Smoke Wood Question

ZBQ

is Blowin Smoke!
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Jan 17, 2006
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Have any of you used Locust for smoke wood?

I have to cut down a couple of black locust trees and was wondering if they would be good for smoke wood. I know the wood is hard as a rock. They make walking sticks and fence posts out of it.

I've heard the old saying "if it produces a nut or fruit it's ok" but Maple and Alder don't produce nuts or fruit so I think it's a guideline and not a rule. I don't think Mesquite does either.

I've also heard of people using Ash and Sassafras too. No nuts or fruits there either.

What do you think?
 
Pretty sure Locust is not a good smoking wood. I'm sure others will chime in. Oddly enoughit does not mention Locust:roll:

Caveat .......

This is information that was provided as a download from bigdaddyviking from another site....

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Reference guide for Woods used to Smoke Food

ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. Is a very hot burning wood.

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.

APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.

ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.

BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.

CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.

COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.

CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.

GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.

LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.

MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning woods.

MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.

OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.

PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.

SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.

WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

Other internet sources report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: AVOCADO, BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA, OLIVE, BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i.e. pear, cherry, apple, etc.) are also suitable for smoking.

Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.

There are many trees and shrubs in this world that contain chemicals toxic to humans--toxins that can even survive the burning process. Remember, you are going to eat the meat that you grill and the smoke particles and chemicals from the wood and what may be on or in the wood are going to get on and in the meat. Use only wood for grilling that you are sure of.

If you have some wood and do not know what it is, DO NOT USE IT FOR GRILLING FOOD. Burn it in your fireplace but not your smoker.

Also ELM and EUCALYPTUS wood is unsuitable for smoking, as is the wood from SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER trees.

Here are some more woods that you should not to use for smoking:

Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used. For all you know, that free oak planking could have been used in a sewage treatment plant.

Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Paint and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat and old paint often contains lead.
Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated.

Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison.

Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat
 
Mesquite produces a fruit - kind of like a string bean. I doubt you'd eat it, but it's there. Just fyi.
 
Sorry to steal this thread but, it reminded me of something.

I always wondered this, why is it ok to cook salmon and other fish on a cedar planks but yet it's not ok to smoke with cedar. When I cook the fish on a cedar plank some portions of it do char and smoke. Does it have something to do with the volume of smoke? I'm not wanting to smoke with cedar just want to know why it's acceptable is some occasions. Maybe I should be using oak planks.

Thanks

Nate
 
I have two big ole locust trees in my back yard and will never use them for smokin wood. I have been told the honey locust is good to smoke with but other varieties are not because of some toxic stuff in them. The honey locust has groups of thorns on its trunk so I know what I have is not good to go. I don't know for sure so I'm gonna just stay awy from it. I use the above list as a guideline and things have worked out just fine. So far.
 
we tried locust at a bash once. Hobopie brought it up from PA thinking it was mulberry. The wood was the wrong color for Mulberry, so we put some splits on the firebox to heat up and see how it smelled.

The general consensus was that when burned, it smelled like old underwear. We were exactly sure whos, but it definately had a nasty stench to it. Never made it into a firebox, in fact, i wouldnt even burn it in my fireplace thinkin it may stink up the house.
 
Thanks guys. I knew someone would know.:-D

That's what I love about being a Brother here.

TONS of knowledge.

Just ask, and ye shall receive.:cool:
 
Sorry to steal this thread but, it reminded me of something.

I always wondered this, why is it ok to cook salmon and other fish on a cedar planks but yet it's not ok to smoke with cedar. When I cook the fish on a cedar plank some portions of it do char and smoke. Does it have something to do with the volume of smoke? I'm not wanting to smoke with cedar just want to know why it's acceptable is some occasions. Maybe I should be using oak planks.

Thanks

Nate

I thought the same thing last time I planked a piece of fish
 
One other wood that I have considered since I can get it for free is Paw Paw.

Anyone ever tried it?

I've eaten the Paw Paw fruit.

Tastes like banana but has big flat seeds in it.
 
Sorry to steal this thread but, it reminded me of something.

I always wondered this, why is it ok to cook salmon and other fish on a cedar planks but yet it's not ok to smoke with cedar. When I cook the fish on a cedar plank some portions of it do char and smoke. Does it have something to do with the volume of smoke? I'm not wanting to smoke with cedar just want to know why it's acceptable is some occasions. Maybe I should be using oak planks.

Thanks

Nate

I thought the same thing last time I planked a piece of fish

I've always wondered this too. If it's ok for planking why isn't it ok for Q'ing?

