Smokinlicious® Smoking Wood Tips

Smokinlicious® wood blocks are a pristine backdrop for the 10 things to consider when purchasing wood for cooking!!

Many of you who reside in the Southern and Western States have the advantage of being able to engage in wood-fired cooking pretty much whenever you want, regardless of the calendar. You may do so on an LP grill, a charcoal grill, charcoal/wood smoker, or electric grill or smoker. Those of us living in the North and to the East – though we could continue cooking outdoors all year – usually elect to restrict our outdoor cooking methods until temperatures climb above 55°F!

Soon, it will be an even playing field when it comes to enjoying the outdoors for all of us so what better way to get prepared than to start thinking about replenishing supplies for our outdoor living and cooking.

Today, I’m going to give you a guide on the top 10 things to consider when purchasing wood for cooking, grilling or smoking in general.

#1 Is the wood native to the USA?

If the wood comes from outside the United States, it doesn’t necessarily make it a bad choice but you do need to understand that importing wood products into the USA is highly regulated. Mostly, the wood needs to be certified that it has been treated in some way to ensure no insects are hitching a ride in! Remember, that treatment could be with chemicals or by heat only, so be sure you check the label. This product may turn out to only be ideal for hot temperature cooking like searing and grilling due to the dryness of the wood, or if chemicals were used, it shouldn’t be used at all.

#2 Is the wood 100% hardwood?

It is imperative that any wood you use to cook with, wood chips, wood chunks, logs or dust be only hardwood. Look for labeling that attest to the fact that only hardwood was used as some companies will use a mix of softwood and hardwood or include press woods.

SmokinLicious® Double Fillet Chunks

#3 How does the company get the wood?

Many of the companies who supply wood chips for cooking have another manufacturing process that produces a scrap or waste product. Not Smokinlicious®! Often, those leftovers are used in this secondary business of BBQ woods, smoking woods, or cooking woods, to name a few of the labeling names. Check packaging for the source or origin location of the wood and if that company name matches the one on the front of the packaging label.

#4 Are you getting the wood named on the label?

This seems like a no brainer but honestly, wood is no different than olive oil or cheese. You may not be getting 100% of the wood species listed on the label just as we’re finding extra virgin olive oils may not be extra virgin or grated cheese isn’t 100% cheese! If you find packaging that simply states “hardwood” or “mixed hardwoods” then you don’t know what you’re getting. Be sure to read the entire label and check for a reference to 100% of a species.

#5 Is the brand name the actual manufacturer of the wood or just the distributor?

It is very common for brands to be in a business that they don’t participate in from a manufacturing point. Check the small print on the label to see if the manufacturer of the product is listed or if the label simply states who the product is distributed by. Distributors don’t have a lot of history on the product in the box or bag.

#6 Does the seller make claim to a certain cooking method for the wood?

This is key to ensuring you don’t end up with a disaster. If the packaging clearly states the product is for grilling, then don’t try to use it in your smoker or stove top smoking pan. Compatibility of a cooking wood to equipment should factor in the moisture level of the wood. Too dry, and it will just catch fire. Too wet and you won’t be able to grill with it.

#7 Are there any terms such as “naturally cured” or kiln dried on the label?

The terms generally mean that the wood has been air dried for an extended period, much like you do with firewood before using it in your fireplace, or the wood has been exposed to low temperature drying in an enclosed area. Either method means the wood will usually have a moisture level of 4-13% which will not make it ideal for hot smoking techniques. Again, these woods are best for high heat level cooking as dry wood produces a lot of heat. Woods with a moisture level ~20% are ideal for hot smoking.

#8 Does the wood have bark?

Our competitors’ bark on product

Bark is the protector of the tree and so it is like a sponge, absorbing anything that isn’t healthy to the tree. When bark-on wood is exposed to heat, you will get a lot of separation or weakness to the cell structure of the bark. This can loosen during exposure to heat and burn separately causing flare ups in temperature control, sparks, and leave a coating on your equipment. If you have an option, go bark-free!

#9 Does the packaging label reference cooking or merely say “firewood”?

If you planning on going camping and setting up an elevate cooking grate over the fire, or using a Dutch oven for cowboy-style of cooking, then I don’t have a problem with using split firewood for the cooking part. This is in the great outdoors where there is a lot of area to handle the smoke vapor. But if you are using any kind of equipment that has a contained firebox area, please use something other than firewood to cook with. You simply don’t know where the wood has been or what it may contain so cooking within a confined chamber is not the ideal. Firewood can have a lot of resin, sap, and spark.

#10 Does the brand sell the product by weight?

Wood is a commodity that has a lot of variance when it comes to weight due to differences in density, moisture level, and variety of the species. It is the reason why wood cannot be sold by weight legally. Look at the packaging and be sure there is a reference to cubic inches, cubic feet, liters, centimeters, etc. Anything but weight.

There you have it! A guide for your upcoming outdoor cooking season using a variety of cooking/grilling woods like wood chips, chunks, logs or dust. Take a bit of time to check the packaging and examine all the information on a website before making your decision. Most importantly ask yourself: Do I want to eat anything cooked over this?

