Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
see. But what do you look for?

Cheryl > wrote:

>Can I use Poplar?

Not in my opinion. You need fruit wood or nut wood (the latter
including oak and hickory).

Steve

On 20/06/2011 10:00 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
> were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
> see. But what do you look for?

Poplar is really crappy wood for cooking. It is a very soft wood that
will burn cool and fast, and probably leave a taste of something
unpleasant. It ranks right up there with willow for cooking.

Good question, Cheryl. We had a gust of wind take down an old pecan tree
and I wondered if the grillers down the lane might like to have it. Our
temp has been hovering around 105° and the grill is not tempting me. Polly


"Dave Smith" <
> On 20/06/2011 10:00 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>> Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
>> were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
>> see. But what do you look for?
>
> Poplar is really crappy wood for cooking. It is a very soft wood that will
> burn cool and fast, and probably leave a taste of something unpleasant. It
> ranks right up there with willow for cooking.

Polly Esther > wrote:

>Good question, Cheryl. We had a gust of wind take down an old pecan tree
>and I wondered if the grillers down the lane might like to have it.

Definitely. Pecan is similar to hickory. They might even be the
same species, I'd have to look it up.

Steve

Sqwertz > wrote:

>Pecan and some oaks, followed by hickory, are the top three woods to
>smoke with.

I'm fond of plum and cherry for smoking.

Among oaks, Encino Oaks are legendary. (Yeah I know it sounds
like a subdivision.)

Steve

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
> were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
> see. But what do you look for?

No way. It would be a very unpleasant tasing result. You'd get the same
result using two by four lumber. You need dried hard woods. Apple, cherry,
hickory, ash all would be great. I am not an expert griller but I know the
die hards use primarily hickory with some apple for aroma.

Paul

> No way. *It would be a very unpleasant tasing result. *You'd get the same
> result using two by four lumber. *You need dried hard woods. *Apple, cherry,
> hickory, ash all would be great. * I am not an expert griller but I know the
> die hards use primarily hickory with some apple for aroma.
>
> Paul

A chunk of maple with some soaked corn cobs is quite nice with pork
and turkey.

On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:53:10 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:03:28 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> Among oaks, Encino Oaks are legendary.
>
>Maybe you should update Wikipedia then. As it [doesn't] stands now,
>there's no such oak.

I went there too-- but I finally found references to Encino Oak as a
species in Mexico and Costa Rico-
http://www.costaricamyparadise.com/tourist6.html
"The park also contains forests of encino oak, a hardwood tree that is
abundant along the volcano's Atlantic slope."

You should probably make a disambiguation page for Encino oak.

>
>Post Oak is considered THE oak in smoke rings.

Never heard of it. Looks like it skirts below NY.

Hickory is king in 'my circle' -- Though my neighbor and I prefer
cherry, which happily blows over in abundance in our woods.

Jim

On Jun 20, 9:52*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> Polly Esther > wrote:
> >Good question, Cheryl. *We had a gust of wind take down an old pecan tree
> >and I wondered if the grillers down the lane might like to have it.
>
> Definitely. *Pecan is similar to hickory. * They might even be the
> same species, I'd have to look it up.

Hickory is a genus, and pecans are hickories (Carya). I don't like
their flavor as much as shagbarks, but they're a heck of a lot easier
to get out of the shells.
>
> Steve

--Bryan

On 6/21/2011 2:16 AM, Paul M. Cook wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
>> were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
>> see. But what do you look for?
>
> No way. It would be a very unpleasant tasing result. You'd get the same
> result using two by four lumber. You need dried hard woods. Apple, cherry,
> hickory, ash all would be great. I am not an expert griller but I know the
> die hards use primarily hickory with some apple for aroma.

Poplar _is_ a hardwood. It's not often used for grilling meat, but it
can be used. It has a mild flavor, so when it is used, it is usually
mixed with more flavorful hardwood. Some people have reported that
cottonwoods (a type of poplar) has a chemical off-taste, but most
agree that yellow poplar is okay to use. It just doesn't provide much
in the way of flavor.

On 6/21/2011 3:16 AM, Paul M. Cook wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> Can I use Poplar? I'm getting some stumps grinded this week. The trees
>> were alive before last year when I had them cut down. No rot that I can
>> see. But what do you look for?
>
> No way. It would be a very unpleasant tasing result. You'd get the same
> result using two by four lumber. You need dried hard woods. Apple, cherry,
> hickory, ash all would be great. I am not an expert griller but I know the
> die hards use primarily hickory with some apple for aroma.
>
> Paul
>
>

Poplar is a hard wood. I have burned it in a campfire and it doesn't
have a strong smell.

