Hardwood smoking

duckegg

We have a new BBQ joint opening up in town. Take out only. They have a couple of big smokers out back. They claim that hardwood smoking is better than charcoal. Doesn't it eventualy turn into charcoal anyway. They claim the fod tastes better, havn't tried it yet so I don't know.

Celtic Wolf

Duckegg,[p] I don't know about the fod, but the food does taste better. [p] The charcoal that most people adore and love is part COAL. Mined from the depths of West Virginia.[p] The stuff we use is actually charred hardwood, so telling a BGE owner that hardwood is better then charcoal is like preaching to the choir. Just don't tell them our secret..[p]

stike

Duckegg,
splitting hairs....[p]they are burning hardwood logs to get smoke and heat.[p]we burn hardwood lump to get heat (and some smoke) and also add hardwood, to get smoke.[p]their fire is hot, and so is built at a distance from the meat, to cool the smoke to, say, 250. the smoke both heats and flavors the meat.[p]we burn just a little of our lump (which burns at 1250 or so regardless of vent settings), to get a low (again, say 250) environment. the fire also burns our chips, giving us smoke. [p]when you burn a log, you are burning carbon and burning off a lot of moisture and other things. you do not make or end up with lump charcoal (during or after the fire), except for some bits which do not fully burn.[p]a fire powered by an oak log does not burn as hot as a fire powered by charcoal lump made from the same type of log. why? lump is mostly pure carbon (some traces of other stuff left, sure), and burns more readily. logs are carbon plus a bunch of other stuff. [p]when making charcoal, you put logs into an environment that is hot enough to burn the wood, but which is deprived of oxygen. that means the wood doesn't ignite, but the organics, moisture, etc. get driven off. they smolder away, leaving the carbon, which never got hot enough (or any oxygen) to burn in the first place.[p]you are both powering your cookers with hardwood, in one manner or another.[p]under pain of death, they could not tell the difference.[p]it's a p!ssing contest, really. since the smoke is from hardwood (chips or logs) and the heat is from hardwood, lump or logs)[p]...that, compounded by the possibility that they probably think you are saying you burn briquettes

duckegg

Celtic Wolf,
Scuse the typo. [p]I have never heard the stuff they dig out of the ground called charcoal, you learn somthing new every day. I believe most of the bags of lump that I buy mention that it is hardwood charcoal.[p]So what is the bottom line, does the food taste better?

duckegg

stike,
Thanks Strike, I think you're right about the Briquetts.[p]My egg does not have the heavy stink of creosote that their smokers have.[p]Will report back on their product when I get the chance.

Celtic Wolf

Duckegg,[p]Anthracite Coal. The same stuff used to heat home, run steam locomotives, etc etc It is mixed with brunt up wood scraps and saw dust. Packed into a little briquet.[p]IMHO: food taste better with Lump or wood.

Unknown

stike,Thanks for the explanation of charcoal etc. I haven't a clue as to what made charcoal do what it does nor how they make the stuff. In our old house in Montreal we used newspaper and charcoal to get the furnace started then added athracite for heat, but I never ever knew what the hell made it charcoal vs coal Thanks !!!

Unknown

Duckegg,
There are many ways to skin cats. Brickets are usually made from fir sawdust char, coal dust, clay, and binders. Pressed then dried.[p]Retort style lump is just the wood heated till it releases all the gases and tars. Although the tars can be made into "liquid smoke" they also can make the tongue numb. Sort of ruins the whole BBQ thing when one can't taste.[p]David