BBQ Smokers

[FTG-05]

Outside of TX, where can you get Mesquite?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Outside of TX, where can you get Mesquite?

Amazon?

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Premium-Products-Mesquite-Cooking/dp/B000BO902Y

We get it here in Oklahoma, in fact, have a friend out West that brings me some from time to time. I use a mixture of Mesquite, Pecan (or Hickory) and Blackjack Oak for about everything, but only add a couple hands full for the smoke, as I use charcoal in my Big Green Egg and my Weber for cooking. I don't know if I would use it in an Oklahoma Joe's exclusively, where you are actually cooking with the wood, not charcoal.

 

[RobertN]

We make stock from chicken bones and carcass. Then it gets put in ice cube trays and frozen; afterwards put in to zip-lock bags.
Our "Stock Cubes" are about 6=1cup.

How to Freeze Chicken Broth - My Fearless Kitchen

We try to save all bones, etc for stock. Reduce it down some, then zip lock, label, and freeze for whenever. Amazing soups and sauces my better half makes because she doesn't throw out anything unless it has already given up all it has! That goes for leftovers too.

 

[PILOON]

Years back when I built our cabin I had a nice elevated flat boulder that served as our outdoors cooker.
I had built up 3 sides with stones and some mortar and my grill was a 12" X 18" slab of expanded metal welded to 4 ea 6" or so feet.
Always used dry cedar as the fire base and golly everything tasted great.
From time to time I'd toss green maple chips for a different flavor.

LOL, I've progressed as I now have a nice gas BBQ and a Gas smoker.

BUT the food , while tasty, still does not equal that old primitive setup. (must be that DIY satisfaction)

 

[dragoneggs]

Years back when I built our cabin I had a nice elevated flat boulder that served as our outdoors cooker.
I had built up 3 sides with stones and some mortar and my grill was a 12" X 18" slab of expanded metal welded to 4 ea 6" or so feet.
Always used dry cedar as the fire base and golly everything tasted great.
From time to time I'd toss green maple chips for a different flavor.

LOL, I've progressed as I now have a nice gas BBQ and a Gas smoker.

BUT the food , while tasty, still does not equal that old primitive setup. (must be that DIY satisfaction)

Wood charcoal or pellets always better than gas for flavor. Cooking and eating outside makes it seem even better!

 

[PILOON]

Wood charcoal or pellets always better than gas for flavor. Cooking and eating outside makes it seem even better!

Gotta be all that fresh air!

 

[/pine]

Anyone else contemplate the fact that we're in the 21st century and we are surrounded by state of the (public) art with technology etc...
...Yet one of our favorite pastimes and basic, simple pleasures is roasting parts of or whole animals over fires and flames...and chewing the meat off the bones...!

...It's that smell...is there anything better than the aroma of a beast roasting over coals?...it's primal...

 

[dragoneggs]

Anyone else contemplate the fact that we're in the 21st century and we are surrounded by state of the (public) art with technology etc...
...Yet one of our favorite pastimes and basic, simple pleasures is roasting parts of or whole animals over fires and flames...and chewing the meat off the bones...!

...It's that smell...is there anything better than the aroma of a beast roasting over coals?...it's primal...

Must be why real men tend not to let their wife BBQ

 

[bunyip]

From time to time I'd toss green maple chips for a different flavor.

This is not a criticism but a little analytical thought on green wood, when I burn green wood I get creosote, in the pizza oven this sticky black mess makes its presence felt by trickling down from the flue and over the outside of the oven, it is very strong smelling but I have not tried the taste test.
Is it possible this could overpower the meat?
My intention was not to burn green wood but it can be present in parts of a dry piece of timber.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

This is not a criticism but a little analytical thought on green wood, when I burn green wood I get creosote, in the pizza oven this sticky black mess makes its presence felt by trickling down from the flue and over the outside of the oven, it is very strong smelling but I have not tried the taste test.
Is it possible this could overpower the meat?
My intention was not to burn green wood but it can be present in parts of a dry piece of timber.

To each his own, but I BBQ and smoke with charcoal, and my smoking wood that I add in addition, is unequivocally seasoned. Green oak, in particular, I found out the hard way, is as good as a dose of epsom salts. And I think you're correct; green wood has some undesirable volatiles that end up who knows where.