> *>Things like peach and some other fruit trees and bad <<

Hmmm....I have been using peach, pecan & citrus woods ]for years...!
if it is dried it presents no problem for grilling....especially when
combined with a hardwood such as oak.

George wrote:
>
> Poplar is a hard wood. I have burned it in a campfire and it doesn't
> have a strong smell.

It works fine in a camp fire and therefore it will work fine for
grilling. Where fine means don't consider using it in a neighborhood
grill off for bragging rights but any use less intense than that will be
okay. This is burger cooking wood not slow cook BBQ smoking wood.

Poplar grows very fast so even though it's a "hardwood" it burns fast.
Expect to go through plenty.

kozzak > wrote:

>> *>Things like peach and some other fruit trees and bad <<
>
>Hmmm....I have been using peach, pecan & citrus woods ]for years...!
>if it is dried it presents no problem for grilling....especially when
>combined with a hardwood such as oak.

I have not used peach specifically, but I have used plum extensively
and one would believe these two woods are similar as they are related.
Plum is my all-time favorite grilling wood. By luck, someone in the
neighborhood just slices some plum branches and set them out for
folks to gather up for their barbecue use, so I have a small supply.

Steve

On Jun 21, 10:12*am, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> kozzak > wrote:
> >> *>Things like peach and some other fruit trees and bad <<
>
> >Hmmm....I have been using peach, pecan *& citrus woods ]for years...!
> >if it is dried it presents no problem *for grilling....especially when
> >combined with a hardwood such as oak.
>
> I have not used peach specifically, but I have used plum extensively
> and one would believe these two woods are similar as they are related.
> Plum is my all-time favorite grilling wood. *By luck, someone in the
> neighborhood just slices some plum branches and set them out for
> folks to gather up for their barbecue use, so I have a small supply.

I am unlucky because my peach tree provides few peaches, but lucky
that I have lots of peach wood.
I have several cherry trees too, and I think that's my favorite. I
get shagbark hickory bark from my sister's yard. The bark is great.
>
> Steve

--Bryan

On 6/20/2011 10:05 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> > wrote:
>
>> Can I use Poplar?
>
> Not in my opinion. You need fruit wood or nut wood (the latter
> including oak and hickory).

Thanks. I was just wondering if I could make wood chips out of
something I already have. I do have maple trees in my yard, and oak. I
think I'll just have to try some of the suggestions from a few weeks ago
and buy some wood chips.

Cheryl > wrote:

>Thanks. I was just wondering if I could make wood chips out of
>something I already have. I do have maple trees in my yard, and oak. I
>think I'll just have to try some of the suggestions from a few weeks ago
>and buy some wood chips.

If nothing else, the "Weber" brand bagged cherry wood pieces are perfectly
okay.

Steve

On 6/21/2011 9:06 AM, Hell Toupee wrote:

> Poplar _is_ a hardwood. It's not often used for grilling meat, but it
> can be used. It has a mild flavor, so when it is used, it is usually
> mixed with more flavorful hardwood. Some people have reported that
> cottonwoods (a type of poplar) has a chemical off-taste, but most agree
> that yellow poplar is okay to use. It just doesn't provide much in the
> way of flavor.

I think mine is yellow poplar. Good to know because if it isn't going
to add flavor, I won't bother. Thanks.

On 6/21/2011 10:42 AM, Doug Freyburger wrote:

> It works fine in a camp fire and therefore it will work fine for
> grilling. Where fine means don't consider using it in a neighborhood
> grill off for bragging rights but any use less intense than that will be
> okay. This is burger cooking wood not slow cook BBQ smoking wood.
>
> Poplar grows very fast so even though it's a "hardwood" it burns fast.
> Expect to go through plenty.

Actually, I'm just after wood chips. I have a gas grill. I want to try
again with a foil roaster under the grate with water in it, and foil
smoke bombs on the flames.

On Jun 21, 6:40*pm, Cheryl > wrote:
> On 6/20/2011 10:05 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
>
> > > *wrote:
>
> >> Can I use Poplar?
>
> > Not in my opinion. *You need fruit wood or nut wood (the latter
> > including oak and hickory).
>
> Thanks. *I was just wondering if I could make wood chips out of
> something I already have. *I do have maple trees in my yard, and oak. I
> think I'll just have to try some of the suggestions from a few weeks ago
> and buy some wood chips.

Cheryl, I have maple trees, and I'd never put those on a cooking
fire. Oak is fine if it's seasoned (aged). Hickory needs less aging,
and the bark from shagbarks seasons on the tree.

