Questions about cooking with wood

[PA. Woodsman]

I went from selling firewood to small aromatic chiminea/firepit splits and now am thinking of using those splits to cook with as I've heard many of you guys talk about. I know NOTHING about cooking with wood, so if you guys would knindly tell me your set-ups, what kind of grills/cookers etc., how to do it-do you use charcoal AND wood splits or just wood; what species of wood works well for what meats, etc. I would appreciate it and remember I'm starting from knowing NOTHING about it so start from point zero-THANKS!

Anyone use "the Big Green Egg"? Can you use wood in it or must you stick with charcoal?

Thanks friends!

:greenchainsaw:

 

[JBinKC]

Nothing fancy here I use a cheap $30 Brinkman and/or a Weber grill. What I use depends upon the temperature I want to achieve. The green egg is simply out of my price range but it is the ultimate smoker to use.

I use charcoal and later add wood soaked in water for smoke.

The rule of thumb is anything that bears a fruit or nut is suitable for smoking. (there are some exceptions like maple) In general the fruit bearing woods are sweeter and more delicate and suitable for poultry (mulberry being my favorite) and the nut bearing trees are more suited for beef and pork (hickory/pecan being my favorite) but oak is commonly used in commercial BBQ places due to availability and lower cost. Mesquite imparts a stronger flavor.

Alder is usually the wood of choice for salmon and trout.

The internet is a good reference if you are a novice on the subject.

 

[redprospector]

There are a lot of different way's to cook with wood, and a lot of different woods work great. Here's what I do.
I sold my "good" smoker a long time ago, so I bought one of the smoker's from Home Depot. It's ok, but it draws an awray of foul language frome me from time to time.
For Fowel I like to use fruit wood. My favorite being Appricot. For a big bird like a turkey or goose I will par-boil it first, this cut's the cooking time down considerably and keeps the bird moist. It still takes at least 6 hours to smoke a turkey though.
For beef such as a brisket, I like mesquite but they say any nut bearing wood is good to smoke with (mesquite is bean bearing ).
Any time you're smoking meat your heat should be below 250 deg.
If you're smoking a brisket and it takes less than 12 hours, you are rushing it with too hot a fire, and the meat will tell on you every time.

Andy

 

[Lurch2]

smokin

Start out cheap. You might decide you don't like it or you don't have the "touch" for it. You can use most any grill to get your feet wet. Just build your fire to one side and put the meat on the other side. Low & slow is the only rule. If you decide you like it then you can start thinking about bigger better set ups, it can become an obsession like so many of the other things we do .

Google is your friend. There are endless varieties of rubs, sauces, techniques and cookers from a hole in the ground to semi trailer size.

Personally I use a big brinkman with the side fire box. Charcoal to start it then all wood until the end. The advice so far on the wood is good. Fruitwoods for the lighter meats and nut bearing for heavier stuff. I use apple for fish and poultry, hickory for pork & mesquite or oak for beef.

Have fun with it.

 

[djohn]

Just wanted to say that the best smoker actually is a cookshack but it is an electric. There are other good smokers but the cookshack absolutely without a doubt in my mind is the best.

I would use a weber to cook with wood, I believe I would start a small fire with charcoal and then add the wood to it. If you want a good wood cooked flavor without so much strong smoke taste I would add more wood and not soak it at all, let it burn to coals before adding the meat. If you want to smoke the meat more then just cook it then you should soak the wood but use less of it. Indirect heat would be better for this and a pan of water on top of the coals/heat source would help keep the meat moist. Important if you are going to smoke, don't peak at it too often, it will let your heat out and add to the cook time. A remote cooking thermometer will be useful to keep you from looking to see if it is done.

Good luck, I personally would make a first attempt at cooking with wood coals rather then smoking. My wife sometimes cooks on the wood stove in the winter and while it works it would be much better in a weber so the temp wasn't so high. She has a tendency to not plan the stove temp well enough in advance so often it cooks too quickly.

 

[gtstang462002]

general rule of thumb is any wood that bears the name of a fruit or nut makes good cooking/smoking wood. If the smoke is white it is right if it is black it needs more draft. For great grilling techniqes and recipies try one of Steve Raichlen's books from www.barbecuebible.com. I am not endorsing him but man i really love his recipies...

 

[charlesfarm]

Here's how we cook with wood:

We also heat 2100 sq feet with that little gem. The Amish know how to make a good stove, and for a fair price to boot!!

God bless,
Chris

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Thanks to all for the replies! I'm gonna think about what I want to do with all of this information! I appreciate your time and answers! :food:

 

[GeeVee]

Equipment is a must....

... the practice is an art.

First, You have to have a trunk section of a crotch, one limb having a void. Use your loader to move the 1200 lb firebox.

Slice the solid limb on a bias so it sits on the ground and faces the hollow up as your flue.

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Then nail the smokehouse together using left over 1/2" by 12" cut off of planking you milled and built your Lounge interior with. A trim nailer and a battery saw is all you need for this step tool.



Once you have the Smokehouse made, mount it to the Oak tree, load it with a hundred wings your wifey marinades for a day, and start the relaxation phase with a golden soda.



Have a damper such as the the one shown above.


Enjoy your freinds, you'll have many.



Dont be upset for two hours of cooking, its gone in ten minutes...

I did mention it was an Art right? So my method is temporary...... Then again, so is the food and the medium.

clicking a photo will enlarge for you.

 

[blackdoggy]

Stop It!!!!

Your all making me hungry and your making me think of how to redneck up a smoker out of these clay chimney pipes. Gee I love the way you make your disposable smoker there kudos

 

[Frank Boyer]

You seem to be asking about cooking BBQ rather than using a wood fired stove/oven. The absolute best "bang for the buck" cooker is a Weber Smokey Mountain water smoker. They are around $200 and many teams use them to compete on. Use charcoal for your heat source and pecan/fruit wood for your flavor wood. Paul Kirk's Championship BBQ and Championship Sauce books are excellent. I've been involved with competition BBQ since 1993.

 

[irishcountry]

just my 2 cents

I have always just used my weber mostly , get regular charcoal going and add some wood. I have also soaked the wood and it does last longer. I love mesquite to me it is screams BBQ I have mostly used it with beef cuts and or pork ribs. Hickory reminds me of bacon which can be good too especially with chicken or pork. My dad has a old electric burner (which you can get cheap i've seen them for like 8$ ) a old heavy pan for chips and a cardboard box for a cover he used it to just impart the smoke in the meat for a hour or a hour and a half then finished cooking in the oven. We ened up buying him a smoker the next fathers day but I think he still prefers his "Old method" of doing it so sometimes simple can be better. Not a competition setup but it works too!! The only other wood I have tried is apple but I didn't think the flavor was too different not bad just maybe not my thing could be the chips were not good quality or sat around for too long but like I said if you get a chance try mesquite. Thats all !! Have fun

 

[Billy_Bob]

On cold days I can cook on my woodstove inside the house. This is sort of like crockpot cooking. Long and slow. Can take a big kettle and make beans and ham, stew, etc. Cook 8 hours.

For outside I bought a BBQ at Walmart which has a very deep area under the grill. So I can stick firewood in there instead of charcoal. I don't use charcoal anymore being as my backyard has tons of firewood and charocal is expensive. I've learned that any wood will give an excellent flavor to whatever we are cooking (not just the traditional woods). We have a lot of Fir trees around here, so in the summer we make great tasting "Fir burgers"