question for experienced meat smokers

I never do

Mike L

If I am using fresh cut limbs I just toss them on. If they have been dried I soak them before tossing them on the fire. I have never had anyone complain about the way I do it.

Re: question for experienced meat smokers

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I was reading with interest till I got to the part of using ONLY KD wood for smoking.

I'm concluding bark in moderation is fine.

Thank you

Thanks to all

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Like much of life, used in moderation, bark seems ok for the average smoker.

doesn't matter

paul in AZ

With or without bark makes no difference. The bags of ships sold usually have many chunks with bark.

[I use a kamado and not a stick smoker and have used home made AD rounds as well as purchased chips and KD shop scraps]

clarify

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

kamado and not a stick smoker unfamiliar with these terms. I am a novice smoker.

Re: clarify

paul in AZ

A kamado is an ancient Asian grill. Sort of egg shaped, with thick insulated most commonly ceramic lining that keeps heat in. They burn lump charcoal +/- flavoring woods and not briquets. Best at maintaining steady temperatures for many hours for anything from low-and-slow BBQ to a screaming hot pizza oven.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Cooking-Grills-Charcoal-Grills-Kamado-Grills/N-5yc1vZcfbc

The more common smokers are horizontal cylinders with burning wood of all sizes or briquets in a fire chamber at one end and meats at the other. There are many variants on this.

Then there is the good ol' Weber kettle.

Suggest you try lump charcoal in your grill if you want to avoid the chemical smells of briquets. This is chunks of wood turned to charcoal with no binders or additives.

thanks

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I like the looks of that smoker

kamados

paul in AZ

You will see kamados from $300 to >$2,000 with the most sold brands priced from ~$800 to $1200. Lots of choices. They all work pretty much the same.

I wasn't sure I'd like kamado cooking so opted to first try the $300 Akorn from HD. A major reason for it's low price is that the lining is not ceramic. It is double wall steel with excellent insulation.

It works great and I'm completely happy with it. I'll use the >$500 I saved to spend on food.

Re: clarify

Walt

We use lump charcoal, it's origin is clear. I've gotten pieces of charred flooring, pieces of limb 2" in diameter. This is Cowboy brand, Royal Oak seems to cut things up a little better. We use it in a Weber kettle and close all the vents when we're done cooking. There's usually some partially burned charcoal left. That seems to make it quicker to start the next time. There's also little ash left. This grill has a gas starter, has a 1 lb. bottle of propane attached so we don't need to use starter fluid or anything else. That 1 lb. bottle will last about a season so it doesn't take a lot to get the charcoal going.

Re: clarify

paul in AZ

I first tried one of the bargain brands of lump charcoal. Can't remember which. It had some nicely charred 2x6 lumber [possibly softwood] cutoffs and a lot of dust but did the job.

Next to Fogo which is a premium south american hardwood charcoal. I like that.

Then some Kamado Joe Big Block I got on sale. Also higher price and excellent.

There are others in the medium price range that are just fine.

The theme is that the better brands are somewhat better with less waste but they can all work.

Lump seems pricey but the burn rate in a kamado is so low that a 20 pound bag seems to last forever so is actually cheaper than briquettes.

Re: clarify

Garthinsandiego

Also, remember that briquettes are only about a third charcoal. The rest is binders, bituminous coal, and paraffin, or other agents to make it burn easily and cleanly. This is why I switched to gas some years ago. I do, however miss the smell and flavor of real charcoal and am plotting my return to that fuel.

Re: question for experienced meat smokers

E Phillip Smith

The last apple limbs I got from you I sawed up into slices on bandsaw and used as is. It works fine in one of the ceramic cookers.

I'll bet if you drive by one of the barbeque joints you'll see stacks of hardwood with the bark still on it to feed their smokers'.

Re: question for experienced meat smokers

walta

I read somewhere the bark can leave a bitter taste. Do I obsess over removing all the bark, NO I do not. Will I throw away something that is 90% bark, yes I will.

Be sure to try smoking bratwurst using a remote reading thermometer.

Walta

Observation about a "professional"

JL

We have a small chain (local) restaurant called Rib Country.

Every day, they fire up the smoker outside the restaurant.

Do NOT drive by there if you haven't eaten recently .

Anyway, they have a nice stack of wood with the bark on right beside their smoker. Having eaten there many times (she gets the pulled pork, I usually get the chicken). They have a nice smokey bbq, excellent chicken and people "rave" about the ribs. If they use bark - so can you.

Re: thanks

paul in AZ

A couple of places to visit. There are others.

https://www.kamadoguru.com

https://amazingribs.com

Re: question for experienced meat smokers *LINK*

clay foster

Clean smoke is important. If you can see the smoke, the bbq will taste like a telephone pole.


clean smoke

Sourcing an answer

Tom Dunlap

There is a guy who is a plant physiologist for the USFS who is active on my arborist forum. I asked this question there. When I hear back from him I’ll bring his answer back here

When I needed smoking wood I’d wait until I had an apple tree removal. The chip truck would be empty and we'd strip off the twigs and keep the wood larger than about 3” diameter. Then we’d chip everything and shovel the clean chips into burlap bags. The bags would hang in storage sheds to dry. I never stripped bark or even thought about bark. When wood is chipped I rarely even see bark flakes