Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kona on May 13, 2016, 02:25:48 PM
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So I was just curious, what is your favorite smoking wood? I saw the site http://www.fruitawoodchunks.com/ per one of the other threads here and I'd be curious as to testing different woods. What have you found best for Pork Ribs/Pulled Pork? Red meats? I've only used Apple and Hickory but some of the ones on the site seem interesting to try. Thanks!
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I'm interested in a comment HOS made. That this wood is better than the bagged stuff sold in big box stores. What is the prime difference? The peach wood I got blew me away
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From what I have gathered from the Electric smoker crowd is that the bagged chunks at the home improvement stores are pretty low grade and dry.
Whereas Fruitawood and smokinlicous let you know how much moisture is in the chunks at time of shipment.
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From what I have gathered from the Electric smoker crowd is that the bagged chunks at the home improvement stores are pretty low grade and dry.
Whereas Fruitawood and smokinlicous let you know how much moisture is in the chunks at time of shipment.
Exactly Scott! That is why I only buy Fruita wood. It is not dry like the box stores and with the box store woods you have to use several more chunks to get a good smoke. With the wood from Fruita I only need a couple chunks to get the smoke I need. Let me say one thing first I AM NOT associated at all with Fruita Wood. I just happen to like their wood and how fast they get an order out. I can order today and I will have it no later than Tuesday. My favorites are cherry, peach, hickory, pecan, post oak and apple. Yes they are pricey, but again you get what you pay for. The majority of the chunks are fist size or slightly larger. No problem to split them in half and use less if you want. I do buy their assorted (3 flavor) 20 pound boxes. This is enough to last me for several months.
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So green wood is better for smoking?
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So green wood is better for smoking?
It is not completely green Mike. It is, in my opinion, just a bit past the green stage. Not only does it smoke longer than the dry wood, I believe it is a lot cleaner smoke.
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So green wood is better for smoking?
It is not completely green Mike. It is, in my opinion, just a bit past the green stage. Not only does it smoke longer than the dry wood, I believe it is a lot cleaner smoke.
The stuff from the store is definitely dry so that makes sense.
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So green wood is better for smoking?
It is not completely green Mike. It is, in my opinion, just a bit past the green stage. Not only does it smoke longer than the dry wood, I believe it is a lot cleaner smoke.
The stuff from the store is definitely dry so that makes sense.
Here is a photo of the 6 different woods that I use. You can definitely tell they aren't like the store bought ones.
(http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m550/Michael_Coffman/Smoke%20Wood/Smoke%20Wood%20051316-1_zpsckn71lx1.jpg) (http://s1131.photobucket.com/user/Michael_Coffman/media/Smoke%20Wood/Smoke%20Wood%20051316-1_zpsckn71lx1.jpg.html)
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From what I have gathered from the Electric smoker crowd is that the bagged chunks at the home improvement stores are pretty low grade and dry.
Whereas Fruitawood and smokinlicous let you know how much moisture is in the chunks at time of shipment.
Exactly Scott! That is why I only buy Fruita wood. It is not dry like the box stores and with the box store woods you have to use several more chunks to get a good smoke. With the wood from Fruita I only need a couple chunks to get the smoke I need. Let me say one thing first I AM NOT associated at all with Fruita Wood. I just happen to like their wood and how fast they get an order out. I can order today and I will have it no later than Tuesday. My favorites are cherry, peach, hickory, pecan, post oak and apple. Yes they are pricey, but again you get what you pay for. The majority of the chunks are fist size or slightly larger. No problem to split them in half and use less if you want. I do buy their assorted (3 flavor) 20 pound boxes. This is enough to last me for several months.
Do you store yours in the box it came in or should I have another solution?
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So green wood is better for smoking?
It is not completely green Mike. It is, in my opinion, just a bit past the green stage. Not only does it smoke longer than the dry wood, I believe it is a lot cleaner smoke.
The stuff from the store is definitely dry so that makes sense.
yeah, the store stuff becomes a heat source as well as a flavoring
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From what I have gathered from the Electric smoker crowd is that the bagged chunks at the home improvement stores are pretty low grade and dry.
Whereas Fruitawood and smokinlicous let you know how much moisture is in the chunks at time of shipment.
Exactly Scott! That is why I only buy Fruita wood. It is not dry like the box stores and with the box store woods you have to use several more chunks to get a good smoke. With the wood from Fruita I only need a couple chunks to get the smoke I need. Let me say one thing first I AM NOT associated at all with Fruita Wood. I just happen to like their wood and how fast they get an order out. I can order today and I will have it no later than Tuesday. My favorites are cherry, peach, hickory, pecan, post oak and apple. Yes they are pricey, but again you get what you pay for. The majority of the chunks are fist size or slightly larger. No problem to split them in half and use less if you want. I do buy their assorted (3 flavor) 20 pound boxes. This is enough to last me for several months.
Do you store yours in the box it came in or should I have another solution?
