# Wild Cherry Wood??



## Niner

I see a lot of talk about using cherry wood for smokin'.
Is wild cherry any good for smokin'?
I had to cut down a pretty good sized one last year and now that it is seasoned....was wondering if I should smoke with it, or just put it in the fireplace.


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## DBM78

I think most people use green fruit wood. I could be wrong.


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## stev

I tried cherry wood ,one time, never again .


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## BBQBOSS

Niner said:


> I see a lot of talk about using cherry wood for smokin'.
> Is wild cherry any good for smokin'?
> I had to cut down a pretty good sized one last year and now that it is seasoned....was wondering if I should smoke with it, or just put it in the fireplace.




Right now i'm using whatever kind of cherry tree it is that my neighbor cut down.  It was a biggun.  Works good for me and i haven't croaked *cough*cough*hack*hack*..... yet....


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## stev

I just dont like the taste it gives to the meats .


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## BBQBOSS

stev said:


> I just dont like the taste it gives to the meats .



That's cool, everyone cant like the same things.  Life would be boring. 

But make a mental not that if you ever have a chance to eat my ribs, REFUSE!!!  They will be smoked with cherry and hickory.


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## Doc_5729

I can't say if it's good for smoking or not, BUT I can say if there's a wild cherry tree in a cow pasture or a field with livestock it won't be there long. It'll get cut down and drug off because cows, horses and such love the bark and berries.

Only problem is, it's HIGHLY TOXIC!!!!! and will kill'em grave yard dead!


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## dawg2

I thought it was poisonous...


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## Twenty five ought six

I use it mixed with oak.  It has a distinctive taste, and I think it would be too strong by itself.  With oak, it makes a mellow deep taste.

Green fruit wood, or green nut wood, will give a bitter creosote taste if used in large quantities.  Seasoned is much better.


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## BBQBOSS

dawg2 said:


> I thought it was poisonous...



Ive read that Black Cherry trees are poisonous, at least the leaves are anyway.  But im no expert with all that.  I just know that before i used any cherry wood for cooking i looked up a few things on the internet and the only warnings I found was to not use black cherry wood.  

This new stock of cherry i have seems to be pretty good. the tree has been down for about 4 months and i have been using it to cook for about a month.


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## Paymaster

I use wild cherry all the time. Season it about six months after cutting and you are good to go. I have never had a complaint about my cherry wood smoked BBQ. I never use *any* green wood for smoking.


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## ccookou812

What I don't use for turning goes into a box to dry. It gives a good sweet smoke and I have found if I mix in some of my pecan you cant beat it. That is what I used this past Sunday and believe me there were no complaints. Just more get together's planned for me to smoke something. I now have 3 in the next month. Got to figure out what to smoke.


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## Bitteroot

Doc_5729 said:


> I can't say if it's good for smoking or not, BUT I can say if there's a wild cherry tree in a cow pasture or a field with livestock it won't be there long. It'll get cut down and drug off because cows, horses and such love the bark and berries.
> 
> Only problem is, it's HIGHLY TOXIC!!!!! and will kill'em grave yard dead!



Yep.... the wilted leaves produce a high arsenic content that will take out livestock.  I am pretty sure that is consistent with japanese maple as well.  Cow and Horse killers for sure!

here ya go...

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Prunuse.htm


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## Paymaster

Thanks for the link Bitteroot. Good info. I have saved it as a fav.


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## Twenty five ought six

Bitteroot said:


> Yep.... the wilted leaves produce a high arsenic content that will take out livestock.  I am pretty sure that is consistent with japanese maple as well.  Cow and Horse killers for sure!
> 
> here ya go...
> 
> http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Prunuse.htm



And peach pits are high in cyanide.

No reason not to use the wood for smoking.

The only fruit/nut wood which I know that is potentially harmful to use is black walnut.

Academy Sports sells bags of cherry wood.


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## Bitteroot

Twenty five ought six said:


> And peach pits are high in cyanide.
> 
> No reason not to use the wood for smoking.
> 
> The only fruit/nut wood which I know that is potentially harmful to use is black walnut.
> 
> Academy Sports sells bags of cherry wood.



wasn't commenting on using it as smoking wood.... just reafirming DOC's comments.  I don't use it... but that's just me.  I also don't use peach, or plum which I have heard are in the same category.  But again.. that's just me.  Now I will say that it specifies the leaves and twigs not the trunk wood. I would personally like to see more info on it before I would use it in smoking.  Poison can be emitted from smoke similar to poison oak vines burning.  I AM NOT saying that is the case with wild cherry, but I would like to see more evidence that arsenic is not transferred to the food surface via smoke and even if it was it may take significant ingested amounts to create a risk..... but I've been know to ingest significant amounts!


