misc. wood

Couldn't find anything on the internet about this one. Other common woods not mentioned include horse chestnut/buckeye, gum, butternut, locust, and hawthorn.

One reference said don't use sycamore or elm.

Of course, the most common rule is just not to use conifers of any sort. Another recommendation is to stick with fruit or nut bearing trees, but that would appear to leave out maple, alder, ash, & birch and maybe even oak, depending on what you consider to be a nut.

On another note, I found one reference that said don't use wild cherry - it doesn't smoke the same as "regular" cherry, by which I assume they mean orchard trees. Any thoughts?

dont know if it is appropriate to suggest another Q sight, but try www.3men.com, click on bbq pit and see if that helps.mistakes are the first step to good Q. hopr this helps.

Welcome to the group!

Main reason for wood is flavor, and certainly haven't heard much about tulip poplar. Can't imagine it will have much flavor.

Like all things, I wouldn't change how we do things until you've tried the basics. I'd find some hickory, oak, cherry, etc to use for your first smokes and then try the poplar.

Maybe someone will have tried it or know?

Here is a link to comments about various wood types:

BBQ FAQ on Wood

Wow I also cut down a Tulip Poplar early this spring that was in my septic system. I wonder if I should have saved it. If some folks use Maple, don't see why you can't use Poplar. Heck, try it. You might like it. Let it dry good first.

Let's rethink this. Your smoker will use only 2 oz. of wood per 10 pounds of meat. Conidering that you can buy a 5 pound bag of Hickory or apple chunks for about $5.00 at the most (often cheaper) you can smoke up about 40 loads of meat for your $5.00 or which comes out to 12 cents per load. Are you willing to risk $25.00 worth of baby backs to save 12 cents by using a unproven wood? Heck, I would be willing to bet you would not, I know I wouldn't and I'm not the sharpest tool in the tool box.

Just curious and maybe a little OT but... this is the second time I have seen this "2 oz of wood per 10# of meat." I don't find this to be true. Anyone know whose theory this is? I've used much more than that on brisket, butt & ribs without over-smoking. Again, just curious.

In another post, someone indicated it was in a label on their smoker.

The key to smoke is you will have to determine, more or less, the amount of wood. If 2oz isn't enough you certainly can add more.

Our key warning here is for new users who tend to put 4 or 5 ozs in the smoker and thus -- get oversmoked meat their first time out.

As I always suggest. Keep good notes of everything, and you'll know soon the proper amount.

Smokin'

After many oversmoked meat loads, I have found a three pack of Sam's baby backs, 2 onces of wood and five and a half hours cooking at 225 to be perfect. Perhaps if the meat was much thicker like a butt more wood is called for. However, as a rule of thumb, in feeding guests that are not into heavy smoke, 2 oz. per 10 seems to deliver meat that has good smoke flavor that doesn't overwelm the taste of the meat and won't make you burp smoke flavored burps all night.
Besides the idea of the thread is still true even doubling the wood brings your wood cost to 24 cents, still not enough to think about. IMHO.

Well, I'd risk a 99-cent chicken breast if I thought there was any chance of it being good and not getting poisoned in the process.

Agreed, wood's cheap in the quantities needed, and I can even get nice hickory for free, but part of the fun is trying something new. Plus, my current all-purpose choice, maple, isn't sold in chunks in stores here.

On the other hand, I've yet to try lilac even though it's recommended and I've got plenty.

I've had the same problem here where there aren't any native hardwoods. What I do now is watch the rough cut lumber section at Home Depot. They stock defferent hard woods in short, none finished, none treated pieces. I picked up one 10 pound board of oak that I cut up on my table saw for $4.00. I'll never use that up. I've seen peacon, maple and walnut in the bin also.

"On another note, I found one reference that said don't use wild cherry - it doesn't smoke the same as "regular" cherry, by which I assume they mean orchard trees. Any thoughts?"

The cherry for smoking is the same as cherry trees that grow in the forest. The same as the cherry that is valued for furniture, etc. Maybe the cherry trees that actually make fruit cherries would be okay - or maybe even the best. Don't know. Here in Maine we don't have them. There is a small scrubby thing known as a "wild" cherry, but I don't know if it would be any good for smoking. Probably not.

What we call a Wild Cherry here is actually a type of oak. Some call it a Cherry Oak. The bark is similar to a cherry tree. They get huge like other oaks. They were nearly all farmed to extinction here years ago for cross ties. I only know this because of my family being in the logging and sawmill business for generations.

There is another tree that some call a Wild Cherry that actually produces fruit, but it is very small like Elderberries except red like cherries. Some make wine with them, but they taste nothing like cherries. This tree is usually no more than 20-30 feet tall, most smaller.

I think what grows around here is the second type of wild cherry (prunus serotina). It has leaves like a cherry with dry little fruits and not many of them.

Maybe the Cherry Oak (quercus falcata) is the one not to use? Or maybe this started because wild cherry bark and leaves contain prussic acid that can harm livestock?

We also have sand cherry, a scrufty but sort of attractive bush that people plant for landscaping. They seem to go native sometimes. And there's Nanking cherry, a large bush that produces nice sour cherries. These two are "true" cherries (prunus pumila and prunus tomentosa).

I think one could use dry wood from a Cherry Oak for smoking the same as other oak wood.