[C_A_Braun]

My rules for BBQ (Smoking):
White meats (poultry & pork) get fruit or nut woods (apple, cherry, peach, pecan etc)
Dark meats (beef, lamb, elk, deer) get hardwoods (mesquite, hickory, whiskey barrel/oak)

The bigger the meat (like a 13+ pound packer brisket) is when I will use mesquite.

When cold smoking steaks before searing on the grill or when doing something that is going to take a couple hours like a tri-tip or even just smoked burgers, I use whiskey barrel/oak. The things in between get hickory.

Back to your original question, I use a lot of my own wood (cherry) from my own trees. Like others have mentioned, do dry it out though. Do not try to use it "green".

You may want to also consider using pellets instead of chips. I buy pellets in 20# bags for $18 and they last a heck of a longer than a bag of chips or chunks and produce smoke for hours. To keep them fresh I store them in air tight containers. Just stop in to any Firehouse Subs place and ask if they have any pickle barrels available. They will sell them for $2 each and the money goes to a fallen firefighters charity. You also do not need an expensive "Pellet Smoker" to use them.

[zumaboy]

I have a Big Green Egg that I bought 20 years ago. They are not inexpensive, but are easily a lifetime product with proper care and maintenance. You can cook at everything from low and slow to cremation temperatures on it. For smoking, I'll typically use a combination of fruit woods combined with a little mesquite or hickory (sometimes just the fruit wood). With smoking, I've found that a little goes a long way. I use wood chips soaked in water, spread directly on the coals. DIY is one of the few ways this relocated southern boy has found to experience acceptable BBQ since moving west...

[skugelstadt]

Originally Posted by qingguy

Which Weber do you use?

Not sure of model but it had wood handles, it's round, has two wheels an aluminum third leg. One of the vent dampers rusted out so I fabricated a new one. It's simple highly functional design appeals to me. As Scoop says temperature control can be challenging and it does require that you pay attention to it while cooking. I have propane grills too but had to modify the jets to keep the flames low for things like chicken. Propane is efficient but has no soul.

[qingguy]

Originally Posted by skugelstadt

Not sure of model but it had wood handles, it's round, has two wheels an aluminum third leg. One of the vent dampers rusted out so I fabricated a new one. It's simple highly functional design appeals to me. As Scoop says temperature control can be challenging and it does require that you pay attention to it while cooking. I have propane grills too but had to modify the jets to keep the flames low for things like chicken. Propane is efficient but has no soul.

Sounds like an old kettle. I have two newer kettles, great grills, classic backyard grills in my opinion. If you're ever looking for a low cost smoker that has easy temp control look at the Weber Smokey Mountain. It's the first smoker I used and still use it to this day, great little unit. For the money you can't beat it.

As I said temp control with it is pretty easy, however, I also purchased a automated temperature control unit for it that basically allows me to load with charcoal, wood light, bring to temp (I like to do this manually, unit can do it) and set my temp to 225 and it will keep it there as long as I have fuel. Neat unit. I don't use it much today except on my 20 hr overnight cooks - https://www.rocksbarbque.com/

My main grill/smoker is a Komodo Kamado; it's a ceramic cooker, great temp control and I do everything on it from smoking cheese, bacon, ribs, brisket pork butt etc. I also use it as a grill too, in-fact it's great for steaks, I get it up to about 1100 degrees for a great sear. Also use it as a pizza oven and the pies are just like they came out of a high end wood fired oven. It's a neat cooker.

My next cooker is a Stumps. While I love my Komodo Kamado a cabinet style smoker would be nice too.

Anyway, off topic a but but hopefully interesting nonetheless.

Oh, if you're ever looking for a good wood source I have a couple of on-line sites I buy from and there's a place in Orange, CA called The Woodshed that has a great selection of wood. I buy red wine oak cask staves and pecan from them.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

As with most things, you're wrong. If I could only use one wood for smoking, my last choice would be mesquite. It's way too potent, and based on posts in BBQ forums I follow, I'd say at 80% or more of posters also find it too strong when used by itself. Those that use it almost always use it in small doses along with a larger quantity of something much milder, like fruit tree woods (apple, cherry, peach).

Using mesquite for grilling is a different story, but smoking (bbq) and grilling are two different things.

As with most things I'm wrong? F you.

But, tell it to 40 million Texans.

[ScoopLV]

And 50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong. Texas smokes brisket, and they use a lot of mesquite because that's what's local. Beef can take more smoke than white meats. And that's why Texans use mesquite with their smoked brisket.


I wouldn't put mesquite within five miles of pork or birds. And I only use it as a last resort for beef -- only when I can't find a better smoking medium. If I use mesquite at all, it's in combination with something else. It's just too resinous to do the job right.

As for the Stumps a couple posts up, I agree that's a quality piece of equipment. It's a shame we can't assemble enough interested barbecue enthusiasts here in Las Vegas to get a quantity discount. I have a tough time justifying $4,000 for a smoker that isn't going to be used every day. It's been an ambition of mine to compete on the circuit. And to have any chance at all, I'm going to need competition-level equipment.

[Merrily Gather]

Ya my Dad does mesquite BBQ in Texas. Mostly it's brisket and sometimes with pork ribs. He has a great big setup he uses and loves. No idea what it is called. My younger brother makes a spicy hot sauce that's won some competitions. I told them they should go into business together.

[qingguy]

Mesquite seems to be one of those woods you either love or dislike (I'm talking about smoking). I fall on the dislike side, but I also dislike hickory too. Both are just to strong for my palate, even when smoking brisket which can take a lot of smoke. That said, I greatly enjoy a mesquite grilled steak.

When smoking beef I typically use oak on briskets or chuck roll and red oak on my tri-tips.

Looking forward to hearing what Chilean mesquite is like.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

As with most things I'm wrong? F you.

But, tell it to 40 million Texans.

You also don't know the population of Texas. You're off by about 60%.

[Merrily Gather]

Here is my Dad's set up. He smokes the meat for hours. I can smell it now.