Dr. Smoke- Before purchasing wood for cooking, it’s important to know the many factors!

More Related reading on purchasing wood for cooking:

Wood Chips Grande Sapore

Wood Chunks- Double or Single Filet

Smoker Logs- Full & Quarter Cut

Smoking Dust- Spice for Your Equipment

Smoker wood storage summer or as the winter months approach, you should pop some holes in the box to circulated the air!

Smoker wood storage for chips or chunks Share on X

SmokinLicious® has the luxury of manufacturing every wood product we offer for sale. That means, our moisture rich wood is ready to use immediately. We certainly are not firewood as we work only with the heartwood of the hardwood trees and need proper storage to maintain our clean, fresh state. Plus, we want you to have a pleasant outcome to smoking your foods which is a direct result of the moisture level.

It’s Serious Business- Smoker Wood Storage!

We take wood storage seriously! Which is why when you purchase our products, you’ll receive a card educating you on the best storage containers and conditions. Simply put, any container that encourages air flow is ideal. We have found that some plastic containers can actual cause mold spores which is why materials made from wood, cardboard or metal are preferred. If you should encounter wood that has begun to develop evidence of mold, you may follow these steps to sanitize the wood for cooking:

1. Dilute 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water (or 1.5 ounces of white vinegar to 3 gallons of water). Be sure the wood is completely submerged in the vinegar mixture.

2. Let the wood soak in the solution for a minimum of 2 minutes.

3. Remove the wood from the vinegar mixture and allow to air dry.

4. Store the wood as recommended above.

Prevent Sunburn

Just like your skin, wood can get too much sun and become sunburned, especially given we are bark-free product. It is best to select a location for storage that is away from direct sunlight. A cool, dry location is ideal. If you select a garage or basement area, be sure you don’t place any cardboard container directly on the cement surface or moisture will be drawn in through the carton to the wood and could result in appearance and aroma changes. If you do see the outside of the wood turn a bit gray, that likely is the result of some sun exposure.

Temperature and Humidity for Smoker Wood Storage

As a last point, keep temperature and humidity in mind when you select a storage location. Since our hardwoods are native to New York State, they are accustom to certain conditions including 4 seasons. Wood can be stressed especially when traveling in a truck to your location. Be sure to follow our directive sticker on the carton advising to get the carton open immediately upon delivery. Air is crucial to your wood remaining in the great condition it is in when we packaged it.

For those wanting to know if refrigeration is an option, our study shows refrigeration certainly doesn’t hurt the wood but you do need to rotate any unused wood periodically to prevent mold potential. Freezing the wood is not suggested. When you plan to use the wood for wood-fired cooking, be sure to remove the wood from a cold location and allow to come to room temperature in order to prevent a lengthy time waiting for combustion to take hold which is what produces smoke vapor.

More Related reading on smoker More

• As Fall & Winter Approach
• How Seasons & Equilibrium Moisture Content Affect Wood Storage
• Smoker Lab Report on Moisture & Storage of Wood

Products

• Wood Chunks- Double & Single Filet
• Wood Chips- Minuto & Piccolo

Dr. Smoke- Smoker Wood Storage is an important part of your grilling practices! Follow our advice to get the most out of your wood purchase

Second Test Kitchen Results

The Smokinlicious®Test Kitchen conducted an additional test using the Technique® Cast Iron Skillet and Smoker which many of you purchased from QVC as the Special of the Day. This time, we used our flavor-infused wood product called the Woodscuit ® on the stovetop.

What We Cooked: Boneless Pork Tenderloin

How We Cooked: on the stovetop using medium-low heat on the gas range

What Wood We Used: Bourbon Flavored Woodscuit ® – 3 pieces

Length of Cook Time: 2-1/2 hours

Findings: Again, as our previous test cooks have demonstrated, the Technique® Cast Iron Skillet and Smoker provides for a very moist product. This time, we lined our drip pan in foil to decrease the amount of elbow-grease needed to clean up. Since our Woodscuit ® product has a moisture content of ~45 percent, these wood pieces did not display the charred look like the woods used in the previous test cooks (both the Wood Chips and Smokin’ Dust® were black by the end of the cooking time). However, once the tenderloin was finished, our panel of tasters did not find any significant smoke flavor to the end product. For those pieces that had been more to the center of the cast iron skillet, the tasters noted slightly more smoke flavor but overall, there was no distinguishable smoke flavor infused in the food.

Currently, our Test Kitchen has found that the Wood Chips used on the stovetop, provide for the greatest flavor infusion of the wood used. As always, we will continue to test this cast iron skillet with a plan to see if adding water to the smoke pan with the wood product, helps to keep the flavor infusion going.

Stay tuned!

Fingerling Potatoes are Next

Dr. Smoke- Cast iron skillet cooking and smoking is easy, affordable & offers great flavor results! When using the Technique® Cast Iron Skillet, coupled our quality cooking wood, you can’t go wrong!

