Fishing Forum

Just wondering what everyone uses for their fish and meat smoking. Has anyone ever used GRAPEVINES?
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Curt I assumed you meant for fish, so I use Alder... However, I use other woods for pork and beef... They can take a stronger smoke like Hickory... I do like apple and cherry as well, but they have a little stronger flavor than alder and not as much as hickory in my opinion.... Seems like TD likes a stronger smoke on his cat fingers, which are totally delicious if you haven't had a chance to try them, they are a treat... One day I'll figure out how to smoke cat correctly so I can make some of that good stuff... After the spawn I'll have to keep a few and try it... I hate to keep cats before they spawn and I don't like the males to eat, so this June I'll have to give it a try again... J
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When I catch big trout with orange/pink/red flesh I almost always smoke them in a teriyaki marinade or brine and use apple wood chunks. I have done a smoke with a lemon-dill marinade and then I used a medium amount of hickory with small amount of mesquite, it turned out pretty well. The base charcoal is always lump oak charcoal so that does add a little smoke flavor itself.
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I'm sure you will get lots of replies of people's favorite smoking woods. I have not used grape vines nor do I know anyone that has used them. I don't think it would taste very good because it is a soft wood. Hard woods are what's used in smoking because at the lower temperatures we smoke at i.e. 170 deg to 275 deg we get a more complete combustion with the hard woods which means less soot. The soot is what gives the meat a bitter taste. With pork, chicken, and beef it is best to keep your temp above 200 deg to keep from getting soot. With the tender flesh of fish it is best to smoke between 170 to 210 deg to get a good smoke flavor without over cooking the fish. With a wood/charcoal, pellet, or gas smoker it is difficult to smoke this low even with hardwoods without creating soot. For fish, electric smokers are the best option because you have electric heating elements creating the heat not a combustion fire. The wood chips/chunks will smolder without crossing the line over to soot. The big chief smokers we original designed and built by Lure Jensen for smoking fish. I have installed a commercial thermometer in mine and depending on outdoor conditions and if I am using the heat blanket it will hold between 180-225 deg.
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I use alder for fish and hickory/alder blend for everything else.
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Hey Curt,
When my mother cut a ton of her grape vine out of her yard I took several boxes full ranging in size from 4" thick on down to 3/4" thick. I used it on some trout within a week and for several weeks after that. It was good and tasted fine, but when I used it months later it was not as good as the green wood batches.

I think the difference was the moisture content and from what I've heard it is best when used green.

One of my favorite wood mixtures for smoked trout, especially Lakers, is local chokecherry and local maples. The flavor is awesome and wild at the same time, but if I could only choose one of those it might be chokecherry. Both very abundant and very good.

I used to own a BBQ restaurant and am fairly proficient at smoking most all meats with good success and it definitely works best to pair the wood up to the fish. White, flaky fishes actually work best, from the feedback that I've received, with hickory, Apple, and maple, while fish with a higher oil content did best with more subdued and fruitier hardwoods like Apple, cherry, peach, etc.

Alder is also an awesome wood, but only if you soak it well and never let it flame. The soot from alder is quite bitter and doesn't compliment anything.

Of course these are just opinions, but they are from customer feedback. No matter which hardwood you use it will still taste pretty good even if it's not your first choice.....just keep the smoke temps low and avoid at all cost having the wood actually flame on you.

Mike
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Pecan Apple alder & hickory
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Nope ..... I haven't used grapevines, but I know this guy who has some if I need them.[]

I use apple and alder mix for trout/salmon.
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To be honest I smoke mostly Pork, and I prefer a blend of hickory and some fruitwood. Maple is also really good with hickory
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Trout and salmon - you gotta go with the classic and use alder
Pork - apple, hickory, oak
Brisket - Hickory or mesquite

I'm limited to the "pucks" that are made for the Bradley smoker - as of yet they still don't make a grapevine flavor. []
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Thanks everyone, for your replies, I found this web site for what wood to use for smoking the different meats: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/guide...smoke-food
Cardell, what gave me the idea about asking everyone what they use, is that I was repairing a section of my fence, and had to cut 1/4 of my grape vine down. During the Winter I also lost a couple of big branches on my Cherry tree. I was thinking about renting a shredder to make good use of all that wood, instead of throwing it away but after finding out how much it cost to rent a shredder, $64 for 4 hours, I'm not sure now[:/]. After finding this web site, that I listed above, I see grape vine can indeed be used for smoking. I mainly use Apple and cherry wood for smoking fish but according to this web site, other woods would likely do a better job.
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I personally really like walnut. I have a friend with a wood shop so scraps of walnut are easy to come by and the flavor is fantastic with any type f meat.

Have also used cherry from a friend's orchard and that is great too.
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Hey curt if you need some wood chips i am a tree trimmer and I could get you most types of local wood let me know I usually bring home alot of cherry and apple. In the summer for my own smoking let me know.
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Hey Allen, I was hoping you would reply. I remember you saying you were a wood cutting guy and was wondering if you that machine just chipped wood or does it shred it too? I'd be glad to take you up on your cherry and apple wood offer.
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Thanks for the poll. It is interesting that Mike mentioned chokecherry. We have a ton of chokecherries up here. I guess I better try some of that.
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When I was a kid, growing up in S. Colo there was chokecherry trees very where. You could always tell when the berries were ripe because all along the road people would stop and pick them during the season. I guess they are around here too but I can't say I've ever noticed them. Maybe they are just higher up the mountains as WW said.
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My company just bought me a new chipper so it chips wood into small square shaped pieces on my next fruit tree removal I will snag some for you. One side note is when I chip the dead wood you will need to soak it in some water then let it dry out again it helps remove any dirt. But if you would like some live chipped wood I can grab you some of that also. But with my own smoking if the wood is not 100% dry it doesn't seem to have the same smoking effect I thought maybe it would be like throwing a live tree branch on a fire and it would produce more smoke but no I was wrong live and you learn but anyway I will keep you in mind for sure and get ahold of you when I get some
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I have had charcoal/wood, electric and now a GMG pellet smoker/grill. I will never use anything else and I did not know what I was missing. They have come a very long ways. I can smoke from 150-225 and maintain a +/- 2 degree varience. It goes up to 500* and makes the best Papa Murphy's pizza you will ever have. The next best thing is no soot, no ashes. There are two fans, one that blows out the ash from the firebox and one that stops heat from going in the pellet box. The types of pellets are almost never ending. I prefer alder for fish, cherry and Apple for pork and mix of hardwoods for beef.
The GMG has wifi so I can set up my cooking temperature, meat temperature and times and it is all done for me on my phone. I love it!!! I'll be doing a New York strip roast tomorrow with the Camp Chef competition blend pellets. They are my favorite so far
I use a hickory Mojo Brick for that extra smoke kick for beef and put it on top of the burn plate. It's all done by indirect heat and smoke. Man I'm hungry.
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I use mesquite for beef and sometimes pork. I use hickory most of the time for pork and use it for fish and smoked meat sticks, etc. I suppose I enjoy a hearty smoke flavor. I have tried alder, apple, etc. but have not found it preferable to hickory. I now use pellets almost exclusively. They are cheap, easy, and convenient.

I would love a Treager or GMG, but not in my budget right now.

Quite a lot of choke cherry around.
The best part of picking in Utah is you don't have to deal with everyone else. In Colo. we used to have to watch them real close and then pick just before they were ripe or you would not get any.
PM me if you want to know where some patches are that are close to home.
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