smoking wood

Unknown

Just received a real nice salmon and want to do a little smoking using some alder wood. Question is, can I use green alder or does it need to be dried?

civil eggineer

Dried, green wood will impart nasty flavors.

stike

conventional wisdom is to use dried.

that said, i was watching the food channel, and they were interviewing a guy who owned a 'famous' roadside establishment down south (one of many!). he said, and i quote, "i never use anything but green wood...". i think many 'rules' related to food are lore, and are perpetuated without being truly tested.

i have in a pinch used green fruitwood and not noticed a difference at all. i have NMOT used green alder, so don't take my word for it.

if i can use dried, i use it. if i have to use green, i give it shot.

you'll see warnings about using bark too. if bark is tight, not insects, no mold, etc., it doesn't negatively affect anything, in my skinny, yankee, non-bbq-competition-winning opinion

i guess, in the end, it would be smart to simply test it. if it smells good, it will taste good. light up the grill and toss in some green alder. maybe toss on a chicken breast to test it. it would be a bummer to wreck some salmon.

just saying, don't take my word for it. try it out.

Aledo Green Dreggon

I have a little experience using fresh cut apple and was happy with the result. I would have to categorize myself somewhat similar to you except -
my overweight, yankee, non-bbq-winning opinion.