BBQ duty this weekend - what wood

[reforger2002]

Niece’s gradation this weekend and I got BBQ duty

We got two nice big pork picnic roasts. Come from a guy down the road, pasture raised porkers, I may have even known this pig personally …

We got a proven / fool proof brine of water, apple cider, salt , honey.

We will have a selection of sauces – Charleston / Low Country Vinegar , NC Mustard and sadly some of the nasty ketchup / sugar bomb stuff for the utes

Now the real question – what wood to use. In my wood pile I got

Oak
Choke Cherry
Apple and Pear
Hickory
Green ish maple – tree came down just this spring in the middle of the sap run
Grape Vines
sweet corn cobs

I’m thinking mostly oak with some of the ‘fresh’ maple and just a stick or two of hickory. Thought being oak is always good, there might be some sap in the maple to give a little extra maple sweet flavor. Just the slightest hint of hickory, I love hickory myself but it can be kinda strong …

[steve_k]

I don't know much about what wood to use for cooking, but I do know I wanted to slap someone once I showed up and they were going to use construction scrap.

Have seen friends using lump in thier Big Green Eggs and the food has been excellent.

[H60DoorGunner]

Hickory is good on everything, but Apple is particularly good with chicken and pork.

[336Whiskey]

pork needs fruit wood - apple, peach, cherry....

[IANative]

Being from Iowa, I'm partial to hickory. Having lived for many years in TX, I developed a taste for mesquite. However, for a midwestern piggy such as yours, I think a mix of apple and hickory would do nicely.

[WinstonSmith]

Being from Iowa, I'm partial to hickory. Having lived for many years in TX, I developed a taste for mesquite. However, for a midwestern piggy such as yours, I think a mix of apple and hickory would do nicely.

They have trees up there??? Who knew...

I always heard people say: "Iowa. A pretty girl behind every tree."

[John McCreery]

Apple and Hickory mix - yum

[hedgedawg]

Apple and Hickory mix - yum

^THIS^ x10

[Vigilant]

Apple and Hickory mix - yum
Apple/Hickory mix, with just about 2 times the apple to hickory has always yeilded the best smoke flavor on pork for me!

[Seadragon]

My old man (lives in NC) runs a small business in his retirement selling Irish peat for use in barbecuing. Done right, it gives the meat a pretty unique flavour. His website is here: http://www.sneakypeat.com/ Give him a call if you're interested in getting some - he'll talk your ear off, but it's worth sitting through it all to learn how to use this stuff properly, it really does make a difference.

[Travlin]

Got a pile of apple and black cherry out back just for chops loins. Fruit wood for the win.

[Big Mike]

I have to say mesquite is the favorite here. I have used apple before but we didn't like the flavor as much as the mesquite. I have also cooked with hickory and it's not bad either. But I cook more beef than pork.

[Riz58]

Hickory is good on everything, but Apple is particularly good with chicken and pork.

Agree for pork. Prefer oak or mesquite for beef.

[Travlin]

Hey here's an idea for some ammo money fir you guys in the land of mesquite. Burlap bag full from your back yard shipped slow boat to us yankees :yahoo:

Edit
I have probably a couple of bags of Midwest oak kindling drops I personally milled for oak lovers :grin:

[Patrick K]

I'm late to the party here but definitely apple and pear. Apple brings out flavors in thenpork, can't be beat.

[Huntindoc]

If slow smoking, start with the hickory and oak first then switch to the apple and pear for the rest of the smoke. Mesquite is great but is frequently overdone as the only wood used and gives too much of a strong smoke tang. I like to use it as a finish or as a quick smoke wood. Alder wood is also a great smoking wood to if available.

[336Whiskey]

Actually, if you can get a hold of some alder......like Huntindoc said.