I just store it in the box in my shed. No problems with it so far Pappy.
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I do keep the top flaps open for air flow when storing chunks.
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I'll be honest I use mini logs for fuel.
I cut my own @ LostArrow we have oak, hickory, hackberry & occasionally pear, apple etc.
I really can't tell a lot of difference between woods.
I can taste between smoldering & clean burning wood which is why I dry/season my wood extensively.
(http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz203/Lostarrow-photos/A0410F7A-385E-4626-BA00-FE7E0F3DF629.jpg)
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I like to pre-heat my splits on the flat part of the firebox before adding them to the coal base. They burst into flames almost immediately and burn clean. Yeah, there is a bit of a heat spike but it beats it smoldering........
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That looks like my right foot in those Teva's. Love those things!!!
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The other site that some referenced makes a point of saying their wood doesn't have bark. Is that a big deal?
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The other site that some referenced makes a point of saying their wood doesn't have bark. Is that a big deal?
this is what I read in regards to that...
"Some wood has more bark than others and that can impact the flavor. Some folks say you should remove the bark. Bark has more air in it and is less tightly bound so it will burn differently than heartwood. I don't remove it, but I try to keep it to a minimum."
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(http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh471/Savannahsmoker/Arte%20Johnson_zpsqbwheis7.jpg) (http://s547.photobucket.com/user/Savannahsmoker/media/Arte%20Johnson_zpsqbwheis7.jpg.html)
"Interesting, very interesting"
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The other site that some referenced makes a point of saying their wood doesn't have bark. Is that a big deal?
I have heard arguments on both sides of the isle on this. Like Kona, I think how thick the bark is makes a difference. Most fruitwood trees tend to have thinner bark
For pellets, I have used BBQer's Delight which advertises "No bark," and I have used Lumberjack which proudly uses bark, claiming 90% of the wood fiber flavor is in the outer layers, which includes the bark. I have used both with good results.
For chunks, like Kona, I will leave at least some bark on, depending on how much bark a type of wood has. Many fruit woods tend to have thinner bark than some other woods.
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I've got to say that my favorite wood for smoking is whatever is smoldering in the smoker! 8)
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The other site that some referenced makes a point of saying their wood doesn't have bark. Is that a big deal?
Kinda like the fat cap down or fat cap up argument........all good both ways...........
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I want to preface this by saying my taste buds are mostly broken due to fast cars and fast women.
Ok, I used a small piece of my peach wood over the vortex last night when I cooked my wings. The smoke was unlike anything I had smelled before. It really smelled sweet. I could actually taste the sweetness in the meat.
I got rid of the old open bags of big box wood.
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I want to preface this by saying my taste buds are mostly broken due to fast cars and fast women.
Ok, I used a small piece of my peach wood over the vortex last night when I cooked my wings. The smoke was unlike anything I had smelled before. It really smelled sweet. I could actually taste the sweetness in the meat.
I got rid of the old open bags of big box wood.
Now ya got it Pappy! That is why I will spend the bucks for the good stuff! Try some pecan, hickory or cherry next time.
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Just ordered a 10lb box of Peach Chunks from fruita wood company and will give em a shot hopefully this weekend
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I use mostly fruit woods..cherry for the flavor and darkness for chickens..we are in Johnny Appleseed country here..lots of fruit woods and I have access to a 200 acre apple farm, I can get all I want for free. TLG did give me a feed bag of pecan wood at one of the gatherings..they were burning it for firewood and I about died..cant' get it up here. gotta use what ya got. just sayin .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
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I use mostly maple from chopping branches from trees at work. My old college roommate is a landscaper and when he has time at different jobs he knows to save wood for me. He likes to split wood as a work out, and actually enjoys it. He does his best to keep the different types, but I can usually get oak from him. I really like cherry wood, I think it gives the best smoke ring and flavor.
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I have tied quite a few (not peach yet) cherry wood is my go to.
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They should be here Tuesday so will have to wait till next week for testing. I thought since my bbq sauce recipe calls for half a cup of beer that I would find a good peach beer and use that and see if it adds a subtle flavor to compliment the wood
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I have never tried Fruita Wood but may give it a shot. I use a mixture of Hickory and Apple on most smokes. Sometiimes I will use Cherry or Peach. Not a fan really of Mesquite as it is a strong smoke and if you're not careful you can mess up a perfectly good piece of meat.
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another real nice outfit is http://www.mainegrillingwoods.com/buy/smoking-wood/bulk-chunks.html
I am glad Pappy liked his peach wood. What I have always liked to do is use either oak or hickory and then add a fruit wood to them
ex:
oak and peach
hickory and apple
oak and apricot
and on and on
basically taking a hardwood (oak,hickory,pecan) and then adding the fruitwood of your choice 8)
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another real nice outfit is http://www.mainegrillingwoods.com/buy/smoking-wood/bulk-chunks.html
I am glad Pappy liked his peach wood. What I have always liked to do is use either oak or hickory and then add a fruit wood to them
ex:
oak and peach
hickory and apple
oak and apricot
and on and on
basically taking a hardwood (oak,hickory,pecan) and then adding the fruitwood of your choice 8)
I've been seeing that as well, I may order some Pecan wood next to pair with the Peach after I see how a full Peach wood cook tastes.
