PDA

View Full Version : fruit wood charcoal


LT72884
12-08-2010, 11:46 PM
just curious if they make lump charcoal out of fruit woods. I would love to buy a bag of apple wood lump charcoal.

thanx. I prefere all fruit wood blend rather than a fruit wood mix with hardwood.

thanx guys

Phrasty
12-09-2010, 12:10 AM
I might be wrong... but does it really matter? When I'm looking for coal I look at wood density, not flavor profile (coal should burn clean-ish). When coal is being made all the "essence" (liquids & volatile properties) of the "apple" wood will burn off leaving the same organic compound as oak coal. As I said, what I look for in coal is density. All you want is a good hardwood lump coal that will burn steady and long. Then throw your apple on that. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers

Sammy_Shuford
12-09-2010, 12:31 AM
What he said! I use oak charcoal, and toss on apple for pork. When I fill my fire basket (UDS), I add a few hands of charcoal, and toss in a wood chunk. That was as the charcoal burns down, there will be more wood for smoke.

Miguels244
12-09-2010, 12:48 AM
So if the coal has no flavor why not use briquettes

Sammy_Shuford
12-09-2010, 01:43 AM
Because most briquettes are garbage. I won't eat low and slow over Kingsford.

There are 100% hardwood briquettes, Rancher for one. All oak with corn starch binder.

Phrasty
12-09-2010, 01:56 AM
You ask people about lump vs. briquette and Im sure you'd varied opinions. Both have pros and cons. Lump burns hotter but usually burns out faster (depending mainly on wood density) while with my limited experience with briquettes is that they burn longer but have more ash which can be a problem. So some people due to their own preferences will choose one over the other. Not to say either is better, but I use lump. Why? Because its just more accessible to me and cheaper. (Oh, and "I" think food cooked with it tastes better!) :thumb::becky::heh:

Cheers

NorthwestBBQ
12-09-2010, 02:22 AM
I believe fruitwood is hardwood.

swamprb
12-09-2010, 06:03 AM
Here ya go! www.realmontanacharcoal.net (http://www.realmontanacharcoal.net)

The Naked Whiz gives the Maple high ratings. I've been wanting to get my hands on some, but the shipping was almost as much as the price of the lump!
I got a bunch of 5lb. bags from Dave Hart of 1910 Smoking Woods in CDA, Idaho. Cherry, Apple and Maple. Gone through a bag of Cherry in my little Cajun Bandit Smoker Joe on some Reverse Sear cooks.

Go to the Naked Whiz Lump Charcoal database and check out his review-

Ape
12-09-2010, 06:25 AM
i dont realy know it, but i think appel trees are not so big. that is not effective for the producers (grow longer) and a lot of wood (factor 10 for 1 part lump) have to be at the place where they produce it. (argentina \ paraguy)

Harbormaster
12-09-2010, 06:33 AM
I might be wrong... When coal is being made all the "essence" (liquids & volatile properties) of the "apple" wood will burn off leaving the same organic compound as oak coal.
I'm not so sure about that. My experience with lump indicates that some of the compounds unique to each wood remain.

For example, Grove Lump is relatively dense lump, made from oak, and has a pleasant aroma. Maple Leaf lump is made from birch, beech, and maple and has a completely different out of this world heavenly aroma. It has to be because of the wood it is made from.

And since the smoke is different, it is going to create a different flavor profile on meat.

h20loo
12-09-2010, 08:25 AM
I made some cherry lump and while it had a nice aroma when I used it for cooking- it wasn't strong enough in the smoke dept. I had to add some wood chunks the same as I did for purchased lump.

bigabyte
12-09-2010, 09:00 AM
Hardwood Lump charcoal does indeed have some flavor left. It's not nearly as strong as using wood, but the flavor is still there. Try some mesquite lump sometime!:thumb:

swamprb
12-09-2010, 10:43 AM
I made some cherry lump and while it had a nice aroma when I used it for cooking- it wasn't strong enough in the smoke dept. I had to add some wood chunks the same as I did for purchased lump.

