copedirector
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Can wild cherry or choke cherry be used for smoking? Geographically the wood is from SE Nebraska.
cherry smoking wood
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Chainsaw Master
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Yup....its great for smoking & BBQ'S....leaves a nice sweet smoke flavor!
I sell all my wild Cherry to BBQ and Smokers. But, I have access to more Black Cherry, which seems slightly different than the wild Cherry. I wonder if the Black Cherry would also be good for the smokers and BBQ crew.
Morgan in AR
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Around here, wild cherry, black cherry and choke cherry are the same thing.
greendohn
firewood hack
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I used all cherry and nuthin' else on ham and it imparted too strong a "cherry" flavor.
I use it as a mix in my smoker, now, and it really provides a delicious flavor.
I only use a couple/few small splits.
I use it as a mix in my smoker, now, and it really provides a delicious flavor.
I only use a couple/few small splits.
Many people here probably call it all the same too. But, I distinguish the Cherry from trees that are producing edible cherry fruit which are growing wild; that is not intentionally planted in orchards. From the Black Cherry tree which produce relatively few, small, and not edible cherries. No doubt the trees are related, but the Black Cherry tree is much taller, and has a dark scaled bark, while what I call wild cherry is a smaller tree, has a smooth bark, even at an old age. The bark is relatively thin and peels off easily especially when split green.
Most arborist tree identification web sites and books are very clear in describing the Black Cherry tree. Few even describe what I call a wild cherry tree, or for that matter any orchard variety fruit trees.
So, I'll admit, I may be distinguishing between only slightly different tree types. None the less, I have customers who take the former. If I could sell them the Black Cherry too for the same purpose, it would increase my access to wood for them.
I gave some to a guy that smokes every weekend. He loved it. Keeps wanting more.
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I have thought that cherry used alone is just too strong for me, anyway. Much prefer hickory or apple when using them by themselves. As others have mentioned ablend may be the deal.
Ron
Ron
ft. churchill
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Cherry of any kind is a great smoking wood. Milder than hickory and oak, and somewhat different flavor. Leaves the smoked meats with a strong red coloration. I loke it on chicken, fish, and pork.
I'm in prime black cherry timber area and send logs to the mill every now and then. This is how we categorize them here:
Black cherry = wild cherry = Prunus serotina. The cherries are indeed edible. The pits are not.
Chokecherry = Prunus virginiana. Not very large. Often looks more shrublike and never really gets big enough for firewood. Cherries also edible
Pin cherry = fire cherry = Prunus pensylvanica
That other tree you mentioned sounds like a Pin cherry. It's bark doesn't plate like black cherry, remains smooth, and will grow to have pronounced horizontical lenticels. Wood is a bit softer than black cherry. The outer bark often wants to keep both sides of the split together like a piece of paper was glued to it. (Edible cherries, BTW.) Even this ancient one on our farm retains the many of its youthful characteristics:
Thanks for the response. Your pictures of the bark are exactly like what I was calling a "wild cherry", and your description of how the bark often hangs on to both sides of a split is also exactly what I have experienced. I have never heard the term Pin Cherry before, but Wiki has a good description that matches yours. It's great to learn something every day.
Unfortunately, while searching information on the Pin Cherry I found reference to a Bird Cherry which appears similar, save for the larger, more oval leaf. This guy does a very good job describing Black, Pin, and Bird Cherry:
Trees with Don Leopold - bird cherry - YouTube
Here are a couple pictures of one of the bigger ones at the edge of my woods:
Either way, I have been selling Black Cherry as a mixed hardwood, and selling the other cherry for smokers and BBQ folks.
Thank you for pointing me.
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We have the same three “cherry” trees around here… I have all three in my woodlot;
The Black Cherry (some call them a wild cherry tree) does have “editable” fruit but they don’t taste very good as a stand-alone… normally used for making jelly and jam. It can grow to relatively large size… I have some in my woodlot well over two feet in diameter.
The Choke Cherry, which looks more like a shrub than a tree, has larger and sweeter fruit. Usually it doesn’t get big enough to be worth the time to cut for firewood.
And the Pin Cherry is a nuisance, grows like weeds everywhere you don’t want it. Because of the similarities in bark, it’s commonly mistaken as some sort of birch. As far as firewood quality it’s several steps down from Black Cherry... pretty good for fire pit wood though. Usually they don’t live long and I rarely see one over 10-12 inches diameter.
The Black Cherry (some call them a wild cherry tree) does have “editable” fruit but they don’t taste very good as a stand-alone… normally used for making jelly and jam. It can grow to relatively large size… I have some in my woodlot well over two feet in diameter.
The Choke Cherry, which looks more like a shrub than a tree, has larger and sweeter fruit. Usually it doesn’t get big enough to be worth the time to cut for firewood.
And the Pin Cherry is a nuisance, grows like weeds everywhere you don’t want it. Because of the similarities in bark, it’s commonly mistaken as some sort of birch. As far as firewood quality it’s several steps down from Black Cherry... pretty good for fire pit wood though. Usually they don’t live long and I rarely see one over 10-12 inches diameter.
Nosmo
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Wild Cherry
I was able to get some wild cherry last fall. They were just young springs about 1" or 1-1/2" in diameter. A couple weeks ago my friend who smokes meat and likes to cook used some of this cherry I had given him.
That meat certainly tasted good. I say for you to get all of it you think you will need.
Nosmo
I was able to get some wild cherry last fall. They were just young springs about 1" or 1-1/2" in diameter. A couple weeks ago my friend who smokes meat and likes to cook used some of this cherry I had given him.
That meat certainly tasted good. I say for you to get all of it you think you will need.
Nosmo
Jere39,
I hate to tell you this, but those pictures of leaves you added are not the leaves of any cherry tree I know of.
I hate to tell you this, but those pictures of leaves you added are not the leaves of any cherry tree I know of.
Well, I didn't mean to hijack this thread, but seems to be some interest here. I agree, these leaves are very different from Black Cherry and Pin Cherry. But, from my research, Take a look at this page (from a UK website) with pictures of "Bird Cherry" and "Wild Cherry" as distinct from both "Black Cherry" and "Pin Cherry"
Hainault Forest Website
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user 64030
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I have two large black cherries I want gone because of the proximity to the house... One is an easy fell, the other needs a rope pull, a bucket or climber to get down as it leans toward the neighbors power line
I don't smoke, but was thinking of checking on selling the trunks for lumber, and they are not really yard trees as the house is only 12 years old, and built on what used to be a forest ridge, and still is mostly.
dw
I don't smoke, but was thinking of checking on selling the trunks for lumber, and they are not really yard trees as the house is only 12 years old, and built on what used to be a forest ridge, and still is mostly.
dw
