Hello;

Some of my recent wood choices have been : Apple, Hickory, Whiskey Oak,
Regular Oak, California Red Oak & Pecan.
Has anyone "mixed the wood" or started with one wood and finished with
another?

If so what were the results, and was there a noticeable difference?


TIA.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:
> Hello;
>
> Some of my recent wood choices have been : Apple, Hickory, Whiskey
> Oak, Regular Oak, California Red Oak & Pecan.
> Has anyone "mixed the wood" or started with one wood and finished with
> another?
>
> If so what were the results, and was there a noticeable difference?

I do it all the time, Dimitri. This stuff is so subjective that I hesitate
to say WHAT anyone would notice. BUT, I love either apple or peach mixed
with either hickory or oak; or a pecan and cherry mix. For my 'Q joint, I
will be trucking in loads of pecan, hickory and oak to mix in ratio with the
abundant (and cheap) peach, apple and cherry that I have locally.
Dave

"Dave Bugg" <deebuggatcharterdotnet> wrote in message
...
> Dimitri wrote:
> > Hello;
> >
> > Some of my recent wood choices have been : Apple, Hickory, Whiskey
> > Oak, Regular Oak, California Red Oak & Pecan.
> > Has anyone "mixed the wood" or started with one wood and finished with
> > another?
> >
> > If so what were the results, and was there a noticeable difference?
>
> I do it all the time, Dimitri. This stuff is so subjective that I hesitate
> to say WHAT anyone would notice. BUT, I love either apple or peach mixed
> with either hickory or oak; or a pecan and cherry mix. For my 'Q joint, I
> will be trucking in loads of pecan, hickory and oak to mix in ratio with
the
> abundant (and cheap) peach, apple and cherry that I have locally.
> Dave

Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally finished with
some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.

Dimitri

> Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally finished
with
> some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
>
> Dimitri

I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak cheap. I have
been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I have also noticed that
many of the Q joints in my area do the same thing.
I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was thinking that
Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a steak. Anyone tried
this? What wood(s), for how long and at what temp? I am guessing you don't
want to cook the steak, just get some flavor in. Then grill it to taste.

ag

In article >, "AG"
> wrote:

> > Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally finished
> with
> > some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
> >
> > Dimitri
>
> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak cheap. I have
> been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I have also noticed that
> many of the Q joints in my area do the same thing.
> I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was thinking that
> Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a steak. Anyone tried
> this? What wood(s), for how long and at what temp? I am guessing you don't
> want to cook the steak, just get some flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
>
My last pork butt was done with a mix of ??,???, and ????. I looked in
my tools bucket and found 4 or 5 foil-wrapped chunks that hadn't been
used, left over from earlier cooks. It smelled like mesquite, oak and
cherry but I really really don't know. I guess you could call it Chunk
Roulette....
Pre smoking steaks has never really worked for me. I like 'em too rare
for that.


monroe(mebbe some ????? in there too)

"AG" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> > Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally finished
> with
> > some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
> >
> > Dimitri
>
> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak cheap. I
have
> been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I have also noticed
that
> many of the Q joints in my area do the same thing.
> I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was thinking
that
> Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a steak. Anyone tried
> this? What wood(s), for how long and at what temp? I am guessing you don't
> want to cook the steak, just get some flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
>
> ag
>
I don't do real Q yet (but I've been hangin' here and learning) but I do a
lot with my Weber kettle. Probably not new but what I do with steaks and
lamb chops is to season the meat and then sear quickly over a real Hot bed
of coals. Take the meat off and throw on a lot of soaked (I know many if not
most consider this a real fox paw) hickory chips on the coals. Meat goes
back on the grill, on with the lid with vents wide open. I get vast amounts
of smoke, moderate heat and depending on the thickness of the meat after
about 10-12 min first side and 5-6 min second side a smoky medium grilled
steak.
John

In article >,
says...
<In article >, "AG"
> wrote:
<
<snip>
<Pre smoking steaks has never really worked for me. I like 'em too rare
<for that.
<
<
<monroe(mebbe some ????? in there too)
<

Have you tried throwing the steaks on the smoker frozen?
They ought to take up some smoke flavor by the time the thaw out,
then grill to your taste requirements. Just a thought.

Bill

AG wrote:
> I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling...

