

Qjunkie Will:

Thanks for that little tip about Mesquite being less red when seasoned longer. And all of you are right. Everyone seems more than willing to help. The fact that we are Newbies does not seem to bother anyone at all.

Keep the info coming. Like a nice long slow smoked brisket .... information is best shared with friends.

Texana

[texasbill]

Texana:
You are right, nothing better than to share with your friends this hobby we all adore.

Another way to tell if mesquite is good and dry is to hit two logs together and listen to the sound. If it does not "clap" loud, like two baseball bats hitting together then it is still green. If you just hear a "clump" that is green wood. You know it is hard to describe how wood hitting together sounds but you will get the feel for it. After awhile you will also be able to pick a log up and feel the weight of it and know if it is green or not.

Just keep on smokin.

Bill-Texas BBQ Rub

[JimBobTex]

Lots of the negative info about Mesquite came from the book "Smoke & Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. "

In it they write The mystique wood of the past decade, mesquite is also America's most musunderstood wood. It's great for grilling because it burns very hot, but below average for barbecuing for the same reason. Also, the smoke taste turns from tangy to bitter over an extened cooking time. Few serious pitmasters use mesquite, despite a lot of stories about it prevalence in the southwest.

I like the book and it has lots of good recipes, but on this subject they're wrong. I like to cook briskets using a 75 percent mesquite 25 percent either oak or pecan mix It's great on brisket!!!

[SlowSmoked]

Gee Bill you've got me convinced to break away from my Pecan / Hickory habit and go back to working with mesquite. Compelling discussion. Will probably give some a try next week over Labor Day.

By the way, I've been buying my Hickory at The Wood Chop on 290 and Pinemont. They've been pulling out of some property up in North East Texas near the LA border.

You are absolutely correct though in your statement regarding what works for some people may not for others. I'm quite a fan of experimenting till you find the right combination - each pit is different, everyones tastes are different and actually each brisket has it's own personality.

Catch you later. Have a great weekend.

Lee
Author - 'Slow Smoked Success'.

[Texana]

For anyone interested I have been buying my wood from the same place SlowSmoked does. That is the The Wood Chop on Pinemont. I started out with nothing but Mesquite on the brain, but after a couple of cooks I really like Pecan. I like the way it burns and the flavor it gives off. I am actually experimenting with mixing the 2 woods. I read somewhere on the internet "Never mix Mesquite and Pecan" but so far I think it's great.

Texana

[texasbill]

You guys are all right of course. We all have out personal likes and dislikes and that alone is what makes BBQ such a fun experience. Nice to find another source for wood. I persaonlly use a place on the SW side of town in Stafford at the corner of HWY 90 and Murphy Rd (FM 1092) called A & A Lawn Service. Mike is the owner there and he understands now what we BBQ people need so he helps with some good aged woods.

As far as mixing woods, gee we all like to experiment with new ideas. I have tried mesquite and pecan, mesquite and oak, and pecan and oak myself. Damn sounds like I just like the taste of the mesquite wood the best but each one of you should try different mixes or woods till you get your taste. Slow Smoked is right, every pit, every brisket, every rack of ribs, everything is a little different with cooking BBQ so don't be afraid to try different things.

Bill-Texas BBQ Rub

[JimBobTex]

How does the The Wood Chop on Pinemont sell their wood? By the cord and less.

Up here in the Texas hill country, oak, mesquite, and pecan are all plentiful, but east Texas hickory is hard to find. Right now I'm paying 20 dollars for a 50lb bag of split hickory or 50 dollars for 3 bags that never really weigh 50lbs. I'm always interested in new sources and since I do come to Houston to see family from time to time, I'd like to check them out.

[Texana]

JimBobTex:

Yes the Wood Chop sells by the cord and less..all the way down to 5$ stacks....not sure what size they are....but they sell 1/8 1/4 1/2 etc....give them onceover if you get the time.

I really like their Pecan ......

Texana

[SlowSmoked]

Just stopped in last week for a load of Hickory and some Mesguite. They were out of Hickory but had plenty of seasoned pecan. Not sure exactly how big their racks are - I usually buy $25.00 worth and it fills up the back of my van. Also found that if I give the helper a $5.00 tip for his work, he remembers me the next time I'm in. Also helps if you speak a little spanish.