Are any kind of wood-chips good enough for smoking?
I was watching a Heston Blumenthal Show called "Cooking like Heston" the other day, the episode was on potatoes and he made doughnuts using them. one of the things he did to prepare the potatos for the doughnut mixture was to smoke them using wood-chips.
I have seen wood-chips be used by him, Jamie Oliver and on Iron Chef (Japan) and Master Chef (Australia) a few times and i've been wondering if any kind of wood-chips can be used to do smoking (ie. ones picked up from the gardening section of a hardware store or made by myself from junk off cuts from trees or building material) or if i should be looking out for a particular kind which is meant for cooking.
Best Answer
You can't just pick up any old wood chips but you can get ones for cooking at the hardware store. Even Home Depot or Lowes should have wood-for-smoking available.
You have to be careful since if you get chips made out of treated lumber for example the resulting smoke could be poisonous. Probably not something you want to eat. You also want to avoid poisonous wood or trees.
Warnings aside, you can use just about any non-poisonous hardwood to make woodchips. Just make chunks or chips out of nice dry seasoned logs. Usually, people use wood with interesting favors to add such as fruit tree woods (apple, pear, cherry). Other popular woods are mesquite, hickory, or maple.
Pictures about "Are any kind of wood-chips good enough for smoking?"
What is the best wood chips to smoke with?
What is the Best Wood for Smoking Meat?- Oak. Oak is the quintessential go-to for smoking meat. ...
- Hickory. The most versatile choice as it can be used to smoke wood in many ways. ...
- Maple. One of the most subtle smoking wood, it will impart a more subtle smoke flavor. ...
- Mesquite. ...
- Pecan. ...
- Apple. ...
- Alder. ...
- Cherry.
What kind of chips can you smoke?
Your Guide to Wood Chips- Hickory. One of the most common wood chips for smoking, hickory imparts a sweet and smoky flavor to food. ...
- Mesquite. Chances are, if you've eaten any barbecue, you've eaten something smoked with mesquite. ...
- Apple. ...
- Cherry. ...
- Pecan. ...
- Oak. ...
- Peach.
What wood should you not use in a smoker?
Avoid wood from conifers such as pine, redwood, fir, spruce, cypress, or cedar. These trees contain high levels of sap and turpenes, which results in a funny taste and can make people sick. Cedar planks are popular for cooking salmon, but don't burn the wood for smoke.Should I use wet or dry wood chips for smoking?
It does matter if the wood used for grilling and smoking is wet or dry. Do not stall your cooking, do not taint your food's flavor, do not risk your health by using wet wood. Keep it dry for clean, pure flavors that make wood-fired foods so enjoyable.How to Select Wood Chips for Smoking Food
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Pixabay, Gabe Garza