Well, I wouldn't call it smokin followed by grillin but I do start my steaks
over a medium fire to get a good sear on both sides then move them to
indirect cookin to finish off medium rare with plenty of smoke taste in em.

> ... and I was
> thinking that Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a
> steak. Anyone tried this?

I always use mesquite for my steaks. As ya say, it's strong, so don't get
carried away with usin a bunch. For the time ya gonna be cookin, 1 nice
chunk oughta do ya just fine.
--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry

John Droge wrote:
> "AG" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>>> Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally
>>> finished with some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
>>>
>>> Dimitri
>>
>> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak
>> cheap. I have been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I
>> have also noticed that many of the Q joints in my area do the same
>> thing. I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was
>> thinking that Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a
>> steak. Anyone tried this? What wood(s), for how long and at what
>> temp? I am guessing you don't want to cook the steak, just get some
>> flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
>>
>> ag
>>
> I don't do real Q yet (but I've been hangin' here and learning) but I
> do a lot with my Weber kettle. Probably not new but what I do with
> steaks and lamb chops is to season the meat and then sear quickly
> over a real Hot bed of coals. Take the meat off and throw on a lot of
> soaked (I know many if not most consider this a real fox paw) hickory
> chips on the coals. Meat goes back on the grill, on with the lid with
> vents wide open. I get vast amounts of smoke, moderate heat and
> depending on the thickness of the meat after about 10-12 min first
> side and 5-6 min second side a smoky medium grilled steak.
> John

"Vast amounts of smoke" is really not a good idea, John. It leaves heavy
desposits of creosote and particulate matter on your food, which does not
improve taste (and it's not very healthy, either). A thin blue smoke, as is
emitted by dry wood that's burned into embers is far preferable and that's
why most good Qers will recommend not soaking wood before using it to
barbecue. If you're happy with your method, fine, but I suggest you try
time-tested and proven techniques and compare.

Jack Curry

"Jack Curry" <Jack-Curry deletethis @cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
om...
> John Droge wrote:
> > "AG" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >>
> >>
> >>> Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally
> >>> finished with some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
> >>>
> >>> Dimitri
> >>
> >> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak
> >> cheap. I have been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I
> >> have also noticed that many of the Q joints in my area do the same
> >> thing. I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was
> >> thinking that Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a
> >> steak. Anyone tried this? What wood(s), for how long and at what
> >> temp? I am guessing you don't want to cook the steak, just get some
> >> flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
> >>
> >> ag
> >>
> > I don't do real Q yet (but I've been hangin' here and learning) but I
> > do a lot with my Weber kettle. Probably not new but what I do with
> > steaks and lamb chops is to season the meat and then sear quickly
> > over a real Hot bed of coals. Take the meat off and throw on a lot of
> > soaked (I know many if not most consider this a real fox paw) hickory
> > chips on the coals. Meat goes back on the grill, on with the lid with
> > vents wide open. I get vast amounts of smoke, moderate heat and
> > depending on the thickness of the meat after about 10-12 min first
> > side and 5-6 min second side a smoky medium grilled steak.
> > John
>
> "Vast amounts of smoke" is really not a good idea, John. It leaves heavy
> desposits of creosote and particulate matter on your food, which does not
> improve taste (and it's not very healthy, either). A thin blue smoke, as
is
> emitted by dry wood that's burned into embers is far preferable and that's
> why most good Qers will recommend not soaking wood before using it to
> barbecue. If you're happy with your method, fine, but I suggest you try
> time-tested and proven techniques and compare.
>
> Jack Curry
>
> Thanks for the tip Jack. How about this. Sear the meat then move the coals
to the side, add dry chips and cook about 15 min per side indirect. I get
real good flavor on birds and roasts doin this. Wouldn't a thick steak come
out like a mini roast?
John

