almond, apple and plum

[kayrondad]

i have access to some of these woods. i have used apple and like the flavor, but never almond or plum. is plum okay to smoke with? residues, soot? how about almond? i know walnut leaves a black ick not really good to eat, not sure the almond would do the same......feedback please!!!
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If pigs were not meant to eat then women were not meant to bear children.

[Jeff T]

I have used a lot of apple which i love, plum is good too kinda heavy smoke like hickory but sweeter. I would love to try the almond. When trying a new wood use lightly or sparingly.

Here is a smoke wood list for ya:
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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. 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.

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.

BBQ List members report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: BAY, CARROT WOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA and OLIVE. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i. e. pear and cherry) are also suitable for smoking.

Other Internet sources list the wood from the following trees as suitable for smoking: BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW.

[big_jake]

LOADS of people use almond around here,cuz its easy to find.
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[bigabyte]

Man, I wish I had access to those. Never seen anything like that around here as firewood.
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--Chris Baker
--Mad BBQ Scientist
--When my lab fills with smoke, that means it's working!

[SoEzzy]

Plum as a fruit wood is a "good wood" to use, but it tends to loose much of it's flavor as it seasons, so use it by all means but it won't have a starng fruit flavor to add to your cooking.
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I still work here!

[Smoke Daddy]

Like Big Jake said there is plenty of almond here in Cali but you already know that. I get it in chunks already seasoned. Works great on everything in my opinion. Just did some spares with plumb this weekend and it came out great.
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Low and slow that is the tempo!

Homemade horizontal offset
Kingsford kettle
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[John Furdyn]

When using apple wood mixed with your charcoal, can you leave the bark on. i got some smaller branches from my brother when he trimmed his apple trees. any info appreciated. thanks john

[Jeff T]

I leave the bark on john, its so thin i don't really think one can tell one way or the other.
For my backyard cookers I use smaller branches and trimmings too as long as they are not too small otherwise they burn up pretty fast so reload often.

[John Furdyn]

Jeff
Thanks looking forward to using the apple wood have never used it. John

[Momma_of_4]

We have access to all the apple wood we want since a friend owns an apple orchard. What do you all mean by seasoned wood? Husband works at a pork processing plant, had a huge sale on loin this week, $.50 a pound, so we stocked up, any advice on the best way to cook it. We are buying a new smoker grill tonight and excited to try it out this weekend!

[kayrondad]

seasoned wood is wood that has been allowed to "dry" for a period of time. there are differing opinions as well as differing times to attain la dry piece of wood. Typically one year is good. 6 months with apple will give a little green to it, meaning it is still a little moist (though you could not tell by touch) and will provide more of a smoke as it will smolder more than burn the greener it is.
My choice it to use charcoal as a base, add one piece (quarter of a round) of oak and one piece of somewhat green wood (or water soaked).

as for what to do with the loins.....open your spice cabinet, take down all the spices you like that do not contain salt....you will salt it but you do not want the salt to be the prevalent taste. misx equal parts of each of your favorites. I use granualted onion, granualted garlic, paprika, seasoned salt, dash of chili powder, dash of cayenne, dash of cinnamon, dask of allspice, dash of cumin, and a sprinkle of dry mustard followed by a little brwon sugar. mix it all well and liberaly sprinkle over the meat covering all sides, patting it gently and covering until there is not "moist" feeling from the meat. the idea here is to find a flavor that you like adn produces what you and your hubby will enjoy. No mixture is wrong unless you absolutely canno teat it!
fire up your smoker, get the cooking area to about 215-230 degrees F and then place the meat as far from the heat as possible with the thickest part of the meat nearest the heat.
close the lid and leave it for about 4 hours (time depends on size of loin). continue to add wood as necessary to hold the temp. and start checking the internal temp of the meat at about the 4 hour mark (3 hour mark if smaller loin). typically pork should be about 170. DO NOT CUT the loin! only use a probe type thermometer to check. Once at the the 170 mark, pull the pork off the grill and wrap tightly in foil. allow to "rest" for 30 minutes and guaranteed, you got yer self a loin worht bragging about!!!!
REMEMBER- the flavors added are your creation, my stuff was just an example. if you like a particular spice combination already, USE IT!
happy smoking and welcome aboard!!!
allow the rub to sit on meat for a few hours or overnight
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If pigs were not meant to eat then women were not meant to bear children.