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A full peach wood cook is going to be real nice. It is one of my favorite woods. If you can hunt down apricot (fruitawood) that is real nice as well ;)
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A full peach wood cook is going to be real nice. It is one of my favorite woods. If you can hunt down apricot (fruitawood) that is real nice as well ;)
I've never used Peach and I'm looking forward to it. Fruita states it flies off their shelves for competitions all the time. I just need to decide now if I'm going to change the beer in my sauce recipe to a peach beer or the soda that's in it for a peach soda. I don't want an overly heavy peach flavor but a nice hint would be awesome. I love experimenting lol
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Whatever ya choose to do, we will be rooting for you 8)
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ya know I got too thinking :o
the peach wood phenomenon was started by Myron Mixon on the first season of Pitmasters.
a few years ago when Mike Mills was competing with Apple City BBQ team, he cooked strictly with apple wood for all proteins (unheard of at the time) and Chris Marks with Three Little Pigs used mostly cherry at the same time when these two legends dominated the circuit...long before Mr. Mixon..............
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ya know I got too thinking :o
the peach wood phenomenon was started by Myron Mixon on the first season of Pitmasters.
a few years ago when Mike Mills was competing with Apple City BBQ team, he cooked strictly with apple wood for all proteins (unheard of at the time) and Chris Marks with Three Little Pigs used mostly cherry at the same time when these two legends dominated the circuit...long before Mr. Mixon..............
I saw a brief clip of them cutting fresh Peach wood out in the middle of the sticks somewhere. I've been looking for full episodes of that show but I can't find it
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yeah, I remember that from season 1. In fact if I recall, Myron claimed some of his wood he uses was still a little green............
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I made my bbq sauce yesterday and found a Kentucky Peach Wheat Ale to replace the normal beer in my recipe and tho I couldn't find a peach soda, I used Peach Nectar. The soda is for the sugar, not flavor but adding the peach nectar (more sugar than soda), my sauce has a nice peach hint to it now and should go nicely with the wood
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Lookie what I got yesterday :D
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae258/southflaart561/IMG_2265_zps9f62eccd.jpg)
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae258/southflaart561/IMG_2267_zpsaa44758c.jpg)
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What did you think of the smell?
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What did you think of the smell?
They have a really nice smell to them, can definitely get a hint of the sweetness in the wood
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Looks too pretty to burn!
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Peach is my go to wood. I also use cherry or apple some. I use Baxter's Original -- http://baxtersoriginal.com/index.html . I see a lot of the competition teams around GA/FL are using Baxters.
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Peach is my go to wood. I also use cherry or apple some. I use Baxter's Original -- http://baxtersoriginal.com/index.html . I see a lot of the competition teams around GA/FL are using Baxters.
Baxter has some great woods, but it kills on the shipping charge. Almost as much to ship to my house and I live in Georgia then what the actual wood costs. That is why I buy all mine from Fruitawood plus I like that you can break down a shipment into different types. Plus NO shipping charge.
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The per pound price for the wood is better. But shipping for me was $18.50 for a 20 pound box. Not sure why but I like that Fruitawood doesn't cut the wood until an order is received. The two companies are very close in price when you factor everything in.
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When wood is well lit you won't be able to tell the difference.
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I'm loving plum wood lately. Sweet and a good aroma filing the backyard.
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Peach is my go to wood. I also use cherry or apple some. I use Baxter's Original -- http://baxtersoriginal.com/index.html . I see a lot of the competition teams around GA/FL are using Baxters.
Baxter has some great woods, but it kills on the shipping charge. Almost as much to ship to my house and I live in Georgia then what the actual wood costs. That is why I buy all mine from Fruitawood plus I like that you can break down a shipment into different types. Plus NO shipping charge.
Just did a test order at both Fruitawood & Baxters Orginal. 1 box each of Peach, Apple & Hickory chunks. Fruitawood are 15# boxes while Baxters are 20# boxes. With shipping charges from Baxters included, I ended up with $2.36/lb delivered by Fruitawood and $2.39/lb delivered by Baxters. That's pretty much dead even.
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Did a little snooping around and found this. While the types of wood are limited, the price is excellent.
Mark's Tree Farm sells Wild Cherry, Hickory, Apple lg. and sm. box, Red Oak, and their variety box which includes a mix of apple, cherry, and hickory.
25# - 30# boxes of 2" - 4" chunks, 1.7 cu.ft. of wild cherry $29.50 free ground shipping. Less than $1.00/lb delivered! I see an order coming very soon! :D
www.bestbarbecuewood.com