Real smoking wood

[250mark1]

Does anyone have a good source for buying hickory and mesquite wood for smoking ?
I use an offset charcoal smoker for ribs and briskets etc and am looking for a good source of wood. As I find the pellet smokers taste off IMO
I had been using the montanas wood chunks that the BBQ stores and home hardware sell but try are getting pretty pricey $20.00 plus dollars for 5 pounds.

I was in cabelas last summer in post falls idaho and picked up a couple 45 lb bags of hickory and mesquite logs /branches looking for something like that

[Red Bullets]

Find a landowner with some Box Alder that needs thinning out. It's a type of maple. Excellent wood for smoking meats. Diamond willow is another wood that's great, for smoking birds and fish and is abundant enough to get a load for free locally. Birch is a nice smoke too.

No mesquite or hickory grows locally.

[pikeman06]

Willow for fish. I cut red willow into chunks. You can use it green or the fine branches. Add it to your alder chips and it gives a beautiful tangy flavor that you won't find anywhere else. Any willow will work. Just cut the same length as your wood chip pan with pruNing shears and add to smoldering store bought wood chips and it will give a taste that you can't buy in a store

[Opa]

Chokecherry, Pincherry or Saskatoon are good as well.

[gopher67]

If you are in edmonton try halfords or unipac they have big bags of chips or saw dust

[saskbooknut]

Apple wood is great for smoking fish and sausage. Lots of crabapples in need of pruning in our city. In fact, crabapples are mighty common across the prairie.

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Find a landowner with some Box Alder that needs thinning out. It's a type of maple. Excellent wood for smoking meats. Diamond willow is another wood that's great, for smoking birds and fish and is abundant enough to get a load for free locally. Birch is a nice smoke too.

No mesquite or hickory grows locally.

Birch? Really? Never thought of using it. What do you smoke with it? I like using Alder a lot.

[Beeman3]

I like Oak for my Briskets. Plentiful here in Manitoba. I have a apple orchard and save the trim and and dead trees. I find apple is nice on almost everything from fish to pork. I find Mesquite to strong and over powering. Cost wise I would go and cut a bunch of local trees. Oak, Apple and chokecherry would be my choices. I cook on a PRIMO OVAL XL. Few chunks of wood and low and slow works great.

[Opa]

Originally Posted by PartTimeHunter

Birch? Really? Never thought of using it. What do you smoke with it? I like using Alder a lot.

Birch is good for smoking, IF you peel the bark down to the wood. Burning birch with the bark on produces a black, sooty smoke, adhering to whatever you are smoking, giving it the most gawdawful sooty taste. A friend found out the hard way, having to feed the ravens & coyotes 50 lbs of good sausage!!!!

[gtr]

Originally Posted by saskbooknut

Apple wood is great for smoking fish and sausage. Lots of crabapples in need of pruning in our city. In fact, crabapples are mighty common across the prairie.

No shortage for sure. It works well as it is mild. Poplar is fairly harsh.

[amosfella]

First off, remove the bark from any wood you're going to use to smoke with. Lilac make a really nice smoke for pork, chicken and fish and even beef. Oak can be gotten from pallets that are made of oak. I give the wood a quick brush over with a side grinder with a wire brush.

Ash makes a nice smoke for beef. Apple, or any kind of fruit producing or flowering woods also make for nice smoke. I've heard that rosebushes make for nice smoke, but have never tried it.

I've wanted for a while to try caragana... Just haven't gotten to it yet...

Halfords, and other butcher supply places will have hickory.

Don't use elm... It was not ok....

[Red Bullets]

Here's a chart that explains which wood for what smoking.

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downl...lavorChart.pdf

[3blade]

Originally Posted by amosfella

First off, remove the bark from any wood you're going to use to smoke with. Lilac make a really nice smoke for pork, chicken and fish and even beef. Oak can be gotten from pallets that are made of oak. I give the wood a quick brush over with a side grinder with a wire brush.

Ash makes a nice smoke for beef. Apple, or any kind of fruit producing or flowering woods also make for nice smoke. I've heard that rosebushes make for nice smoke, but have never tried it.

I've wanted for a while to try caragana... Just haven't gotten to it yet...

Halfords, and other butcher supply places will have hickory.

Don't use elm... It was not ok....

I'll save you the wasted food...do not use caragana. It smells awful when burned and isn't even fit for cooking hot dogs. similar to a grass fire.

[Kim473]

Willow gets my vote.

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by Opa

Birch is good for smoking, IF you peel the bark down to the wood. Burning birch with the bark on produces a black, sooty smoke, adhering to whatever you are smoking, giving it the most gawdawful sooty taste. A friend found out the hard way, having to feed the ravens & coyotes 50 lbs of good sausage!!!!

I knew about peeling the bark, get a might strong. Are you using birch for fish? or what? Is it something that works for most meat?

[Opa]

My father insisted on willow. Over the years, I have found it to be the best for everything.

[jeprli]

Willow and maple are two of my choices, makes for heavenly pork.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by PartTimeHunter

I knew about peeling the bark, get a might strong. Are you using birch for fish? or what? Is it something that works for most meat?

Birch is good on pork and poultry.

Check out the chart I posted above.

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Birch is good on pork and poultry.

Check out the chart I posted above.

K. Thanks I will..

[250mark1]

Thanks everybody for the replies gives some ideas for new woods to try
This summer