Is smoking with 'barked' wood dangerous?
I have been told that smoking with fruit wood that has bark on it is poisonous. I also have been told that there is nothing wrong with using 'barked wood'- that it is only a matter of personal taste.
Which is true?
Best Answer
It depends on the wood if it is desirable or not to smoke with the bark still on the wood. I have had good results smoking with apple wood bark, but disgusting results with birch (birch bark gave off heavy soot).
Is it poisonous? Well, I am still alive, but that's anecdotal.
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Do I need to remove bark from smoking wood?
In Conclusion. It's a common misconception that firewood must be stripped free of all bark before it can be used for cooking. In reality, though, bark is harmless and can even be beneficial. It produces flavorful smoke that mixes with the smoke created by the solid wood.Can you smoke with sawdust?
Sawdust is raw material used for smoking. It burns more slowly than wood chips, but faster than wood pellets. Sawdust is used for hot or cold smoking, which produces a nice, even smoke. However, sawdust offers less heat than chips or pellets.What wood is safe for smoking?
In the middle part of the spectrum are woods like hickory, maple, pecan, and oak. They're great with pork, and strong enough to stand up to beef and game meats. Purviance's personal favorites to smoke with are hickory and oak. Finally, there's the strongest wood of all, and it's in a category all its own: mesquite.Is it OK to smoke with moldy wood?
Because mold spores can survive combustion!When moldy wood is introduced to fire, these toxins are released into the air and can cause anyone around the equipment to experience coughing, sneezing, eye and throat irritation. If a preexisting condition like asthma is present, symptoms will be worse.Nardo Wick - Who Want Smoke?? ft. Lil Durk, 21 Savage \u0026 G Herbo (Directed by Cole Bennett)
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Answer 2
I have been smoking meats for some time now (the really hard part is keeping the rib-eyes rolled up tight and lit). But seriously, I have yet to be poisoned by any bark from any of the wood I have used, and I have used them all. I have heard that there are some potential carcinogenic issues if you are constantly eating heavily smoked meat, but I do not have any facts to base that on. I think the primary issue with tree bark is that it will typically add a bad flavor to the meat and make it taste much more ashy and sooty (not very technical terms). Also, if you are in a competition, the bark tends to make much more smoke which can throw the look of your meat off when presenting as well.
Overall, I would say it is a best practice not to use the tree bark. However, I cannot say that it is due to specific health risks.
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