Summertime...Barbeques, Grills & Smokers!

What wood is everyone using to smoke with (for those who do use wood)?

I'm strictly Kingsford charcoal, but I ALWAYS add wood chips or chunks for added flavor, even if it's only dogs on the grill.

Hickory is a favorite for beef and pork. Like to add a bit of oak in the mix.
Oak or apple for chicken and veggies. Hickory turns the veggies bitter.
Cedar planks for fish and pok tenderloin.

Peach is something new for me this year. I really like what it added when mixed with other woods.

A buddy gave me a chunk of orange wood that I used with a few small pieces of oak for chicken and veggies last weekend. Gonna have to get more - delicious.

I've also used mesquite - meh.

 

Being a Georgia boy I use hickory, pecan, and of course, peach. I like to use hickory and a little apple or peach with pork, pecan goes well with chicken and I like oak and hickory with beef. I agree about the mesquite, not a fan.

 

I've never used anything exotic like Peach, orange or Pecan. Using alder when smoking fish always works great. Alder is probably my favorite wood. It adds a nice light smoke flavor. Mesquite can be pretty harsh so I only use a little mixed with hickory when smoking brisket or pork butts. I'm still trying to dial the smoke in though. My turkey came out a little too smokey yesterday. I should have only used half the amount of chips. Red meat seems much more forgiving than chicken or turkey.

 

Thus why I use the oak for chicken. Oak has been described as the little brother of hickory - similar but milder.

Keep experimenting! And make sure you let us know when you hit a mix you like.

FYI - Lowes carries an assortment of woods in their grilling section. I want to say five different kinds. http://m.lowes.com/pl/Charcoal-wood...es-Grills-outdoor-cooking-Outdoors/4294610327

 

Hickory and cherry are my main two. Hickory only for brisket, cherry or hickory for pork. I don't add wood for chickens, some in my family complain of a too strong smoke flavor with chicken.

 

Being from MN, because it is everywhere and free, I use a lot of red oak. I find the difference between it and hickory to be like the difference between a Polsilver and a GSB: pretty much indistinguishable if you were blindfolded.

I love peach and pork, but really can't bring myself to pay for it. I will use apple whenever I can, especially to cook fish.

I really don't do much poultry anymore. My opinion is that it should be grilled more so than smoked. I do that a lot.

I agree with others in that mesquite it far from a favorite. I find it bitter and acrid. I would maybe choose it for a fast fire cook (like a steak) where I was trying to get some serious smoke flavor in a super short time. I would probably say it is my least favorite wood.


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I have to agree on the mesquite. When I had a Kamado and used lump charcoal I got mesquite lump charcoal once, it burned fast and hot and threw off the occasional cinder. I don't care for it as smoking wood or charcoal. Since I'm in Texas, that's probably heresy.

 

Was waiting on this grill to go on sale at Lowe's it's $130 right now. Using my grandpas 18 year old Weber kettle right now. Starting to think there's really no need to upgrade! The Weber ceramic coating is hard to beat!


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I use a Weber kettle for most of my smokes. It hold the temp really well, requires little charcoal and the quality is hard to beat. I only use my offset if I'm doing up several slabs of ribs or a really large brisket. It goes through a ton of charcoal and requires more babysitting than the Weber.


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I have watched a lot of old folks cook and most of them burn their wood down to coals before putting them in the pit with the meat. I have been able to make some beautiful mesquite charcoal by first "burning it out" in my pit before I add the meat. It makes a good hot fire that lasts for a few hours and needs a few pieces at a time of dry mesquite to carry it all day. I find green mesquite acrid and nasty.



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My smoke regime:

Mesquite only works on steaks. It's too much for anything that's not red meat.

Hickory and sometimes oak, laced with pecan, apple or other fruit tree chips are best for pork shoulder.

Hickory alone, or combined with pecan is best for ribs.

Chicken often gets the BBQ treatment with light hickory, but often I use charcoal to maintain the fire. Chicken is terrible if "over smoked."

Dry spice rubs and thin mop sauces work best with bbq smoke. I find once a piece of meat is sauced heavily, it stops forming pellicle and just slow bakes due to the humidity changes in the smoker environment.

 

I much prefer the fruit woods (apple and peach are my favorites). Sometimes, I will use pecan or hickory as well. Not much of a fan of mesquite. In general, I subscribe to the less is more school of thought when it comes to applying smoke. In the kamado, I only use lump. Most times it is Royal Oak as it is the best of the locally available charcoal.

Tonight, I was looking in the freezer and stumbled upon a 3 lb rib steak that I had vacuum packed when I got it around Easter for a ridiculously low price. IIRC, I think after sales, coupons, and a shoppers club gift card, I paid $12 total for a roast that I had them cut into two 3 lb steaks. I did a reverse sear with pecan and finished on the rare side of medium rare. It was cooked just a slight bit more than I prefer, but was fantastic.

 

Looks great! And I agree with you on fruit woods, pecan and hickory, and on the dislike for mesquite!

 

Mosquite is good for red meat it is a desired flavour,regionally popular in the southwest U.S.

 

Yes— definitely s BEEF wood—and even then, used in moderation. It has the tendency to overpower and become bitter very quickly if over-applied. I do like it as a hot grilling wood for steaks; certainly not for smoking.

 

For smoking I used a combo of Apple and misquote on a strip loin roast, never again will I ruin Apple pellets with misquote.

 

Is it considered irony if autocorrect misquotes you with the word misquote?

 

Hahahahaha and it bites me again!

 

Had all three grills going yesterday- one (far left) for a beer can chicken, the smoker (put the coals in the grilling area) for a dozen ears of fresh corn, and the Weber (center) for drumsticks and boneless thighs. DELICIOUS!


Used peach wood for the beer can chicken, peach and oak for the corn, and hickory and oak for the rest of the chicken.

 

Are both the round grills 26" or is the one in the table a 22" grill?

Food looks great. I hope you had help eating all that.