Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

shag bark hickory bark

Options
Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I use the bark off of my shag bark hickory trees all the time for smoking.The smoke is more concentrated than using the wood, but for me,it seems to have a far sweeter aroma and flavor. Anyone else had any experience using this bark?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Options
    MoEggHd,
    i agree. use it all the time. it is VERY sweet[p]i gave a bunch to flashback bob, and i think he likes it. [p]i don't worry about using bark in general at all. i can't imagine any serious barbecue restaurant spending time to remove it from all their wood. maybe they do, but seems more like a myth to me.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    stike,
    I agree. In fact many BBQ joints now use micro processor controlled automated smokers using gas or propane for a heat source and compressed pellets for the smoke. I guess when your after quantity versus quality you have to take a different path. Sorry. I'll step off of my soapbox. Thanks for your response.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Nessmuk
    Nessmuk Posts: 251
    Options
    MoEggHd,
    The purists on the BBQ contest circuit use only the inner wood. They remove the bark for the following reasons...criters in the bark, poison ivy in the bark & other unknowns.[p]In fact, they start & burn briquets outside the grill & shovel the ashes into their cooker. They light briquets with a propane tourch.[p][p]
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Options
    Nessmuk,
    if there are critters in the bark or the bark is loose, sure, lose the bark. but tight bark is no issue, and we all know what good wood looks like versus rotting wood.[p]as for poison ivy... if you know where your wood comes from, there's no worry.[p]i frankly think the "bitter bark" stuff is folklore. when something sounds logical and has a nice hook, it tends to 'stick'.[p]but i haven't won any awards, and i don't run a barbecue biz, so if a person is in doubt, they should differ to the masters.[p]my point, though, is that i'd bet that in the development of 'barbecue' as a method of cooking, the idea of removing bark is probably a recent (late to develop) concept.[p]like arguing over vermouth in a martini.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    Nessmuk,
    Briquets are mostly coal and filler. I think I would rather have a few bugs. The shag bark I use doesn't have any bugs as I usually peel fresh off of the tree and look it over real close.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories