Grapevine for smoking?

Grapevine is a recognized smoking medium. It is imperative, essential and absolutely a requirement that you never, ever use any wood that has been sprayed with a pesticide or herbicide. It will make you very sick. If you are certain that you neighbor's grapevine is "clean", try it out on a chickenb breast or two.

Donna

Whew glad i asked, was going to use some this weekend. I'll have to ask my friend if he uses any "cides". Thank You. If this turns out to be clean vines, im sure i can hook some fellow okies up. Easy way for him to get rid of the vines. I'll post back.

Kamots

I use muscadine, wild and tame. Good smoke, especially for venison.

I will be very curious to see how the grapevine works. Living in Itlay, I too have a good supply.
Waiting,
David A

Hmm well my friend has told me he did use a spray early on as he was taught to do. But he says its very safe and shouldnt harm the wood or the grapes, otherwise whats the point. And after checking, most every vineyard ive talked to does spray. So what to do?

The spray might not be toxic, but might change the way the smoke smells and/or tastes. Perhaps burn a bit and see what you think.

Ask your friend what the name is of the spray he says "shouldn't harm the wood or grapes." If he says something like "BT" (a bacterial spray that only infects bugs) then you should be okay.

If it contains any "organophosphates" as in Malation or Parathion or any other stuff you don't recognize, stay clear. These are really nasty compounds.

I'm not fully up on it.. but out here, where there is a lot of humidity in the air, especially in the mornings.. they use a bit of sulphur to prevent bunch rot. maybe other things as well.

Thankx Hook i will ask him about it.

I like grapevine. The bigger the "chunk" the better. I've tried fancy twigs from French vines but by far the best have been from a very, very old white grape vinyard in California. Chunks of vine big as regular chunks. Should be a very sweet smoke, excellent on pork, chicken even fish. I've also had some very funky Texas grapevine. It's important how it's stored. Very porous wood, I think it will mold fast.

Thank you Candy Sue, i had not thought of it molding.

Gotta dry it out, just like any wood. Lay it in the sun for a month or 2, 1 in the summer.

i ran across this website and it lists every wood i ever heard of and a few i didnt for smoking.
site is http://www.3men.com/whatwood.htm
i'm not real good on computer stuff but that is how my printout reads
hope this helps some
jack