 | John Yoder and his wife Joyce are owners of Yoder Meats, located in Yoder, KS. They are known for their custom butchering of hormone-free beef, pork and many other meats. They have been active in the meat processing business since 1965. You can contact them at (620) 465-3807, or toll free at (800) 952-MEAT(6328), or by e-mail at: yodermeatsinc@hotmail.com |
Food & Drink
2004-04-01 09:19:00
Selecting the right kind of wood
ANSWER: When choosing wood for smoking, use fruited hardwoods, or any type of wood that bears a fruit or nut. Some of the most popular smoking woods are Hickory, Pecan, Mesquite, White Oak, Cherry, Apple, and Peach. Never use Pine, Cedar, or Kiln Dried wood. Any wood used for smoking should be cured at least one year. Green wood still has sap and moisture that kept the tree alive. When you try to burn it, the sap produces a strong tasting smoke and turns your meat black. Also when you try burning green wood, it is hard to reach a good temperature because all the moisture in the wood almost puts the fire out while it's burning. Cured woods light easily and will maintain a good cooking temperature for several hours with very little maintenance. Also, cured wood will produce a good tasting smoke flavor that won't be too strong. There are several ways to control the amount of smoke taste you apply to the meat you're cooking. Different hardwoods have different tastes: • Mild smoking woods- Pecan, Apple, and Peach. • Medium smoking woods- Hickory, White Oak and Cherry. • Heavy smoking woods- Mesquite, Blackjack Oak, and Red Oak.The easiest way of controlling the amount of smoke that is applied to the meat being cooked is by wrapping it with aluminum foil. This works great! Start with your meat seasoned with your favorite seasoning. Cook the meat about 1/2 to 2/3 of the total cooking time, or until it looks to be the perfect color. Then wrap the meat in foil and finish cooking the meat until done. Happy smoking!
