Can you taste a difference?

[Oak Smoke]

I have been using oak lump charcoal for years. Unless I add some chunks of smoking wood I don’t detect any real smoke flavor. We’re headed to Abilene TX tomorrow to gather a few things up. The Academy store has the B&B oak lump at their normal great price of $14.99 for 20 pounds. I noticed that they have the B&B hickory lump for the same price. I thought about trying a bag . Do you believe you can taste a difference in the flavor of your food if the charcoal is from a different wood?

[bmillin]

I'm about to find out. Bought a bag of B&B Hickory lump and two bags of B&B oak briquettes. personally I don't need a heavy smoke profile so not a great judge on this point.

[STEbbq]

Nope. No difference.

[mrteddyprincess]

I'm with Stephen. No difference. But I'm also like jfmorris below. I use small chunks of wood with the charcoal for smoke flavor.

[jfmorris]

When I am in Academy, I pickup a bag of the oak and a bag of the hickory, for kicks. I can't say I really tell a difference if the fire is burning cleanly. I.e. I still use chunks of smoking wood - also B&B from Academy.

[Oak Smoke]

Jim I can get all the oak and pecan smoking wood I need with what falls in my yard but I do buy apple from Academy.

[Purc]

I really can't. After you put on a rub and then possibly a sauce, I cannot tell if something was smoked over oak, pecan or hickory etc. I can tell if I have over smoked the meat. Yes, I do add various wood chunks to my charcoal for smoke flavor.

[Oak Smoke]

I understand. When I first started trying to learn to smoke ribs I used enough smoking wood to get smoke for the entire cook. They were very bitter.

[Skip]

I agree with you Purc. It took awhile but I've finally learned with most cooking "Less Is Better" with Seasoning, Smoke and Sauce.

[RonB]

I can't tell much, if any, difference when adding different woods to a charcoal fire, but I can tell there is more smoke.

If I'm cookin' over real wood on the Santa Maria attachment for my Kettle, I can sure tell the difference though. Using oak splits gives a much better flavor with the SM.

[Txmat]

The only difference I can tell is when I add cherry wood the meat takes on a red color

[Mosca]

Not only can’t I tell the difference between charcoals, I also can’t tell the difference between hickory chunks and oak chunks. Apple, maybe. A little bit. But that’s probably because I also know I used apple chunks.

[LA Pork Butt]

Me too!

[texastweeter]

None, and at an event once was running one cooker (BBQ VAULT) on regular lump, the other (MAGNUM SNIPER) on either hickory or mesquite lump. I personally can taste the difference in different woods for smoking, but not amors similar styles (lump vs lump, briquette vs briquette) of charcoal. Nobody at the event (500 is ppl) could tell the difference either.

[Redwng]

No difference in my backyard either.

[58limited]

If it is true charcoal all wood essences are charred away leaving carbon so it won't matter if the original wood was oak, hickory, or any other smoking wood.

I use chunks to get more smoke on the meat. Fruit woods, to me, give a slightly sweet milder smoke, hickory is sharper, and oak gives an even medium smoke profile.

[Oak Smoke]

I feel exactly the same way.

[Huskee]

My personal opinion, no. If you do everything the exact same, ie. the temperature when you put your food on, the length of the cook, etc, etc, then no.

If you change anything, put your food on early, cook it a lower temperature, those type of differences, to where the smoke could be more cloudy, more acrid, more full of particles that could flavor things, then perhaps. Otherwise, no.

[Clark]

The only one that I can tell for sure is mesquite, because of it's distinct smell and flavor.

[bradjo222]

Is there much taste difference from using Post Oak as compared to just Oak? Thank you.

[Oak Smoke]

I don’t know. Most of the people I know that use post oak burn it in offset smokers, stick burners, I don’t have one of those. I’ve never tried it as a chuck for smoke flavor in a kamado. As soon as I can find a stick to cut up for chunks I’ll try it and let you know.