--Bryan

On Jun 21, 6:44*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> Cheryl > wrote:
> >Thanks. *I was just wondering if I could make wood chips out of
> >something I already have. *I do have maple trees in my yard, and oak. I
> >think I'll just have to try some of the suggestions from a few weeks ago
> >and buy some wood chips.
>
> If nothing else, the "Weber" brand bagged cherry wood pieces are perfectly
> okay. *

I imagine they're more than okay. They're probably better than the
small dead branches that I use off of my cherry trees. They are just
expensive.
>
> Steve

--Bryan

"Hell Toupee" > wrote
>
> Poplar _is_ a hardwood. It's not often used for grilling meat, but it can
> be used. It has a mild flavor, so when it is used, it is usually mixed
> with more flavorful hardwood. Some people have reported that cottonwoods
> (a type of poplar) has a chemical off-taste, but most agree that yellow
> poplar is okay to use. It just doesn't provide much in the way of flavor.

I did not write this, but the original author's name is lost

BBQ WOODS

On the subject of BBQ woods, I have found the best results to be from nut
and fruit bearing trees, cut down from 6 months to 2 years old. Like Oak,
Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan, Peach, Pear, Apple, Apricot, & Maple to list a
few. These are the safest types to use for cooking. I have found that wood
over two years old tends to produce a dirty taste in the food more often
than not. Wood can be cut down whole, and split after five or so months of
seasoning. I recommend splitting three days or so before cooking with it.

ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Hard to find commercially.
Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

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, available white or
black. Good with fish and red meats.

BLACK WALNUT - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood
like hickory or mesquite. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats
and game.

CHERRY - Mild, fruity, but slightly bitter if it comes from chokecherry
trees. Good with poultry, pork and beef (turns skin brown).

GRAPE VINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Expensive.
Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
HICKORY - Most commonly used. 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 - One of the hottest burning. Strong earthy flavor. Good with
beef, fish, chicken and game.

OAK - Lighter version of mesquite. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak makes
the best coals burning longer. Good with red meat, fish and heavy game.

ORANGE - Light and citrusy. Good with pork and game birds.

PECAN - A cool burner. Nutty and sweet. Tasty with a subtle character.
Good with steaks, ribs and cheese.

"Bryan" > wrote
>> Thanks. I was just wondering if I could make wood chips out of
>> something I already have. I do have maple trees in my yard, and oak. I
>> think I'll just have to try some of the suggestions from a few weeks ago
>> and buy some wood chips.
>
> Cheryl, I have maple trees, and I'd never put those on a cooking
> fire. Oak is fine if it's seasoned (aged). Hickory needs less aging,
> and the bark from shagbarks seasons on the tree.
>
> --Bryan

I use maple often, as do many commercial meat packers. (think BACON) It is
more mild than oak, nice taste to it.

I do woodworking so I often have maple, oak, and cherry around for smoking.

On 6/21/2011 10:31 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> BBQ WOODS
>
> On the subject of BBQ woods, I have found the best results to be from
> nut and fruit bearing trees, cut down from 6 months to 2 years old. Like
> Oak, Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan, Peach, Pear, Apple, Apricot, & Maple to
> list a few. These are the safest types to use for cooking. I have found
> that wood over two years old tends to produce a dirty taste in the food
> more often than not. Wood can be cut down whole, and split after five or
> so months of seasoning. I recommend splitting three days or so before
> cooking with it.
>
> ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Hard to find
> commercially. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
>
> 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, available white or
> black. Good with fish and red meats.
>
> BLACK WALNUT - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood
> like hickory or mesquite. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red
> meats and game.
>
> CHERRY - Mild, fruity, but slightly bitter if it comes from chokecherry
> trees. Good with poultry, pork and beef (turns skin brown).
>
> GRAPE VINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity.
> Expensive. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
> HICKORY - Most commonly used. 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 - One of the hottest burning. Strong earthy flavor. Good with
> beef, fish, chicken and game.
>
> OAK - Lighter version of mesquite. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak
> makes the best coals burning longer. Good with red meat, fish and heavy
> game.
>
> ORANGE - Light and citrusy. Good with pork and game birds.
>
> PECAN - A cool burner. Nutty and sweet. Tasty with a subtle character.
> Good with steaks, ribs and cheese.

Saved, and thanks!