Stick to trees that bear fruit or nuts that people eat. No hedge apples!

I have heard this many times Mitch and I'm not trying to discount what you said but I am trying to figure out what woods I can use that I can get for free. I live basically in the middle of a forest of 80-90% maple and other woods are hard to find. Like I said above Maple, Alder and Mesquite don't have fruit or nuts that you eat but they are good to smoke with so I don't see this as being a rule so much as being a guideline.
 
Sorry to steal this thread but, it reminded me of something.

I always wondered this, why is it ok to cook salmon and other fish on a cedar planks but yet it's not ok to smoke with cedar. When I cook the fish on a cedar plank some portions of it do char and smoke. Does it have something to do with the volume of smoke? I'm not wanting to smoke with cedar just want to know why it's acceptable is some occasions. Maybe I should be using oak planks.

Thanks

Nate

Since the Cedar is an evergreen, please correct me if I’m wrong, I think it is the volume of smoke that is produced… When you are cooking on a plank, you are releasing some of the oils to the air as well as creating a small amount of smoke… It’s when you burn Cedar that a serious amount of pitch is created… kind of like trying to smoke with a pine log…

Most certainly, not ‘Good Eats’
 
That sounds like a good answer. I was also thinking that the resins are slightly toxic, hence the insect repellency in Cedar closets and chests. This resin is well impregnated and must be "worked" to the surface annually if you have such a closet/chest. Possibly burning it would be what creates the problem.
 
Like I said above Maple, Alder and Mesquite don't have fruit or nuts that you eat but they are good to smoke with so I don't see this as being a rule so much as being a guideline.

actually out here in az we do use (locally) the mesquite beans ground up, as a flour and actually as i see more and more celiac's cases pop up and people searching for gluten free diets, this will become more and more popular, look it up, good stuff better than soy i tell you what ;)

not to resteal this thread again

and BTW wasnt there a sticky at one time to the smokin woods list i was lookin fer it again today but couldnt find it...
 
The answer is in our past. Cedar delivered remarkable smokey tastes in a short amount of time.

On the old Cattle trails, when the cooks didn't have time to always make a full smoke roast, they would boil the cuts in a robust stock and let them sit and cool. Covered this would preserve nicely for the day.. after all it was in heavily salted water. But the meat was gray and well, boiled.

When the trailhands arrived, usually into the dusk, the meat cuts were falling apart tender but cold. Spices were added, maybe some molassas (usually on hand for coffee) and even coffee itself was used to punch up the meat. To heat the meats where tossed on a fire that was made intense with cedar branches or juniper branches. It was grilled under this green smoke until hot and placed on a roll or flat bread made that day. It is incredibly good but you would not want to SMOKE it in this. Kind of like the rules for Mesquite.

Don't even think of throwing in some cedar or esp mesquite and smoking something quickly in your egg, weber or smoker... it will NEVER be right.

Sorry to steal this thread but, it reminded me of something.

I always wondered this, why is it ok to cook salmon and other fish on a cedar planks but yet it's not ok to smoke with cedar. When I cook the fish on a cedar plank some portions of it do char and smoke. Does it have something to do with the volume of smoke? I'm not wanting to smoke with cedar just want to know why it's acceptable is some occasions. Maybe I should be using oak planks.

Thanks

Nate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjRqPwdqMTg&feature=related

Note the Rub he uses on the steaks. I cannot believe he used it! Sugar Molasses salt and pepper just about it on chuck wagons for spices, and lots of it!!!! Brown Sugar = sugar and molasses.
 
Have any of you used Locust for smoke wood?

I have to cut down a couple of black locust trees and was wondering if they would be good for smoke wood. I know the wood is hard as a rock. They make walking sticks and fence posts out of it.

I've heard the old saying "if it produces a nut or fruit it's ok" but Maple and Alder don't produce nuts or fruit so I think it's a guideline and not a rule. I don't think Mesquite does either.

I've also heard of people using Ash and Sassafras too. No nuts or fruits there either.

What do you think?

i used some from my mulberry tree. and tangerine. sorry dont know about locust
 
Don't even think of throwing in some cedar or esp mesquite and smoking something quickly in your egg, weber or smoker... it will NEVER be right.

why not use mesquite to smoke with, i love it and the few people who have eaten my Q like it too... i realize it's strong, is that a main reason? too strong fer some?
 
why not use mesquite to smoke with, i love it and the few people who have eaten my Q like it too... i realize it's strong, is that a main reason? too strong fer some?


I am saying NEVER use green mesquite. Ever. Grilling with it okay, not smoking.
 
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