Tree Identification

Beech wood is totally acceptable for grilling or smoking, I've used it many times with good results.

Great Post. Me and my little chain saw are going on a walk in the woods behind my house. Be Very Very Quit we are hunting Hickory's and Oaks.

BBQ101 wrote:

Great Post. Me and my little chain saw are going on a walk in the woods behind my house. Be Very Very Quit we are hunting Hickory's and Oaks.

one thing to keep in mind is that the bar oil that you use might leave a funky taste on the wood if you aren't careful. Just something to think about bud

In a post not too long ago someone
mentioned using mineral oil instead.

I think this is only needed when making chunks.

I split the log into stuff small enough to go on my chop saw.

Or I will use a recip saw with a pruning blade.

I look for stuff about the size of my calf.

Split it in half and saw away.

Anybody ever use Almond wood. One of our job sites has a ton of it and is looking to get rid of it. I know its OK to use since its a nut bearing tree, but has anyone ever used it and how does it taste??

Haven't used it but I would hesitate to give it a try. Take some of it and burn it. See if you like how it smells, this should be a good indications as to if you would most likely enjoy its flavor. If you like the aroma then I would say us it. Everyone's tastes are different so even if I had used it and loved it, you still may not like it.

Set up as you normally would for smoking.

Use the almond and toss a couple of yardbird thighs
on the grate. Cook till done and taste.

Toss 'em if nasty or keep your own little secret if tasty!

I need to go and find me some wood to bad about 95 % of the trees around here are pine

Does anybody know if you can smoke with Manitoba Maple? I've heard conflicting reports as to whether it is truly a hardwood or not.

I can see why there are mixed reviews. The Manitoba can bee tapped for syrup but one site says if you break a branch it releases an offensive odor. There appears to be nothing toxic in the plant so it will boil down to your taste preference. Here are some informative links:

http://thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic ... ccc5cc52d7

http://www.domtar.com/arbre/english/p_ercom.htm

http://info.wlu.ca/~wwwbiol/bio305/Data ... egundo.htm

http://shand.saskpower.com/greenhouse/e ... doc9.shtml

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department ... endocument

Two more links on smoking woods.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/woods.html
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/idbark.htm

I was surprised to see willow mentioned as a good smoking wood. Thought that was in the same category of poplar and sweetgum.

Has anyone used grapevine? If so do you have any tips on how long it should be seasoned? There's lots of wild grapevine growing nearby just waiting for a bowsaw.

Longmill

I have some grapevine on my smokewood shelves but haven't tried it yet. They've been there for nearly a year.

Here is another fine wood smoke link that everyone might find helpful.



http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/8.html

Longmill wrote:

Two more links on smoking woods.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/woods.html
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/idbark.htm

I was surprised to see willow mentioned as a good smoking wood. Thought that was in the same category of poplar and sweetgum.

Has anyone used grapevine? If so do you have any tips on how long it should be seasoned? There's lots of wild grapevine growing nearby just waiting for a bowsaw.

Longmill

I've used grapevine off and on over the years with good results. I can't say how long it's been seasoned for sure, but it's probably been dried for 6-9 months anyway before being used in the smoker. I usually mix it in with oak or apple.

I know this discussion has mired into the "Has anyone ever tried <insert tree here>", but here is my entry:

These guys, http://hawaiiguava.com/ offer an inexpensive way to try Guava Wood. Their site only acts as a sales pitch for how good Guava wood is, so I am curious to see if anyone has actually tried this wood.

And if so, do you think wood coming from Hawaii would mean any difference taste wise (thinking in terms of the tropical weather mostly).

Any help is appreciated. I wanted a little insight before I plunked my 15 bucks down for a 10 lb shipment of this wood.

Thanks in advance!