Wood is a regional thing. Texas has alot of pecan trees and mesquite. The Southeast has hickory, no sure what species are best. Up here in New England we have sugar maple, other maples just don't do the same job. Seems everyone has white oak, red doesn't give the same flavor. Ask the guys from Jack D's place. Throw in some apple or other fruit wood except cherry unless you like bitter. Mesquite is the hardest to use because it has to be 2-3 years dry to not get a bitter taste when used for smoking. Not hard to dry things out good in Texas. Found this out from a guy with a BBQ shack along the road in the middle of Texas pecan country. In New England it will never dry out enough. Some use chips, some chunks, some logs.
Sure would like to have one of those 1/4" steel pipe smokers. Like smoking in a case iron kettle. The iron does alot of the work. In the sheet metal ones the hot air has to do the work so it's more heating from the outside in. Takes longer to without that 1000 pounds of hot steel.
PS. Dear Frank... that's only because you haven't had my butt yet.
After speaking with BillBerk on the forums (A Certified KC BBQ Judge), he told me the way that he runs his smoker. I emulated what he does, and it worked to perfection.
In my firebox I lit a couple of chimneys of natural lump charcoal. I fired this in my chimney starter for about 15 minutes. After pouring out the charcoal into the fire box, I used split wood logs only that are not pre-soaked in water.
From the research I have done, almost all wood smoke tastes the same up until the six hour point. After six hours, the individual flavors of the different woods begin to be distinguishable. I really like to use hickory, apple, and oak, but again no difference of taste until it goes over 6 hours.
Steve, not to split hairs, cause I like you. You are from somewhere that is not the Republic of Texas, I, we are not really qualified to talk about smoking meat. The judge, he is from KC... well, after eating the meat from the Republic, it is all kind of down hill. Sorry brother, hate to be honest with you.
I lived in Texas for quite some time in my military career, and even started my family there. As for the BBQ judge, he is NOT from KC...he is from Springfield, MO. You can be from anywhere, and take the certification course for being a KC BBQ judge.
I hate to say it Frank..(Cause I like you ), but you guys in Maryland need to stick to crab cakes, and Old Bay seasoning while the rest of us BBQ folks enjoy life
I don't like mesquite because it is very overpowering (At lease I think). Pecan works some magic though. I have also smoked using corn cobs, and coffee beans.
I lived in Texas for quite some time in my military career, and even started my family there. As for the BBQ judge, he is NOT from KC...he is from Springfield, MO. You can be from anywhere, and take the certification course for being a KC BBQ judge.
I hate to say it Frank..(Cause I like you ), but you guys in Maryland need to stick to crab cakes, and Old Bay seasoning while the rest of us BBQ folks enjoy life
I don't like mesquite because it is very overpowering (At lease I think). Pecan works some magic though. I have also smoked using corn cobs, and coffee beans.
Steve
Cann't get pecan here.
Like I said, unless you live somewhere that's dust and shrub year round it will not be dry enough. And if you get it there and bring it home it will be sucking up moisture the whole way like dry wood being rained on. I only use chips for grilling now and again.
Try green tea to "lightly" smoke fresh Lousianna shrip. I also do a bourbon rub cold smoked salmon. Did I mention I really like the whole smoked food thing..... Got some smoked short ribs fresh out of the smoker in Pa on the way back from VAC East Coast. A counrty smoke house. Even had smoked beef hip bones and a hog head, whole. The ribs was one of the best things I ever tasted and reminded me of Brisquet I had in Texas. Dietrich's Meats on I78 Exit 40.
Frank is a rabble rouser my friends. He's a great man, and I see genius in his work. I think I can call him a friend in the truest sense that we can be friends on the Internet without ever having met, but I honestly believe we would (and will) be really good friend when we finally meet in real life. And I say all that while still admitting honestly that he is a rabble rouser!
Anyway-- my thoughts on wood are this:
1) I use real-wood lump charcoal when cooking over charcoal. The pressed-wood briquettes just don't get the job done IMO. HOWEVER-- it's okay to use briquettes to start your logs when preparing for a long smoke. The flavor in the briquettes is long gone by the time the smoke penetrates the meat.
2) In Texas we smoke with a lot of oak because it's plentiful, and consistent. Here in Central Texas, Live Oak is King. But other oak species work out just fine.
3) Pecan and Hickory make great BBQ. They're slightly less common and slightly more expensive, but well worth it. By genus, these are the same wood. And when it comes to flooring, they are look about the same and are often treated interchangeably. BBQ afficionados tend to treat them the same too for heating and taste.
4) Fruit woods are great for smoking. Apple is among the best, but it's fairly rare and expensive here. I've used Fig and Pear with great success. I've never tried Cherry-- down here, it's rare, expensive, and typically just used for furniture. I've heard grape vine is great, but I've never done it myself.
5) Mesquite-- this one is actually one of those "touchy subjects" in BBQ. As has been pointed out, it needs to dry and season well before use. Here in Central Texas, that's not a problem. Some people find the flavor to be very intense after a long smoke. Personally, I'm fine with the flavor, but mesquite tends to burn too hot and too fast for me when it comes to low-and-slow BBQing. HOWEVER, although I stay away from it with respect to BBQ, I use it extensively for direct grilling, where hot and fast burning (with intense wood flavor) is highly desirable.
These are just my opinions after a few decades of smoking meats, results for others may vary.
62-O: Take a road trip down to La Plata and you can find some superior ribs at Johnny Boy's that might soothe your craving. And don't forget that you can always taunt those Lone Star guys with: "Yeah - but we got crabs!".
Vernon, come to Maryland and you will come to love our haute cuisine... the blue crab is a thing of absolute delight and no where do they fix them like here. Next time I go through La Platta, I'll swing through. I however doubt they will come anywhere close to Rudy's in San Antonio.
Vernon, come to Maryland and you will come to love our haute cuisine... the blue crab is a thing of absolute delight and no where do they fix them like here. Next time I go through La Platta, I'll swing through. I however doubt they will come anywhere close to Rudy's in San Antonio.
I was through there once in 2001 while moving our son to medical school in Philly. I didn't know about the blue crabs but would have like to have tried them. I don't remember much about Maryland except that it sure didn't take long to get through it. I'd love to say that I would meet you there but it is 1394 miles from here and I hate being late for dinner.
Especially if it is chicken-fried steak. I find that better made in West Texas than anywhere else, even in little towns like Hamlin or bigger ones like Sweetwater. I wouldn't be late for that dinner!
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Well if you ever get to Catulla TX, make sure you you go to JR's country Store and have the country fried fries. It is one of those things you try once out of curiosity.
Especially if it is chicken-fried steak. I find that better made in West Texas than anywhere else, even in little towns like Hamlin or bigger ones like Sweetwater. I wouldn't be late for that dinner!
Being a west Texas boy myself, I would of agreed... until I had some CFS at the Broken Spoke here in Austin one evening back in the late 70's... been hooked ever since.
Ohhh... 5 o'clock, I'm having one of those decision making dinner moments... matter of fact, I'm even hearing an ice-cold Shiner calling my name...
BTW folks, temp gauge says 104.5 outside. Yesterday, it was 106. In the shade. Hurricane Eduardo's supposed to bring some rain to us afetr a gazillion days without...
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