Bryan wrote:
>
> Cheryl, I have maple trees, and I'd never put those
> on a cooking
> fire.
>
> --Bryan

Huh? Sugar maple is an excellent smoking wood. Less
than excellent would be most other maples, but they
are all good for cooking/smoking woods

Jim Elbrecht wrote:
>
> On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:53:10 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
> >On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:03:28 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
> >
> >> Among oaks, Encino Oaks are legendary.
> >
> >Maybe you should update Wikipedia then. As it [doesn't] stands now,
> >there's no such oak.
>
> I went there too-- but I finally found references to Encino Oak as a
> species in Mexico and Costa Rico-
> http://www.costaricamyparadise.com/tourist6.html
> "The park also contains forests of encino oak, a hardwood tree that is
> abundant along the volcano's Atlantic slope."
>
> You should probably make a disambiguation page for Encino oak.

This is exactly why I haven't ever tried to correct
something in Wikipedia. I know if I got started,
it'd be hard to stop. It's like there's this big
black hole there, waiting to suck up all of my time,
and I've got to avoid stepping within its Schwarzchild
radius.

There's so many things I'd like to correct. Like deleting
the paragraph which mentions Area 51 in this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-70_Valkyrie

And the reference it cites, to an absurd book by
a terribly unreliable author. It's listed both in
the references and the bibliography.

> >Post Oak is considered THE oak in smoke rings.
>
> Never heard of it. Looks like it skirts below NY.
>
> Hickory is king in 'my circle' -- Though my neighbor and I prefer
> cherry, which happily blows over in abundance in our woods.

I've tried hickory, mesquite, apple, maple, pecan, and a couple
others I've forgotten. Hickory and mesquite are far and away
my favorites, but I like a heavy smoke flavor. I have
a theory that people who swear by the other woods prefer
light smokes. I remember when I started smoking I made some
batches of meat so heavily smoked I considered them inedible
and threw them away. I'd probably like those batches today.
At the least, I'd use them in soup, where a heavily smoked
sausage can provide just the right smokiness.

On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:31:24 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
> wrote:

>
>"Hell Toupee" > wrote
>>
>> Poplar _is_ a hardwood. It's not often used for grilling meat, but it can
>> be used. It has a mild flavor, so when it is used, it is usually mixed
>> with more flavorful hardwood. Some people have reported that cottonwoods
>> (a type of poplar) has a chemical off-taste, but most agree that yellow
>> poplar is okay to use. It just doesn't provide much in the way of flavor.
>
>I did not write this, but the original author's name is lost
>
>BBQ WOODS
>
>On the subject of BBQ woods, I have found the best results to be from nut
>and fruit bearing trees,

That's not a clear way to put it... all trees bear fruit... nuts are
seeds and seeds are borne by fruit. It's better to say all woods are
good for smoking food except those that are resinous. Some of the
best woody material for smoking food are the dried stems and leaves of
certain herbaceous plants, the same ones kept in ones spice pantry....
pickling spice works very well for smoking meats, it's cheap and only
need a couple spoonfuls. Dried sugarcane is excellent for smoking
pork, poultry, and game meats... what do folks think was used in the
tropics where bbq was invented... they have no maple and hickory
trees. People all over the planet smoke meats, it's one of the basic
preservation methods... in some parts dried seaweeds are used.


>cut down from 6 months to 2 years old. Like Oak,
>Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan, Peach, Pear, Apple, Apricot, & Maple to list a
>few. These are the safest types to use for cooking. I have found that wood
>over two years old tends to produce a dirty taste in the food more often
>than not. Wood can be cut down whole, and split after five or so months of
>seasoning. I recommend splitting three days or so before cooking with it.
>
>ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Hard to find commercially.
>Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
>
>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, available white or
>black. Good with fish and red meats.
>
>BLACK WALNUT - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood
>like hickory or mesquite. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats
>and game.
>
>CHERRY - Mild, fruity, but slightly bitter if it comes from chokecherry
>trees. Good with poultry, pork and beef (turns skin brown).
>
>GRAPE VINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Expensive.
>Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
>HICKORY - Most commonly used. 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 - One of the hottest burning. Strong earthy flavor. Good with
>beef, fish, chicken and game.
>
>OAK - Lighter version of mesquite. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak makes
>the best coals burning longer. Good with red meat, fish and heavy game.
>
>ORANGE - Light and citrusy. Good with pork and game birds.
>
>PECAN - A cool burner. Nutty and sweet. Tasty with a subtle character.
>Good with steaks, ribs and cheese.
>

