On 3-Oct-2008, Nonnymus > wrote:

> TFM® wrote:
>
> > Speaking of hard hardwood, I got ahold of a big chunk of an orange tree
> > a week or so ago. It was a 6" limb about 8" long.
> > I started with my hatchet. What a joke that was.
> > Then I fired up the chainsaw - hot-rod chainsaw with a brand new chain -
> > I might as well have been cutting stone. Damn, that's some hard wood!
> >
>
> I've never smoked with citrus wood, so I cannot say what the results
> would be like. However, I have two citrus bushes in the back yard and
> must admit I sure admire the strength of the branches. One Meyer Lemon
> bush is about 5' in diameter and yielded just over 120 very large lemons
> last year. The weight was enough to have flattened any other bush I've
> encountered, but the Meyer Lemon bush might have a pencil-sized branch
> with 3-4 lemons on it, 2' away from a bigger branch.
>
> In MO, we had a lot of what was called Hedge or Hedge Apple trees. They
> were a popular fence row in and of themselves, and cut off branches
> would make great fence posts for in between the trees. I believe the
> correct name for them is Osage Orange- could that be what you're
> describing. If so, the wood is incredibly hard. In fact, it's
> virtually impossible to staple fence wire to one unless you drive the
> staple into a crack or split. The Hedge Apples have no commercial use
> I'm aware of, but hogs sure love them.
>
> Like citrus woods, I'm not sure how Hedge would work for smoking, but a
> fire made of the dried wood makes decent coals for grilling.
>
>
> --
> Nonnymus-

I've smoked with a fair amount of orange wood here. It makes a nice sweet
mild smoke that's especially good for pork. I'm out of it at the moment, but
there's plenty of orange groves around here. There's got to be some loose
orange wood someplace.
--
Brick(Youth is wasted on young people)