White Oak - Page 2

Gnaws on Pigs · 10-26-2012, 08:16 AM

White oak is great. Nothing wrong with red oak, either.

QDoc · 10-26-2012, 08:42 AM

White oak is the best oak to use. Red oak sometimes has a bite but cak work with beef.

cliffcarter · 10-26-2012, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snyper77

To my knowledge, anything ending in "oak" is great to cook with. I use red oak, here in AL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

Not sure I agree with that. I think it depends on where the tree is regionally. I know that red oak here in Maine is not the same as the red oak in Cali. I tried red oak when I lived in VA, and I've tried 'que cooked with New England red oak...and I don't like the results. I've heard that black and pin oak isn't that great for smoking either.

I agree with CarolinaQue, not all oaks are created equal. I will not use northern red oak for bbq either. The southern red oak that snyper77 uses is not the same tree that we have here. I have mentioned this in other threads as well, just because we all have a "red oak" growing in our area doesn't mean we all have the same tree. FWIW there are 49 species of oak in North America and I seriously doubt that all of them have been used to cook Q.

tpope · 10-26-2012, 05:02 PM

I will use red oak in a pinch... so long as it is well cured. Red oak in my area smells like the tom cat marked his territory. White oak is always a go to.

krshome · 10-26-2012, 06:08 PM

Good thing I only have White Oak in my woods. I guess I'm set for life with wood.

nmayeux · 10-27-2012, 02:28 AM

White oak is my goto heat source, as it makes nice coals that hold. I then use other woods to develop a flavor profile. I do like red oak, especially for brisket, but each his own.

The Virginia bbq comments are hilarious.... Next someone is likely to say that Brunswick stew is originally from Virginia! :)

charrederhead · 10-27-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpope

Red oak in my area smells like the tom cat marked his territory.

Yes! Most of the oak I've ever used (for firewood) stinks, imo.

Gnaws on Pigs · 10-27-2012, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpope

I will use red oak in a pinch... so long as it is well cured. Red oak in my area smells like the tom cat marked his territory. White oak is always a go to.

Yep, red oak has that smell fresh, but not burning. I've had some really good food cooked on red oak coals. For that matter, cherry is one of the nastiest, bitter smelling woods out there when it's fresh. It has a really strong unpleasant odor. And has hydrocyanic acid in it. The leaves will kill cows if they're wilted, it's that toxic. But people love it for smoking.

CarolinaQue · 10-27-2012, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnaws on Pigs

Yep, red oak has that smell fresh, but not burning. I've had some really good food cooked on red oak coals. For that matter, cherry is one of the nastiest, bitter smelling woods out there when it's fresh. It has a really strong unpleasant odor. And has hydrocyanic acid in it. The leaves will kill cows if they're wilted, it's that toxic. But people love it for smoking.

I think that there's a difference between cooking with red oak coals and cooking with red oak sticks.

As far as the cherry smell, I've always thought it had a very pleasant smell...especially when burning.

Gnaws on Pigs · 10-27-2012, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

I think that there's a difference between cooking with red oak coals and cooking with red oak sticks.

As far as the cherry smell, I've always thought it had a very pleasant smell...especially when burning.

True. I've used red oak sticks in my trailer pit before with good results, though. Of course, it's not too airtight. And yeah, cherry smells a lot better burning than it does fresh. That's the same thing I was saying about red oak. Green cherry wood especially has a really bitter, acrid odor.

CarolinaQue · 10-27-2012, 07:28 PM

I think that red oak is one of those woods that needs to be well seasoned before using. THe stuff I have used was less than a year seasoned and it had a very strong flavor to it. Same with cherry for me. I like it much more after it's seasoned for closer to a year.

cliffcarter · 10-27-2012, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

I think that red oak is one of those woods that needs to be well seasoned before using. THe stuff I have used was less than a year seasoned and it had a very strong flavor to it. Same with cherry for me. I like it much more after it's seasoned for closer to a year.

I've got some northern red oak that has been cut and seasoning for 3 years, I burned some this summer and it still had wisps of steam coming from it. I let my black cherry splits season 9-12 months, depending on size.

Boshizzle · 10-27-2012, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmayeux

The Virginia bbq comments are hilarious.... Next someone is likely to say that Brunswick stew is originally from Virginia! :)

I know, it's nuts! American BBQ was first cooked in VA? What a bunch of malarky! That's not what they said on the Travel Channel! Everyone knows Brunswick Stew and BBQ all started in Georgia. They can even back it up with a plaque from 1898.

krshome · 11-07-2012, 02:20 PM

First cook with white oak, smells like home.

10-26-2012, 08:16 AM	#16
Gnaws on Pigs is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 05-22-10 Location: Smoky Mountains, NC Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	White oak is great. Nothing wrong with red oak, either. __________________ ...Half a yard full of crap to cook on like everybody else... Slow-to-average-speed GRAY Wal-Mart thermometer Just a hungry hillbilly lookin for a dead critter to cook Four Zeros in one throwdown, baby!

10-27-2012, 02:28 AM	#21
nmayeux Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-03-05 Location: Marietta, GA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	White oak is my goto heat source, as it makes nice coals that hold. I then use other woods to develop a flavor profile. I do like red oak, especially for brisket, but each his own. The Virginia bbq comments are hilarious.... Next someone is likely to say that Brunswick stew is originally from Virginia! :) __________________ Noah \#/ Nauti-Que BBQ Team Pitmaster and KCBS CBJ & CTC

10-27-2012, 07:28 PM	#26
CarolinaQue is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 06-23-07 Location: North Berwick, ME Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I think that red oak is one of those woods that needs to be well seasoned before using. THe stuff I have used was less than a year seasoned and it had a very strong flavor to it. Same with cherry for me. I like it much more after it's seasoned for closer to a year. __________________ Tim “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” - Mark Twain - Beautiful family - Home made trailer mounted reverse flow offset w/ vertical chamber, Weber OTG and an ECB

10-26-2012, 08:42 AM	#17
QDoc Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-02-07 Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	White oak is the best oak to use. Red oak sometimes has a bite but cak work with beef.

10-26-2012, 05:02 PM	#19
tpope On the road to being a farker Join Date: 04-13-12 Location: North West, GA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I will use red oak in a pinch... so long as it is well cured. Red oak in my area smells like the tom cat marked his territory. White oak is always a go to.

10-26-2012, 06:08 PM	#20
krshome On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-26-12 Location: Massanutten, VA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Good thing I only have White Oak in my woods. I guess I'm set for life with wood.