🌳🧱 Do you have MWS? What wood(s) do you currently have for smoking? 🌳

[Atalanta]

Apple chunks
mulberry (when I get around to splitting it)

We have black walnut trees and get quite a few branches over the winter. Can that be used?

[Steve R.]

If that mulberry is still green at all I'd go ahead and split that stuff asap. I picked up a whole mulberry tree back last spring and it was heavy as concrete from moisture. The pieces I didn't split are still pretty heavy. Just takes forever to season.

[Huskee]

We have black walnut trees and get quite a few branches over the winter. Can that be used?

I'd wait until the black walnut is very dry, I have read it's a bear to season it since there's a certain chemical in it that causes other trees to not grow near it, but branches that have fallen should be pretty dry. I have also read that it's very strong, some don't like it at all and some say in light doses it's ok, or mixed with other woods it's ok. I've heard regular walnut described as "hickory extra" and black walnut as "walnut extra"... and that it's even stronger than mesquite and will most likely be bitter if used alone...for what it's worth. I have no hands-on myself. I'd suggest a tiny chunk on some lightly-seasoned chicken so you can really taste the smoke itself to get a good sense of it.

[Nuke em]

Still have a little of this cherry left
just bout out of my apple. Hard to find down here. The orchard that was selling the apple stopped selling. Did find some hickory pieces that I loved but again expensive up here in nj
which leads to another question. Oak. I have plenty in the oak trees out here. But I read that Arron Franklin uses post oak. What's the difference?
Also I usually leave the bark on, but who removes it and does it make a taste difference?
but back to that hickory, man I loved the smell and taste of it
gotta find some more and get my wood on.
This load of cherry was free on Craigslist. Got 2 truckloads out of it

[Mr. Bones]

Nuke em Great CL score on that cherry!!! I never bother removing any bark, never noticed any difference, or had taste problems.

[Steve R.]

That cherry bark can be hard to remove until it is somewhat seasoned, at which point it will practically fall off. I usually don't bother with it. I'll take the real thick oak bark off. And yeah, CL is a gold mine if you're looking for free wood and don't mind doing some work.

[Huskee]

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Still have a little of this cherry left
just bout out of my apple. Hard to find down here. The orchard that was selling the apple stopped selling. Did find some hickory pieces that I loved but again expensive up here in nj
which leads to another question. Oak. I have plenty in the oak trees out here. But I read that Arron Franklin uses post oak. What's the difference?
Also I usually leave the bark on, but who removes it and does it make a taste difference?
but back to that hickory, man I loved the smell and taste of it
gotta find some more and get my wood on.
This load of cherry was free on Craigslist. Got 2 truckloads out of it

If the bark is dry and intact I leave it on. I have noticed zero difference in bark on or off, but others may have a different view. If it's soft, spongy or wanting to come off on its own, then I of course remove it or scrape it against a brick or something.

Regarding post oak vs other oak- the difference is mostly availability. Aaron even says that in his video(s). Post oak flourishes in the Southeast/South-central US from Maryland/New Jersey to Missouri to Texas and Florida. There will be subtle differences in post oak from Maryland vs post oak from Texas, due to local environment and climate. So if you can get any oak, you'll be in great shape. Red oak is hugely popular as well. I'm pretty sure I've burned white oak too, it's all good.

[Steve R.]

If you have burned bourbon barrel staves, you have burned white oak, and those rock!

[Huskee]

Steve R. Agreed!

[Nuke em]

That's sorta my thinking. Reckon I'll have to give it a shot on my next cook. After all, oak round here is free in my woods. Didn't do turkey on thanksgiving day, but the day after I did 2 briskets and 6 racks of ribs for my son that came up from the army. He only stayed 2 days and wanted brisket and ribs. When he comes back for Christmas, he already asked for venison and more brisket with pulled pork. Just keeping up with tradition I guess.

[Huskee]

Nuke em If I had to pick my single most favorite wood, factoring in ease of and longevity of burning & steady heat as well as universal gentle but noticeable flavor for all meats, it would be oak. You're on a gold mine with free oak nearby, in my opinion. Adding in some fruit woods like that cherry to a beef cook or hickory will only make things even better, or at least very pleasantly different.

[Huskee]

So my official tally of wood on hand now is 16. 14 of those I have lots of, 2 of those I have only a little left.

I did a brisket cook last Thursday night (while I was awake and family was sleeping) with sassafras wood. Yum! As light as those wood chunks are weight-wise I didn't expect much, but they have a slightly spicy smell and it worked very good on beef. Stronger than I thought it'd be. It's used in root beer, well the root and bark anyway, so the spiciness makes sense I guess.

Win!

I read online that it 'leaves a rootbeer aftertaste'. Nonsense. Psychology- it's used in rootbeer it must taste like rootbeer. No, it tastes like smoke.

[Nate]

My great grandfather always had a sassafras hard candy at his house. I loved the stuff and whenever I run across it I always buy some. I would like to try that wood for smoking sometime.

[Nate]

I've got

logs and sticks:
hickory
oak
cherry
apple
maple
pecan

chunks:
apple
pecan

[Oakgrovebacon]

Apple, peach, hickory, red oak, pecan, sugar maple. Mesquite and alder. I use Apple the most-sweet smoke and great flavor.

[ribeyeguy]

Almost out of mesquite, ample amounts of hickory, maple, orange, peach and apple. I need to order some mesquite soon, it's the one wood that I can't be without.

[LA Pork Butt]

Hickory for Pork, Oak for Beef, Pecan for Poultry, Citrus for seafood all in chunks along with a variety of wood chips including wood chips. Once the chips are gone I plan to use chunks and pellets in a smoke pot in the future.

[Huskee]

Bump! Thanks to a nice little gift box from my friend Spinaker, I now have 17 woods on hand. I have 3 or 4 varieties of apple, but I'm counting them all as one.

[Spinaker]

Here is what I currently have on hand.......


Apple (Crab, Zestar, Sweet-Tango, Honey Crisp)
Ash
Maple
Oak (Bur, Red and White)
American Black Cherry
Ironwood
Shag Bark Hickory
Mulberry (Huskee)
Peach (Fruta Wood)
White Oak Rum Barrel Staves

[Henrik]

Hmm, don't think I qualify for MWS. I've tried many different types, but nowadays I stick with:

Oak
Apple wood
Cherry

Oak is my favorite hands down. I use apple for seafood and chicken, and cherry is for pork. Cherry+pork is truly a great match.

[j_keegan]

I do some woodworking on the side, and I also have a wood stove - so I always have some kind of wood on hand. From a wood project I did last fall, I have had some nice small scraps of white oak that I've really enjoyed using. And last year I cut down an apple tree for firewood, but saved a bunch of the random cuts and miscellaneous pieces from taking the trunk down. I've used both for ribs and butt recently and mixed them together as well - all good results. I plan to pretty much continue my modus operandi of using whatever I have on hand that's sitting around.

I was JUST going to ask about using locust too, quickly decided to search the forum first, and found out someone just started a thread on it yesterday! Switching threads now...