# Different wood smoke flavor.



## Uncle Al (Oct 25, 2006)

Just wondering, aside from mesquite and hickory, can you taste a distinct diffrence the taste imparted by different smoke woods. Could you do a blind test and be able to say "Yup, this one's been smoked over apple and this here one's been smoked over guava."

As far as I'm concerned they are all very much alike.

Al


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## Bruce B (Oct 25, 2006)

Al,

I tend to agree with you. I honestly can't tell the difference when I'm eating whether the meat was smoked with apple, maple, oak, or whatever. However, I think if it was over smoked with hickory or mesquite, you might be able to.

Where I CAN tell the difference is standing next to the cooker, I can tell apple from pecan and sugar maple from hickory etc...to me they all have a distinct aroma.


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## Nick Prochilo (Oct 25, 2006)

I can only tell if it was cooked with a strong wood like hickory over a mellower wood like alder. I couldn't tell you about different tastes though.


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## Greg Rempe (Oct 25, 2006)

Apple yes, but just because I use it a lot of the time...harder with the other stuff!


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## wittdog (Oct 25, 2006)

I think I could tell the difference between some of the woods...hickory,cherry...and such..but when you start to mix the woods...no way


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## ScottyDaQ (Oct 25, 2006)

Yup... Apple and Cherry for sure. The others?....Mmmm not so much.

:edit ... add Orange to the detectable.


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## wittdog (Oct 25, 2006)

pecan is simalr to hickory....but milder...


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## Helen_Paradise (Oct 25, 2006)

Oak, hickory, and mesquite I can tell...seems like all the fruit wood I can't.


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## Puff1 (Oct 25, 2006)

Apple, hickory & mesquite seperate I can tell the difference.


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## Uncle Al (Oct 25, 2006)

Well then,

I feel better knowing that, like me, most of you folks can't REALLY tell the difference. 
Thats why I smoke everything with apple, cherry and hickory.

Al


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## bigwheel (Oct 25, 2006)

Now I can pick out mesquite any old day..but not sure I could tell hickory if push come to shove. Actually its all in the smell not in the taste unless you consider smell part of the taste process.  In addition to a blindfold make folks hold their nose before tasting and see if they can pick out anything.  Mr Wizzard done the no see no smell expuriment on TV one time.  The kids said raw apples was potatoes and roast beef was tissue paper. Thats odd huh? I think you got to live in Hiwaya to get Guava wood. 

bigwheel


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## Cliff H. (Oct 25, 2006)

There is a difference in the way the woods burn.  That can make a difference in the end product.  Pecan and mesquite burn hot.


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## Bruce B (Oct 25, 2006)

bigwheel said:
			
		

> Now I can pick out mesquite any old day..but not sure I could tell hickory if push come to shove. Actually its all in the smell not in the taste unless you consider smell part of the taste process.  In addition to a blindfold make folks hold their nose before tasting and see if they can pick out anything.  Mr Wizzard done the no see no smell expuriment on TV one time.  The kids said raw apples was potatoes and roast beef was tissue paper. Thats odd huh? I think you got to live in Hiwaya to get Guava wood.
> 
> bigwheel



They can actually ship now to the lower 48.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





http://www.hawaiiguava.com/


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## Rob D. (Oct 26, 2006)

i can tell the diff when they're in the smoker, and i can pretty much tell the diff between most hardwoods and say apple and cherry afterwards, but i usually throw all that out the window when i'm running a blend of woods, which is almost all of the time.....

must be due to a decent nasal photoionization detector  

Rob


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## Greg Rempe (Oct 26, 2006)

I agree Brian...I would add that to the smell and taste recognizable catagorey...so I think that is 3 in total for me!


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## john pen (Oct 26, 2006)

Ive had this discussion with Witt before...I cant tell the differance in the end product...


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## bigwheel (Oct 26, 2006)

Well yepppers anybody can tell cheery by the way it makes the meat look which is like a black cat eating liquorish in a coal car with the door shut at midnight on a moonless night. Turns it blacker than the ace of spades in other words. Thats why it good to save it for whut the Lord intended which is making furniture.  

bigwheel


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## john pen (Oct 26, 2006)

bigwheel said:
			
		

> .... is like a black cat eating liquorish in a coal car with the door shut at midnight on a moonless night.   bigwheel



I cant wait to work that line into conversation...

It was darker than......


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## Uncle Al (Oct 26, 2006)

How come when people cook poultry with cherry they say it comes out a nice dark mahogany color ????? :scratch 

Al


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## DATsBBQ (Oct 26, 2006)

I agree it's a aroma thing. Scent and taste.... the smell sets up expectations for the tounge. Except for Lutefisk.


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## ScottyDaQ (Oct 26, 2006)

Uncle Al said:
			
		

> How come when people cook poultry with cherry they say it comes out a nice dark mahogany color ????? :scratch
> 
> Al



I think it gives a nice deep red color..... oh wait.... :roll:


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## bigwheel (Oct 26, 2006)

See it gives furniture a nice red color. Thats how yall get cornfused. 

bigwheel


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## Green Hornet (Oct 26, 2006)

I have used Orange and Grapefruit before and these are both ones that do give a citrus flavor to what is cooked, slightly. I burn what I can get. White Oak and the Austrailian Pine.


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## Puff1 (Oct 26, 2006)

john pen said:
			
		

> bigwheel said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


.......Ray Charles's "sun" glasses 8)


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## wittdog (Oct 27, 2006)

I luvs me some cherry to cook with..


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## Green Hornet (Oct 27, 2006)

I almost forgot a wood I got after the hurricanes last year. A couple logs of Buttonwood. It gave a peppery flavor to the food. It was good stuff.


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## DATsBBQ (Nov 4, 2006)

GH Wrote:





> I almost forgot a wood I got after the hurricanes last year. A couple logs of *Buttonwood*. It gave a peppery flavor to the food. It was good stuff.
> _________________



What's a buttonwood, just curious. :?


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Nov 4, 2006)

Well I asked about Apricot wood before.  Not many responses but anyone ever use it?


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## bigwheel (Nov 4, 2006)

Well swear I have heard the term Buttonwood...but dont recall anything about it. Now apricot is some great wood. Very fruity n aromatic.  Highest purpose is to be used as a flavoring wood with an Ozark Oak base for chicken on the R2D2.  Now I had a chunk one time which come from Shingleman and it smelled so much like Chanel #5 when it got to burning I drug it outta there. I did not want no dead chicken to smell like perfume.  Now this was a big cut chunk from a large limb and it was real dense as in maybe part green. Usually I want a touch I just break off a few dead limbs from the apricot tree.  Little tamer tasting in that configuration. Plum is also excellent. 

bigwheel


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