Tree Identification

We'll need pictures of your first cook with it

Good call Combustis Maximus... both the species of tree AND pictures.

Here are some pics. I can't wait to try it. I hooked up the diesel powered Dodge Ram and pulled that puppy out. A few tugs and it was on its side. I don't think that poor lil maple had a chance out her in the middle of the desert. It was a fine tree in her yard for many years but I think the heat finally took its toll. There was no pest infestation. It just dried up and the bark start to peel off. The limbs and trunk await my chain saw. Pics will follow of the first smoke.

where does everyone get the licence tags

Instructions for the lisence plates are at the following thread in the FAQ section of the forum index:
http://www.barbecuebible.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=5817

Good luck.

Rob - TX Sandman

I found both birch and crabapple listed at the following website: http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/8.html. Thank you for the link.

Has anyone tried either wood (I'm especially interested in the Birch) as either a heat source or as the wood for smoke? Opinion on your results?

I'm in Alaska where there are few hardwood options and everything is expensive to ship. Unless someone tells me they hated their results with birch I'll give it a shot - testing it out as suggested in some of the other posts.

Welcome to the board Viking warrior!

I haven't tried wither of those but crabapple is going to be very similar to regular apple.

You must be surrounded by evergreens.

Using the birch as a heat source worked well. The fare was very simple: hamburgers with Lipton onion mix and some Worcestershire sauce. Result was nicely done burgers with a very pleasant smokey flavor. I don't have the experience to judge light vs heavy or sweet or other. I've smoked salmon with hickory (Little Joe) - my impression was that the birch wasn't as strong tasting as the hickory. The flavor also had a rich character or added a richness to the burger flavor. Bottom-line: I'll be trying it again. I'm going to post two other reply's addressing a couple different issues that I ran across.

Early in this thread one of the more experience cooks advised that old wood that has been sitting for years is not ideal. True story. The birch that I just got done trying was split, stacked and dry for over six years. The wood burned very quickly and did not hold as a coal very long. Using fist size chunks wasn't working. They just wouldn't stay hot enogh long enough. I then put in larger pieces of wood and that worked but I had to work quickly.

Next attempt (mind you I've never used wood before as a heat source, only charcoal - Kingsford) I will use more and bigger pieces so I have a longer lasting fire.

Question: When are the coals ready? Do I wait until all the flames have died down or as soon as the wood is black and starting to show gray ash?

2nd Question: I'm using a 22" Weber kettle. Weber's instructions are to cover the grill when cooking. I've read elsewhere that when using direct heat, leave the lid off. In this cooking attempt I left the lid off but closed half-way the bottom vents to try to make the coals last longer. Is that true with others experience to leave the lid off when cooking directly (burgers, steaks)?

Third and last post on this experience. I had read in this thread someone using a chop saw to cut down split and seasoned wood into smaller pieces. I tried that same and mostly it worked well (except for the time I left my finger between the wood and the guard and the saw bucked smashing my finger - stupid on my part). If I cut slowly this seemed to work but the saw did seem to jam/buck occasionally.

Question: To all of you experienced cooks (especially the shop teachers, carpenters and experienced wood workers) is using the chop saw a smart idea for cutting the seasoned wood? Other better options? The saw is a Dewalt with a 10" blade and the blade is pretty new.

Other than my sore middle finger (luckily my left hand) this worked well but cutting dimensional lumber I've never had such a problem with the blade bucking so often.

I would like to discourage you from using a chop saw in the manner described. My son wanted some hickory chunks, and I cut them from pieces I had split for my stick burner. I used a radial arm saw for those having a fairly straight edge which I could put against the fence. This was unsafe, in my opinion. The safest way I found was to use my band saw.

I use a sawzall or a bowsaw to cut up my smaller pieces.

Mike

Option 1- band saw

Option 2: -band saw

Anthing else you're really just throwing the dice.

Pardon my rookie question but here goes. Can you smoke with green wood or should it dry out first? I was thinking that smoking with sugar maple while the sap was running might be kinda cool.

First: It's always best to properly season (dry) your cooking wood. As it will produce a cleaner fire and better tasting food. The more sap - the more possible soot.

The only wood that I've used green to cook with is "apple" (see exception below ) and it worked real well. The thing you must watch out for when using green wood is soot. With most woods, soot will leave a dark, nasty tasting layer of build-up on your food and inside your smoker/grill.

The very first time I used a smoker, I used "green" mesquite. There was smoke billowing so dense from my little "bullet" smoker that cars passing by my house literally disappeared into the cloud. I was smoking two hams at the time and they came out pretty black. The bark had a sort of numbing effect on the tongue. But, the inside meat was pretty good.

Maple is a pretty light flavored wood so you may be able to use it in limited amounts. I would start by doing a "test" cook with a small amount of food to see how it tastes. Also check to see if you're getting soot on the food and inside the cooking chamber.

Hope that helps.