In article >,
"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

cut-

> BBQ WOODS
>
> On the subject of BBQ woods, I have found the best results to be from nut
> and fruit bearing trees, cut down from 6 months to 2 years old. Like Oak,
> Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan, Peach, Pear, Apple, Apricot, & Maple to list a
> few. These are the safest types to use for cooking. I have found that wood
> over two years old tends to produce a dirty taste in the food more often
> than not. Wood can be cut down whole, and split after five or so months of
> seasoning. I recommend splitting three days or so before cooking with it.
>
> ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Hard to find commercially.
> Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
>
> 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, available white or
> black. Good with fish and red meats.
>
> BLACK WALNUT - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood
> like hickory or mesquite. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats
> and game.
>
> CHERRY - Mild, fruity, but slightly bitter if it comes from chokecherry
> trees. Good with poultry, pork and beef (turns skin brown).
>
> GRAPE VINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Expensive.
> Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
> HICKORY - Most commonly used. 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 - One of the hottest burning. Strong earthy flavor. Good with
> beef, fish, chicken and game.
>
> OAK - Lighter version of mesquite. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak makes
> the best coals burning longer. Good with red meat, fish and heavy game.
>
> ORANGE - Light and citrusy. Good with pork and game birds.
>
> PECAN - A cool burner. Nutty and sweet. Tasty with a subtle character.
> Good with steaks, ribs and cheese.
>
I would make a distinction between grilling/roasting and smoking. For
example, I find that mesquite is too 'industrial' a flavor for smoking.
For roasting/grilling I have used mesquite, oak, almond, grape, and
alder, all of which were successful. I have only used hickory, cherry,
and apple, so far, in my smoker and I like them all.

D.M.

I forgot to add manzanita to my grilling/roasting list. It's great for
steaks.

D.M.

Don Martinich > wrote:

-snip-

>I would make a distinction between grilling/roasting and smoking. For
>example, I find that mesquite is too 'industrial' a flavor for smoking.
>For roasting/grilling I have used mesquite, oak, almond, grape, and
>alder, all of which were successful. I have only used hickory, cherry,
>and apple, so far, in my smoker and I like them all.

Good points, all- I've been using so much cherry lately I'd
forgotten about grapevines. Truly one of the better smells, even if
it doesn't last as long as a hardwood.

I'll throw some grapevine on top of charcoal while griling.

Jim

On 6/22/2011 7:38 PM, Don Martinich wrote:
> In >,
> "Ed > wrote:
>
> cut-
>
>> BBQ WOODS
>>
>> On the subject of BBQ woods, I have found the best results to be from nut
>> and fruit bearing trees, cut down from 6 months to 2 years old. Like Oak,
>> Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan, Peach, Pear, Apple, Apricot,& Maple to list a
>> few. These are the safest types to use for cooking. I have found that wood
>> over two years old tends to produce a dirty taste in the food more often
>> than not. Wood can be cut down whole, and split after five or so months of
>> seasoning. I recommend splitting three days or so before cooking with it.
>>
>> ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Hard to find commercially.
>> Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
>>
>> 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, available white or
>> black. Good with fish and red meats.
>>
>> BLACK WALNUT - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood
>> like hickory or mesquite. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats
>> and game.
>>
>> CHERRY - Mild, fruity, but slightly bitter if it comes from chokecherry
>> trees. Good with poultry, pork and beef (turns skin brown).
>>
>> GRAPE VINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Expensive.
>> Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
>> HICKORY - Most commonly used. 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 - One of the hottest burning. Strong earthy flavor. Good with
>> beef, fish, chicken and game.
>>
>> OAK - Lighter version of mesquite. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak makes
>> the best coals burning longer. Good with red meat, fish and heavy game.
>>
>> ORANGE - Light and citrusy. Good with pork and game birds.
>>
>> PECAN - A cool burner. Nutty and sweet. Tasty with a subtle character.
>> Good with steaks, ribs and cheese.
>>
> I would make a distinction between grilling/roasting and smoking. For
> example, I find that mesquite is too 'industrial' a flavor for smoking.
> For roasting/grilling I have used mesquite, oak, almond, grape, and
> alder, all of which were successful. I have only used hickory, cherry,
> and apple, so far, in my smoker and I like them all.
>
> D.M.
Two winters ago we had an orange tree and a pear tree killed by frost.
Both ended up as smoking wood, have a couple of five-gallon bucks full
of the wood, each nicely labeled. I use it exclusively for smoking and
like the flavor input from the lemon wood. Pear is a lot more subtle.
Over smoking with any wood turns the meat surface into creosote as far
as I'm concerned.

George Shirley wrote:
>
>Two winters ago we had an orange tree and a pear tree killed by frost.
>Both ended up as smoking wood.

What kind of pear tree gets killed by frost... do you mean alligator
pear (avocado)? Most true pear trees will luxuriate in temperatures
down to -30ºF. A frost while blossoming may obliterate the crop but
won't harm the tree at all... may even strenghten it as it redirects
its energy from fruit production.