Got some wood from an old tree today...also, bacon.

[sudsandswine]

I picked up a truckload of oak after work today...apparently most of the wood is from tree companies and next to the stack of split wood I took was a trunk section probably 3-4 feet in diameter. I don't know for sure that's the tree mine came from but each ring in most of the logs is probably close to half an inch thick. All the wood is from the core of the trunk, zero bark.







Also, last week I split a pork belly into 3 sections and cured it for bacon a few different ways. I forget what recipes I used, I think one was jalapeno garlic, another was maple syrup based, and the last with honey or something...I'll have to check my notes...I can never tell a huge difference in flavor anyway, I dont think much other than salt/cure really penetrates the meat. Regardless it's always tasty. I also took a 7lb loin I bought at Sam's and used thirdeye's buckboard bacon/Canadian bacon recipe. Smoked each on the Mak 2* with Lumberjack hickory pellets at 180*. They're all wrapped in plastic and chilling out in the fridge for a day or so before I'll slice.

 

[BillN]

Great color on that bacon.

 

[sudsandswine]

Also...used my Kindling Cracker XL for the first time tonight....sure does make quick work of those 10x10” splits!

 

[tom b]

Is there a benefit to the wood being from an older tree and or being from the core?

 

[sudsandswine]

Doubt it, wood is wood. It seemed to split a bit differently as thick as the rings are, and I’ve just never seen firewood from such a large tree. I don’t think bark is bad, I’ve burned a ton of it attached to splits, but if we are taking about wood sold by dimension I would rather pay for solid wood instead of wood and bark.

 

[sudsandswine]

Great color on that bacon.

Can always count on that from the pellet grill :thumb:

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

Sweet!

 

[SonnyE]

Looks Great!

I'm closing in on Ava's Sweet Maple Bacon, apple wood smoked.
Little Ava (6 YO) ask Grandpa if he could make Maple Bacon. Well, if anybody can wrap Grandpa around their finger, it's Grand Daughters.
I have my last two slabs in the pelical stage and will smoke this Friday. Then age for a week more before slicing and packaging.
The curing used a half a cup of pure Organic Maple Syrup in each bagged slab.
Oh! This is gonna be good!
(I have 100% Apple Wood Lumberjack Pellets reduced to sawdust all ready for the cold smoking)

Love Home Cured and Smoked Bacon!

 

[Robert]

Very odd looking wood rings. If each rings is based upon a years growth, those rings would suggest incredible growth per year, which I do not think applies to oak wood. Also, for my taste, that wood appears to be way too seasoned for using a smoke flavoring. Just my two cent observation.


Robert

 

[sudsandswine]

There's a few pieces in there that are going to a bonfire pile because they're soft for whatever reason (such as the first pic) but most of the wood is actually greener than I'd like.

 

[creek bottom]

That bacon looks superb! Beautiful color on it! :thumb:

 

[Kmm]

Looks like it is from an ash tree. Cured ash burns hot and fast. Very light smoke profile. Great wood for “stretching” limited supplies of more desirable aromatic wood. Covered green splits in a well ventilated area will take several months to fully cure.

 

[Serviviente]

that wood is very well seasoned and it will burn very clean...

 

[SonnyE]

Wood is wood, as long as it isn't softwood.

But, FYI: Lumberjack Pellets says there is something in the bark that adds flavor.

Statement.

I quickly realized that I wanted to find something that wasn't a "Blend".
Blend to me is the BS the ad writers use to convince the unsuspecting that they want this or that crap.
Blend to me means the producer takes free reign to claim anything because nobody is watching. 30% "flavor wood" sez who? And what is the BS of the other, non-flavor wood? Sez who it isn't hay?

So I am poised to light up my first burn of Lumberjack 100% Apple Wood pellets in my smoker. And I'm looking forward to trying the flavor taste test.

Yeah, I'm so literal and critical as to be a PITA. I get that.
But I want consistency in my flavor. I want repeat accuracy.
So I do things a little differently.

 

[ronbrad62]

Man, what a disappointing title. I thought you got wood and bacon from the same tree and I was going to go out and plant some. Oh well, I can keep dreaming.
What you did get looks great. Enjoy that bacon!