Cooking with wood

[hojoexp]

I have a rather large off set smoker and am having a hard time keeping the temp. high enough. Someone has sugested that instead of using briquettes and lump coal that I should fuel it with wood only. This seems like the meat would just get to much smoke to it. Anyone?

[Txngent]

First off, welcome to the TexasBBQRub Forum... go introduce yourself. I believe I saw your post on the other site. The wood is the only way to keep the temp on that big boy of yours. You don't have to worry about "too much" smoke when your wood is seasoned and your air in/out is correct.

[Quart Low Cookers]

I agree with Txngent. The only way to acheive the true slow smoked BBQ taste is to use wood especially on a big offset. Get you some good seasoned oak or hickory and give it a shot, I think you'll pleased with the outcome.

[Woodman]

I have been cooking on offsets for about 6 years now. I have a 24" x 84" tube and I have never used anything other than ALL WOOD! I never once have had a complaint about "too much smoke". If you are burning a clean fire, you will not have a problem. Try it and see! Woodreaux

[DoubleBarrelSmoker]

hojo-- If you want higher temps oak is the way to go. Oak burns very hot. I start my fires with ash or other hardwoods and then use oak the rest of the way. And as woody said if your wood is dry [which means minimum 8 months - 1 year old after it is cut into small logs and split] you will be very happy using it.

[Pork-Q-Pine]

I am a new user of a Klose offset and wood cooking so I can give you some of my experience as I learn this whole stick cooking thing.
I have found that different woods burn at different temps and have different burning times so experiment and keep records. You can't assume that just because you can re-load each hour with oak you can sleep and re-load with another wood every hour. I have been using oak, almond, apple and cherry. Another thing is starting the fire. A chimney with charcoal or lump works but I bought a weed burner and have learned for me, the best thing is to put some lump in a pile and then the logs (4) on top. I use the weed burner to light the lump and then the lump gets the logs going. I tried using no lump and using the weed burner to light the logs but it took a long time and used a lot of propane. I can get up to temp faster and easier with the lump starting the logs.

Using logs is a mission for the traditional and something you need to really want to do. It is much easier to use a pellet cooker, Stumps or a Green Egg and you will get more sleep, but I am a sucker for tradition. It is the cook not the cooker, so you need to do what you like doing.

[Woodman]

Here Here! :D

[DoubleBarrelSmoker]

PQP--- I can tell you a method that works real well for starting your wood. And it cost nothing [no wasted $$ on propane] and it sure is traditional. First rip apart a few pages from yesterdays paper. then ball them up and put alot of them in your firebox. Then take some kindling[ split up 2x4's work beautifully] and lay it ''tepee'' stlye over the paper, Add one or two split pieces of oak and then take a match and light the paper up. Man it works beautifully every time. Sometimes the easy way is the best way. :wink:

[Woodman]

PQP--- I can tell you a method that works real well for starting your wood. And it cost nothing [no wasted $$ on propane] and it sure is traditional. First rip apart a few pages from yesterdays paper. then ball them up and put alot of them in your firebox. Then take some kindling[ split up 2x4's work beautifully] and lay it ''tepee'' stlye over the paper, Add one or two split pieces of oak and then take a match and light the paper up. Man it works beautifully every time. Sometimes the easy way is the best way. :wink:

I used to use this method before I has a burner in the box!

[hojoexp]

Thanks for all the information. As soon as it quits raining here, I will fire it up and give it a try.

[OWENMUSTANG]

PQP--- I can tell you a method that works real well for starting your wood. And it cost nothing [no wasted $$ on propane] and it sure is traditional. First rip apart a few pages from yesterdays paper. then ball them up and put alot of them in your firebox. Then take some kindling[ split up 2x4's work beautifully] and lay it ''tepee'' stlye over the paper, Add one or two split pieces of oak and then take a match and light the paper up. Man it works beautifully every time. Sometimes the easy way is the best way. :wink:


I gave up on newspaper for my chiminey starter.. worked 75% of the time..
even when it did light, took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get the coals ready..

Nope, good old mapp torch for me! 3-4 minutes torch time, 15-18 total, no
brainer coal lighting....this is easy for me, anyway...:lol:

[TexLaw]

I still use a chimney starter most of the time to start charcoal, but I pour about a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil on top of the newspaper just before I dump in the charcoal. Everything lights up just fine every time.


TL

[hojoexp]

hojo-- If you want higher temps oak is the way to go. Oak burns very hot. I start my fires with ash or other hardwoods and then use oak the rest of the way. And as woody said if your wood is dry [which means minimum 8 months - 1 year old after it is cut into small logs and split] you will be very happy using it.

It looks like we might not have rain this weekend, Yeah! I have 14 month old oak that has been split in half, I had planned on splitting that in half again. Will I need to let that wood sit for 8 months?

I like the newspaper and weber charcoal starter with lump, take 20 mins.

I did purchase a weed burner, thought I would see if I could speed up the hour and half it takes to get the smoker up to 225. Seems like it should work, anyone try this before?

[Woodman]

That wood should be fine!

[Albin]

Since this is about cooking with wood:

I start my fire with the lump charcoal, then use well seasoned wood thereafter, usually oak.

I typically soak my wood in a 5 gallon bucket in water for 30 minutes or so.

Is this good or bad?


Another question: Can sassafrass (sp) wood be used for cooking? The wood page on the Texas BBQ site doesn't mention sassafrass.

Thanks,

Al

[MI smoke]

Since this is about cooking with wood:

I start my fire with the lump charcoal, then use well seasoned wood thereafter, usually oak.

I typically soak my wood in a 5 gallon bucket in water for 30 minutes or so.

Is this good or bad?


Another question: Can sassafrass (sp) wood be used for cooking? The wood page on the Texas BBQ site doesn't mention sassafrass.

Thanks,

Al

Soakin is a no no. You want that wood dry and hot when you put it on the fire. Put your logs on top of the firebox and let them get nice and warm before ya put them in the fire.

[hojoexp]

OK I cooked with wood for the first time, it was hard to get the heat up but once it got there it was easy. I still had to use lump coal.

Second time I cooked with wood I only used one big bag of kingsford and the rest was oak wood, turned out great and it happend at a competion, finished middle of the pack. Not bad 26 out of 54.

Third time used a fire starter and a half bag of kingsford and after 12 hours the brisket tasted great. But I put three racks of ribs on for about six hours along with two pork lions for three hours. Everything turned out great but the ribs, they had a horrible bitter flavor.

Question, why would just the ribs have that horrible bitter smokey flavor but nothing else? Help, I have never had ribs left over!

[TexLaw]

Ribs have much more surface area than anything else you usually cook on a pit, so you taste much more of whatever gets on the outside. It sounds like you were running a bit of a dirty fire, but the only place you could taste it was on the ribs.


TL

[david brace]

Lookee this old post of mine:

I have used various types of wood here is some information about all type of wood.

"WOOD FOR GRILLING by Bill Wight


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."

DB