Using Hickory AND Apple chunks question...

BigGreenDawg

I was told Friday by one of my customers who I will call Mr Charles that if you use hickory and apple that the apple will intensify the hickory and make it too strong. I have always loved the taste and smell of hickory and currently have a bag of chunks but before I got some apple I wanted to get you guys eggsperiences with both. I am doing a bb rib cook after church today and will pick up some apple "chips" if suggested. I haven't seen any apple chunks in my local stores. If I decide to add them it will be after the lump and hickory chunks have gone 30 minutes to stabilize. Most say the cold ribs soak up alot of the smoke early so after a handful of apple chips I would just let it roll.

Any feedback is appreciated, I've done a search but felt like a new post would provide a quicker answer.

Thanks

Chef Charles

I always use chips as that is what is commonly available where I live. Apple is one of my favorites and would match quite well with ribs.

RRP

I don't know what Mr Charles has been smoking but I ALWAYS use hickory chunks and apple chips when I egg baby backs. They are tasty and fine. BTW I do know when meat gets oversmoked for my tastes, but it sure isn't with this combo of woods!

Haggis

I haven't heard that the combination intensifies the flavor of the hickory but I'd intuitively question it - that is, I'd think the hickory would override any apple flavor.

I like them both but prefer to try to match them to the food. Hickory is stronger than apple and would, in my mind, better match the stronger tasting meats such as beef. Apple is sweeter and milder and I use it mostly on pork and fish.

In reality, though, after I cut down my apple trees a couple years ago, I used apple to the exclusion of all others until I ran out. I just got given some well seasoned cherry logs a few weeks back and its amazing how fast I've adapted to exclusively cherry.

egret

Ditto that! I frequently use the combo with great results. :P

BigGreenDawg

Thanks, I have had his ribs which are quite good considering they aren't off an egg but it seemed this was a little hudu-guru even for Mr Charles. He also said marinating the ribs overnight in mustard and washing it off before the cook would tenderize them. I am trying it but leaving the mustard on.

Now I may have messed by by cutting the racks in half so I could fit them in the fridge last night; any ideas as to how this factor may influence the cook?

Beanie-Bean

For pork, I'll mix the apple and hickory, with excellent results!

BigGreenDawg

So are you cooking with the cherry or apple on top of the lump or totally with them as your lump?

I've been considering going to the saw mill to get some more hickory if I like it as much as I expect to.

Haggis

It largely depends on the mood of the moment. When I use chips from a bag I'll usually spread it around and some naturally mixes with the lump as it falls into the crevasses. Chips will almost always burn completely as soon as the fire hits them so mixing them in somewhat makes sense.

When I use chunks, as I usually do when I cut my own wood, I tend to toss just one or two on top where one will start burning almost immediately and any others will catch later. The chunks burn much slower than chips and often last hours at low smoking temps. If they don't burn up entirely, they'll end up mixed in the lump for the next cook because they'll be nearly indistinguishable from the other lump that's reused.

But there are lots of ways to reach the desired end product and as long as the temp is relatively low, I doubt that any of it matters much - you want just enough burning to produce a little smoke. That can be accomplished anyway that suits you and, as you likely know, there are lots of seemingly contradictory but still perfectly valid experiences represented on this forum.

Egg-N-Tino

When I do ribs, I combine Apple, Hickory and Guava. Mix it up and see what 'YOU' like. Any of these woods combined or by themselves will get you a good product at the end.

Practice + Practice + Practice = Awesome Ribs

If you have the time, check out the link I have provided. More information about ribs than you would ever care to know.

www.amazingribs.com

Good luck,