"John Droge" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
>
> "Jack Curry" <Jack-Curry deletethis @cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
> om...
> > John Droge wrote:
> > > "AG" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally
> > >>> finished with some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
> > >>>
> > >>> Dimitri
> > >>
> > >> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak
> > >> cheap. I have been mixing the two all the way through ever since. I
> > >> have also noticed that many of the Q joints in my area do the same
> > >> thing. I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling and I was
> > >> thinking that Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by themselves for a
> > >> steak. Anyone tried this? What wood(s), for how long and at what
> > >> temp? I am guessing you don't want to cook the steak, just get some
> > >> flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
> > >>
> > >> ag
> > >>
> > > I don't do real Q yet (but I've been hangin' here and learning) but I
> > > do a lot with my Weber kettle. Probably not new but what I do with
> > > steaks and lamb chops is to season the meat and then sear quickly
> > > over a real Hot bed of coals. Take the meat off and throw on a lot of
> > > soaked (I know many if not most consider this a real fox paw) hickory
> > > chips on the coals. Meat goes back on the grill, on with the lid with
> > > vents wide open. I get vast amounts of smoke, moderate heat and
> > > depending on the thickness of the meat after about 10-12 min first
> > > side and 5-6 min second side a smoky medium grilled steak.
> > > John
> >
> > "Vast amounts of smoke" is really not a good idea, John. It leaves
heavy
> > desposits of creosote and particulate matter on your food, which does
not
> > improve taste (and it's not very healthy, either). A thin blue smoke,
as
> is
> > emitted by dry wood that's burned into embers is far preferable and
that's
> > why most good Qers will recommend not soaking wood before using it to
> > barbecue. If you're happy with your method, fine, but I suggest you try
> > time-tested and proven techniques and compare.
> >
> > Jack Curry
> >
> > Thanks for the tip Jack. How about this. Sear the meat then move the
coals
> to the side, add dry chips and cook about 15 min per side indirect. I get
> real good flavor on birds and roasts doin this. Wouldn't a thick steak
come
> out like a mini roast?
> John
>
> Opps I wrote this before seeing frohe's post * that makes sense..never
mind*
John

John Droge wrote:
> "John Droge" > wrote in message
> hlink.net...
>>
>> "Jack Curry" <Jack-Curry deletethis @cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
>> om...
>>> John Droge wrote:
>>>> "AG" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks, I started a picnic with some Hickory and accidentally
>>>>>> finished with some oak - I liked the results. A nice change.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dimitri
>>>>>
>>>>> I have always just used hickory until I got a lot of white oak
>>>>> cheap. I have been mixing the two all the way through ever since.
>>>>> I have also noticed that many of the Q joints in my area do the
>>>>> same thing. I have thought about smoking steaks before grilling
>>>>> and I was thinking that Hickory or Mesquite are too strong by
>>>>> themselves for a steak. Anyone tried this? What wood(s), for how
>>>>> long and at what temp? I am guessing you don't want to cook the
>>>>> steak, just get some flavor in. Then grill it to taste.
>>>>>
>>>>> ag
>>>>>
>>>> I don't do real Q yet (but I've been hangin' here and learning)
>>>> but I do a lot with my Weber kettle. Probably not new but what I
>>>> do with steaks and lamb chops is to season the meat and then sear
>>>> quickly over a real Hot bed of coals. Take the meat off and throw
>>>> on a lot of soaked (I know many if not most consider this a real
>>>> fox paw) hickory chips on the coals. Meat goes back on the grill,
>>>> on with the lid with vents wide open. I get vast amounts of smoke,
>>>> moderate heat and depending on the thickness of the meat after
>>>> about 10-12 min first side and 5-6 min second side a smoky medium
>>>> grilled steak. John
>>>
>>> "Vast amounts of smoke" is really not a good idea, John. It leaves
>>> heavy desposits of creosote and particulate matter on your food,
>>> which does not improve taste (and it's not very healthy, either).
>>> A thin blue smoke,
> as
>> is
>>> emitted by dry wood that's burned into embers is far preferable and
>>> that's why most good Qers will recommend not soaking wood before
>>> using it to barbecue. If you're happy with your method, fine, but
>>> I suggest you try time-tested and proven techniques and compare.
>>>
>>> Jack Curry
>>>
>>> Thanks for the tip Jack. How about this. Sear the meat then move the
> coals
>> to the side, add dry chips and cook about 15 min per side indirect.
>> I get real good flavor on birds and roasts doin this. Wouldn't a
>> thick steak come out like a mini roast?
>> John
>>
>> Opps I wrote this before seeing frohe's post * that makes
>> sense..never
> mind*
> John

You might try using wood chunks, rather than chips, since they won't burn up
immediately. Another good trick is to wrap a chunk of wood tightly in a few
layers of tinfoil (punch a couple of pinholes in it), which will cause the
wood to smolder instead of burn. When you're done, unwrap the package and
you have made charcoal.

Jack Curry