For more reading on the Technique® Cast Iron Skillet & Smoker and how you can do stove top smoking from your own kitchen, check out these articles:

A Guide to Cooking the Perfect Steak

Infusing Wood Flavor to Brussels Sprouts Using a Cast Iron Skillet

The Kitchen Find – Easy, Convenient & Affordable Stove Top Smoking!

Thanks for the question regarding Mango wood.  Although limited in the

areas they can grow (India, Florida, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc.), Mango wood

is very popular for upper end wood products like bowls, vases, and even

some furniture.  However, you are correct.  Mango wood contains a sap

that is located at the base of the stem, branches, and trunk. As a result,

a recommendation is made never to burn mango wood as it emits a smoke

that is full of potent irritants.  Plus, Mango trees are highly

suseptible to a number of diseases and pest infestations,

including the fruit fly, black twig borer, sooty mold, and

southern green stink bug to name a few. Pesticide application

is generally necessary to maintain the health of these trees.

Because of the chemical application, Mango wood does not make

for good BBQ!

Stick to forest producing products for the safest woods for BBQ!

Use Smokinlicious® Mango Smokin' Dust®  instead!
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The SmokinLicious® Story

THE SMOKINLICIOUS® STORY

This is the The Smokinlicious® Story and the birth of the cleanest USA manufactured hardwoods specifically for cooking.

We all have dreams. I can seriously tell you that one of mine did not include owning a cooking wood company. It just happened. The short story is, my husband and co-founder of SmokinLicious®, agreed to take over a wood products business that required a more skilled leader. For two years, I let him tackle this venture alone until his vision saw more potential.

Just a few years ahead of this, we had another dream of owning a lake property. We managed to make that dream a reality in 1999 when we lucked out finding our ideal property. It needed a lot of work. A LOT! We jumped off the cliff that year and continued working on this project for the next 12 years adding various out buildings. The fourth building to be built would turn out to be one of the most used and bring to life our cooking wood company – our outdoor kitchen.

The Outdoors Brings Clarity- The SMOKINLICIOUS® Story

We brought in larch logs to stand majestically as pillars on the countertop surround. We brought in stone from a local quarry and built a beautiful outdoor fireplace with an elevated hearth. And we outfitted the kitchen with a small refrigerator, sink, prep area, and loads of under counter cabinets. When it was done, we began cooking and creating and dreaming some more. You see, we are blessed with mountains all around us that harbor the best hardwoods for cooking. And we owned a wood company!

Here’s where life got interesting.

We would entertain friends and family, always cooking in that outdoor kitchen when we could. The questions started pouring in! “What did you do to these short ribs? I’ve never tasted anything so good! How is it possible that my 7-year old, who won’t ever eat my steaks, is asking for 3^rd helpings of yours?”

Have you ever experienced one of those moments? I call it karma.

We had plentiful hardwoods so we never paid attention to what other people had for cooking supply. Until that moment.

Make It Like No Other- The SMOKINLICIOUS® Story

We scoured the stores and online sites looking at what was available for cooking wood. We didn’t like what we saw. The packaged wood looked dry, dirty, inconsistent in sizing, loaded with bark, not something enticing to cook with. And that was our moment.

We knew we could produce a better product line then what was currently available. We made our list of issues we could see with the current product offerings. Then we launched into our plan.

If you’re like me and you understand that you control your own fortune in life, then you’ll understand that I could see what I wanted in this product, I believed I could make this product and company a reality. I just didn’t know the how. That is generally the pattern for all success in business.

Belief Becomes Reality- The SMOKINLICIOUS® Story

SmokinLicious® started business by providing a handful of products to meet the initial needs of those who wanted to smoke with hardwood. We tested our products on the competitive barbecue circuit throughout North America, we studied the equipment that most competitors and home users used, and we studied the wood. Over the past 13 years, we’ve been listening to our customer’s comments, listening to the needs of our potential and existing commercial customers, visiting commercial smokehouse operations, and analyzing what’s missing in the market. We’ve gone from one size of wood chips to over eight options, three offerings of wood chunks, five sizes of heartwood logs, and over 15 flavors of our Smokin’ Dust® product, making SmokinLicious® the most innovative cooking wood supplier who also happens to manufacture every product.

If the equipment to make our dream real didn’t exist, we made it. If writing how to guides didn’t prove enough, we offered videos. Additionally, if photos couldn’t prove the differences in our products from others, then we offered up molecular analysis.

This is The Smokinlicious® Story or at least our story to this point. There is so much more to come. Join us and experience a rebirth when it comes to wood fired cooking techniques and get the perfect partner for your needs. You can be part of the rest of The Smokinlicious® Story!

Purchase products:

Smokin’ Dust

Wood Chips- Grande Sapore®

Wood Chunks- Double and Single Filet

Smoker Logs- Full & Quarter Cut

More Related reading on this subject

Additional reading:

-WOOD SUPPLIER- ARE YOU GETTING WHAT YOU PAID FOR?

-SMOKINLICIOUS® IS AN F2C

-IT’S A MATTER OF PRIORITY! DON’T PUT US LAST!

-JOIN OUR ‘WEIRD’ CLUB AND GET RESULTS FROM YOUR WOOD CHIPS!

Doctor Smoke- The Smokinlicious® Story