Smoke can be a smelly subject. Cigar and cigarette smokers can ruin the atmosphere. You can always notice if someone has been around a campfire. Smoke from burning plastics, trash, and oil products offers an offensive aroma.
Some Smokes offer a wonderful flavor profile! I am talking about smoking food using wood or charcoal, which is made from wood. Whether you use split wood, charcoal chunks or briquets, or pellets, pay attention to the wood type scent.
Different woods offer different flavors to your smoked, grilled meals. Some woods go better with fish than meats. Here are some woods and their flavor profiles.
Maple This wood offers a sweet, light, and mild smokiness. It is great for mixing with other woods.
Oak This commonly used wood smokes well. The subtle flavor will not overpower the meat.
Apple Fruit trees offer a fruity flavor with a sweet taste. It is a good wood to mix with others.
Pecan This sweet, nutty, wood is perfect for beef. You can also blend it with other flavors.
Mesquite This is often offered in pellets and charcoal. It really smokes and is great for cooking smaller cuts for a shorter time.
Hickory Sweet Hickory is savory and hearty for beef. The flavor is strong and distinctive but popular.
Cherry This wood will offer a hint of sweetness and fruitiness to the meat.
One of the joys of being a Grill master is mastering the smoke. This past Christmas, my son Kyle smoked a huge tri tip on a Traeger Pellet grill. He selected a Pecan pellet for the task. At Thanksgiving, I smoked a brined Turkey on the same grill using their proprietary bag of Turkey pellets. It even came with the brine pack. The Turkey pellets were a blend of Hickory, Cherry, and Maple. In each case, the smoke enhanced the meat.
Feeding our family and friends is a joy. Grill masters pride themselves on their menus. Anyone can cook a basic meal. Everyone has their own tastes, likes, and dislikes. Experiment and discover how smoke will show you new flavors and tastes that meet your likings.
Smoke takes a good meal and makes it magically GREAT!
Montana Grant
For more Montana Grant, find him smoking at www.montanagrantfishing.com.