 

[jaxs]

Like many things,wood is an acquired taste. Remember the boiled peanut discussion?:thumbdown: Mesquite has been mentioned several times,some love it,some hate it. I love green Hickory but everything else I prefer seasoned and dry. The biggest surprise I've had is Bois-D-Arc,aka Hedge Apple,aka Osage Orange,aka horse apple. A farmer neighbor removed thousands of 50 year old posts when he built new fence with Tee Posts. He burn's them in his 300 gallon trailer smoker. If you decide to try it,it require's 3 or 4 years to dry so find some that is really old and bring a Sawzall because when dry,it's rock hard and will eat a chain.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...It depends on both the type of wood and the temperature at which it is being burned....According to Myron Mixon (the winningest man in competitive BBQ) often uses green peach wood...he says the fresh sugars in the sap are important for the flavor profile he seeks...

 

[bunyip]

I burn wood in the pizza oven, charcoal in the smoker with the addition of a few small blocks of wood for smoke, those little pockets of sap are not evident until you see the evidence, it is interesting on the sugars in some timbers.
Could be a thesis in this somewhere, I use fruitwoods and have used Ti Tree for smoking but remove the bark as I believe it can be very bitter, we also get (imported) mesquite and local hickory.
What can be a trap is that locally some timbers are called Oak but are not, Eucalyptus Regnans is known locally as Victorian Ash, Tasmania Oak, Alpine Ash and a host of other generic names, there is also a local Cherry that isn't and some poisonous timbers like Oleander.
A lot of traps for the unwary.

 

[PILOON]

Years back when I built our cabin I had a nice elevated flat boulder that served as our outdoors cooker.
I had built up 3 sides with stones and some mortar and my grill was a 12" X 18" slab of expanded metal welded to 4 ea 6" or so feet.
Always used dry cedar as the fire base and golly everything tasted great.
From time to time I'd toss green maple chips for a different flavor.

LOL, I've progressed as I now have a nice gas BBQ and a Gas smoker.

BUT the food , while tasty, still does not equal that old primitive setup. (must be that DIY satisfaction)

Another thing I miss is making toasts (farm bread) on top of a hot cast iron stove.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Some of the best things I have ever eaten, were when I was the hungriest.

I had some of the best toasted tomatoe (store bought,not even in season) sandwiches the other day. Made with light rye and mayonese. Could well have been my last supper wish.

It's all highly subjective.

 

[jaxs]

I never heard it put like that but I suppose it might explain why there's demand for nasty women and barbeque.:indifferent: They're highly subjective.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Anyone else contemplate the fact that we're in the 21st century and we are surrounded by state of the (public) art with technology etc...
...Yet one of our favorite pastimes and basic, simple pleasures is roasting parts of or whole animals over fires and flames...and chewing the meat off the bones...!

...It's that smell...is there anything better than the aroma of a beast roasting over coals?...it's primal...

We're pretty much the same animal that showed up to replace the Neanderthal 100,000 years ago, biologically speaking, and we still use our physical abilities in the same way, but for different purposes. Our culture, communication and tool making skills create Iphones and ballistic missals instead of arrow heads and stone axes.

 

[bunyip]

We're pretty much the same animal that showed up to replace the Neanderthal 100,000 years ago

Couple of pubs around here still have them.......
Darwin would have a field day.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Getting together over at my #1 daughter's place on Monday for some beer and BBQ. I bought a couple dozen Jalapeno peppers, and I intend to smoke a passel of ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds). They are really good, and if you neuter the peppers by removing the veins and seeds, they don't have much of a bite. The recipe below is pretty close to what I use, and I give them a good coating of my own BBQ rubb. I use cream cheese, Lil' Smokies, some dried onion flakes and thin sliced bacon. Worst part is cleaning the peppers; make sure you wear surgical gloves and DON'T touch any mucous membranes any where on your body!

Smoked Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers (aka - A.B.T.)

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Couple of pubs around here still have them.......
Darwin would have a field day.

Having been in a few bars, and played in a few, I think that phenomenon is universal. I would rather drink at the Elks (it's somewhat better) or even better at home; if I stumble and fall and knock over the Weber, nobody will know except Sharn Jean if I don't want them to.