British BBQ Society Forums

So i've ordered my WSM and im raring to go but I have a couple of of questions that are niggling me. Can you smoke with fresh wood ie apple or pear that has only just been chopped down or do I need to leave it to dry out for a bit?
And do you really need to wrap a brisket up in towels for a couple of hours when you've smoked it?


Cheers Ian

Hi Ian,

With the wood you need to let it dry out completely so wouldn't be great for right now but stick it in your airing cupboard for 6 months or so and it would be fine to use.

Not sure if your use tigons are connected to the same cook, but personally i wouldn't use fruit woods with brisket. I'd go for woods like oak, hickory, mesquite or a mix of them but that's my preference.

Finally I do wrap my briskest for competition in foil and a towl once cooked as this helps keep it warm. I only do it at home if I've cooked it ahead of people arriving. Otherwise I will wrap it in foil to rest for half an hour and then I'll serve.

Myron Mixon cooks with green peach wood so it can be done with successful results. If you've ever burned green wood though you'll know it smokes like crazy. Personally I'd season the wood thoroughly before using it.

As Ed said, no need to wrap if you're ready to serve. It needs to rest as stated above but that's enough. There are some that would say wrapping and holding will improve texture and I'd probably agree. I think the benefit is minimal though.

Thanks for the replies lads, its helped put my mind at rest, cant wait for it to turn up now


Cheers Ian

Don't you need to trim the bark off to avoid a bitter taste?

You'll hear different opinions on bark. I tend to knock off what I can easily and if there's any mould on there I get rid of it.

Well Ive managed to get hold of some decent sized apple tree trunk sections now all I have to do is hide them in the airing cupboard without my missus seeing then

excellent

Bless my missus, she's just told me I cant put my wood in the airing cupboard and that I should shove it somewhere else, so maybe I need to take the bark off first after all.
Forgot to mention the 57cm WSM I ordered was from www.gardenandleisure.com and cost £330 including delivery, now that's what I call a good deal.



Ian

CAWKY1962 wrote:Bless my missus, she's just told me I cant put my wood in the airing cupboard and that I should shove it somewhere else, so maybe I need to take the bark off first after all.
Ian

Nice one (don't forget to trim any knots as well)