Smoking Woods

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SteerCrazy

Head Chef
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Messages
2,089
Location
Kansas City
I saw some Sassafras and Maple wood chunks that the smoke store the other day. Has anyone used both/either of these and with what and how'd it turn out??
 
I have heard that maple is good for smoking but I have not heard much about Sassafras.

chris
 
I've used a lot of maple (especially since a big maple tree in the woods behind the house split and half of it fell to the ground) and I like it just fine.
 
I've used those Sassafras pellets on chicken. It gives a mild smoke with a flavor that is a little different. Sorry I can't describe it any better than that. But I will use it again.

Griff
 
I've seen the Maple wood, never used it.
Doesn't Maple have alot of sap in it?
Is that good or bad? 8-[
 
diverdave said:
I'm not positive but I think what stores sell is sugar maple. There are alot of different types of maple trees so some might be better than others. Do you know what kind of maple it is?

There was no description of the wood, just Maple. I was just wondering what kind of taste it gave, mild, strong, smoky, etc..
Thanks for the info
 
It's probably Sugar Maple which is a mild wood to smoke with. I think that the sugar maple is closely related to hickory.
 
I use maple all the time. I have plenty in my back yard. It's mild, and just gives a nice mellow flavor. Don't expect a pancake syrup flavor. :grin: :) :grin: I usually mix it with a fruit wood like cherry or apple.
 
ScottyDaQ said:
I use maple all the time. I have plenty in my back yard. It's mild, and just gives a nice mellow flavor. Don't expect a pancake syrup flavor. :grin: :) :grin: I usually mix it with a fruit wood like cherry or apple.

same thing here...the maple/apple combo really rocks the house for ribs...usually go about 2/3 maple and 1/3 apple...makes the neighborhood smell good too =D>

Rob
 
I just quartered a pretty good sized silver leaf maple. It was uprooted during our tornado last month. I'm not sure how it will taste, but I've been told that it is mild.
 
wood

It is beyond the scope of this FAQ to provide a complete listing woods that are unsuitable for smoking. If you have some wood and do not know what it is, DO NOT USE IT FOR GRILLING FOOD. Burn it in your fireplace but not your smoker.

BBQ List members report that ELM and EUCALYPTUS wood is unsuitable for smoking, as is the wood from SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER trees.

check my site for Woods for Smoking
Smoke On!!!!!!
 
txpgapro said:
I just quartered a pretty good sized silver leaf maple. It was uprooted during our tornado last month. I'm not sure how it will taste, but I've been told that it is mild.

Silver maple is a softer wood than other varieties, and I've seen some people question its use as a smoke wood for that reason. But when I started bbq'ing, I used silver maple almost exclusively, just because there were four of them in the yard, and small limbs were forever falling out after thunderstorms, etc. I took the pieces that were finger-thick or bigger, cut them into sections about 4" long, and used them in my ECB, and the flavor was very good, in my opinion.
 
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