I add wood for smoke.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t310/swamprb/Ugly%20Drum%20Smoker/Weber/IMG_2777.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t310/swamprb/Ugly%20Drum%20Smoker/Weber/IMG_2778.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t310/swamprb/Ugly%20Drum%20Smoker/Weber/IMG_2781.jpg

I like it because it burns hotter and produces less ash.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t310/swamprb/Ugly%20Drum%20Smoker/Weber/IMG_2782.jpg

h20loo
12-09-2010, 02:06 PM
Brian- that looks like the charcoal I made, lots of limbs - didn't know it could be purchased. I really liked it for grilling steaks and burgers but it lost some of its magic when low and slow. Of course a couple chunks of cherry wood made it perfect.

Dave Russell
12-09-2010, 02:45 PM
I'm not so sure about that. My experience with lump indicates that some of the compounds unique to each wood remain.

For example, Grove Lump is relatively dense lump, made from oak, and has a pleasant aroma. Maple Leaf lump is made from birch, beech, and maple and has a completely different out of this world heavenly aroma. It has to be because of the wood it is made from.

And since the smoke is different, it is going to create a different flavor profile on meat.


.... but the taste of a particular smoke on a meat doesn't necessarily correlate to the smell of the same smoke. If it did, Kingsford would be out of business, good lump would be sold everywhere, nobody would dare use mesquite, and wood would only be used in stickburners. Know what I mean?

We just naturally think it does, though. For example, I've both apple and bradford pear in my wood pile now. The apple smoke smells great, but the bradford pear kind of stinks. Guess what? I can smoke ribs in my offset w/ either and get great results w/ both.

ClayHill
12-09-2010, 04:39 PM
it has always been my understanding if charcoal is properly made it will be nothing but pure carbon, I believe the process is called Pyrolysis, which burns off all gasses and elements in the wood, leaving carbon and some minerals.

So really, is shouldn't matter what type of wood is used. I am curious tho???

I would highly doubt anyone is making apple wood charcoal in large quantities(correct me if I'm wrong), the wood is way to valuable as a smoker wood IMO

LT72884
12-09-2010, 06:15 PM
Here ya go! www.realmontanacharcoal.net (http://www.realmontanacharcoal.net)

The Naked Whiz gives the Maple high ratings. I've been wanting to get my hands on some, but the shipping was almost as much as the price of the lump!
I got a bunch of 5lb. bags from Dave Hart of 1910 Smoking Woods in CDA, Idaho. Cherry, Apple and Maple. Gone through a bag of Cherry in my little Cajun Bandit Smoker Joe on some Reverse Sear cooks.

Go to the Naked Whiz Lump Charcoal database and check out his review-

thanx. thats kinda what im lookin for. the reason i am askin, im very sensitive to the smoke flavor and so i dont add any unburned wood chunks to my fire anymore. every time i did, my food tasted funny. EVEN WITH TBS. WHich i FINALLY figured out. so once i learned how to achieve tbs, i tried it 4 or 5 times to see how it went. i did not like the taste of the smoke mixed with the added flavor charcoal gives food. i use 100% all natural lump that is all carbonized. I dont use kingsford anymore excpet for dutchovens and the ocassional burger. Anyway, when i cook with just the lump and no other wood chunks, the meat tastes fine. SO what i have been doing is adding the wood chunks to the chimney and burning them with the lump and then wait till they carbonize and then i put the food on. The lump by itsself give the right amount of smoke for me. So i was hoping that they had fruit wood lump that would give off a small amount of sweet smoke. I know that when wood is carbonized, at least 15-20% of its natural properties stillexist. NOW, i like food from electric smokers because there is no charcoal flavor to it. i just taste the smoke flavor, not both. Im thinkin my taste buds cant handle both the charcoal and smoke flvaor all at once, its one or the other. hahaha

thanx for all the input guys.

ClayHill
12-09-2010, 09:09 PM
Here ya go! www.realmontanacharcoal.net (http://www.realmontanacharcoal.net)

The Naked Whiz gives the Maple high ratings. I've been wanting to get my hands on some, but the shipping was almost as much as the price of the lump!
I got a bunch of 5lb. bags from Dave Hart of 1910 Smoking Woods in CDA, Idaho. Cherry, Apple and Maple. Gone through a bag of Cherry in my little Cajun Bandit Smoker Joe on some Reverse Sear cooks.

Go to the Naked Whiz Lump Charcoal database and check out his review-

Thanks.....I didnt know anyone was making fruitwood charcoal