Oak wood for smoking

[Chef Jim]

I found a local tree service that has a bin with free wood for the taking. I was just on the phone with his partner after I made the post. Had a half hour conversation about cookin and smokin with him.

He is big on fish so I need to become good friends with him.

Jim

 

[big brother smoke]

California Coastal Oak is my go to wood for smoking. Red Oak is more for grilling, still good stuff. YMMV!

 

[Harbormaster]

I have 200 acres of red and white oak, I should be set.

OK, now you're just braggin'.:-D

I really like a combination of oak and cherry on beef.
I have some oaks on my property too, and as limbs need to come down they get chunked up for the WSM.

Across the creek there is a 75' oak of mine that came down in the 2008 floods here. The owner of that property asked when I was gonna cut it up. I figured his family had already done that, so it looks like I have a lifetime supply to get when the snow is gone.

 

[ianthesurveyer]

I use Live Oak here in Central Texas. Seems to work just fine. I have mixed it with Pecan as well.

 

[landarc]

HS, the red oak we have here is different from the red oak back east. What we call red oak is actually most often a Canyon Oak, most common to interior eastern valleys of CA, such as the coastal hills surrounding the lower central valley. It is a species of live oak. The Coastal Live oak is what most of us equate with the Pacific Coast range, although rarer in your neck of the woods. You do get tan oak, which I would suggest you do not smoke over.

If I find some red oak, I will grab it for you.

 

[Chef Jim]

OK, I looked in search, I looked in the Sticky. Didn't find it. Will someone please tell an old guy just what the heck is YMMV

 

[wayner123]

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

 

[Bogus Chezz Hawg]

I bought a small pile of red oak splits from a landscape supply yard. They told me they get it from Missouri.

Not my 1st choice for cooking wood, but it was good with everything I cooked with it.

Here are the red oak test chickens.

The red oak tasted great on these birds. It also gave them a nice color.
If I remember correctly, These were cooked at 225 - 240 F for about 3 hours to an internal breast temp of 165 F.