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## BBQBOSS

Bitteroot said:


> wasn't commenting on using it as smoking wood.... just reafirming DOC's comments.  I don't use it... but that's just me.  I also don't use peach, or plum which I have heard are in the same category.  But again.. that's just me.  Now I will say that it specifies the leaves and twigs not the trunk wood. I would personally like to see more info on it before I would use it in smoking.  Poison can be emitted from smoke similar to poison oak vines burning.  I AM NOT saying that is the case with wild cherry, but I would like to see more evidence that arsenic is not transferred to the food surface via smoke and even if it was it may take significant ingested amounts to create a risk..... but I've been know to ingest significant amounts!




Well, would you look into that and get back with me on it.


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## Twenty five ought six

Bitteroot said:


> wasn't commenting on using it as smoking wood.... just reafirming DOC's comments.  I don't use it... but that's just me.  I also don't use peach, or plum which I have heard are in the same category.  But again.. that's just me.  Now I will say that it specifies the leaves and twigs not the trunk wood. I would personally like to see more info on it before I would use it in smoking.  Poison can be emitted from smoke similar to poison oak vines burning.  I AM NOT saying that is the case with wild cherry, but I would like to see more evidence that arsenic is not transferred to the food surface via smoke and even if it was it may take significant ingested amounts to create a risk..... but I've been know to ingest significant amounts!



Read the whole article that the link goes .  Clearly says that the fruit is edible and used in preserves.

These people sell wild cherry chunks/chips. I have to think that if it weren't safe they would have heard about it by now.

http://www.smokinlicious.ca/

http://www.hardwoodsmokingchips.com/wild_black_cherry_smoking_chips.html

http://www.iprobbq.com/bbq-supplies/smoking-woods/wild-cherry-smoking-wood.html

Apple seeds are poisonous if eaten, and Myron Mixon has been a multiple world champion using apple wood.

Sassafras is a good smoking wood and it's supposed to have a chemical that causes cancer.


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## aligator

*smoke*

I would like to ask a question about smoking. Lets say you put a pork butt on you grill/smoker.  How long would you have to smoke, not to be ready to eat, just to impart flavor to the meat.  The reason for this question is that I have some large Rosemary bushes .  Once the meat is hot on the grill, I smoke with Rosemary for about 15-20 min.  I then add, fig wood, pomegranate wood or other wood.  The meat is always very good, but can't tell how much benefit the Rosemary adds.
                                                         Tanks


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## Bitteroot

Twenty five ought six said:


> Read the whole article that the link goes .  Clearly says that the fruit is edible and used in preserves.
> 
> These people sell wild cherry chunks/chips. I have to think that if it weren't safe they would have heard about it by now.
> 
> http://www.smokinlicious.ca/
> 
> http://www.hardwoodsmokingchips.com/wild_black_cherry_smoking_chips.html
> 
> http://www.iprobbq.com/bbq-supplies/smoking-woods/wild-cherry-smoking-wood.html
> 
> Apple seeds are poisonous if eaten, and Myron Mixon has been a multiple world champion using apple wood.
> 
> Sassafras is a good smoking wood and it's supposed to have a chemical that causes cancer.



you've sold me.... since it's on the internet.. it must be true!

I'm sure that it's used all over the place... but after seeing livestock dead because of it....I just don't use it.  There's plenty of other good wood as well. I am certain that anything in excess is not good for us...but I've never seen a horse die from eating an apple....seeds and all. But I know that what your saying about the seeds is correct. The cyanide in apple seeds is miniscule...but to my knowledge it doesn't exist in the wood as does the cherry.  I'm not certain where they can draw the line between the leaves and twigs being poison to animals and not the bark/wood. I've know that the old timers say that any part of the tree will kill livestock, but I'm not sure of the validity.  I've always heard that it was only the WILTED branches and leaves that would build up enough arsenic to do harm. Again.. I would like to know about the transfer and buildup of chemicals to meat through smoke... but I don't think I will find that answer anytime soon.  

Till then.. smoke one for me dude!


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## Bitteroot

aligator said:


> I would like to ask a question about smoking. Lets say you put a pork butt on you grill/smoker.  How long would you have to smoke, not to be ready to eat, just to impart flavor to the meat.  The reason for this question is that I have some large Rosemary bushes .  Once the meat is hot on the grill, I smoke with Rosemary for about 15-20 min.  I then add, fig wood, pomegranate wood or other wood.  The meat is always very good, but can't tell how much benefit the Rosemary adds.
> Tanks



I've used the rosemary while cooking chicken but it burns up so quickly that I am not sure of what it may have added to the flavor.  I've got a potted rosemary on my table next to my grill and use it occasionally. It smells good while it's buring up... but you'd prolly have to keep tossing it in to get any lasting taste changes.

Maybe a bundle of it with a piece of steel wire wrapped around it to keep it tightly together.  Soak it in water for a while and toss it in.. that might keep the smoke going for a while.


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## Twenty five ought six

aligator said:


> I would like to ask a question about smoking. Lets say you put a pork butt on you grill/smoker.  How long would you have to smoke, not to be ready to eat, just to impart flavor to the meat.  The reason for this question is that I have some large Rosemary bushes .  Once the meat is hot on the grill, I smoke with Rosemary for about 15-20 min.  I then add, fig wood, pomegranate wood or other wood.  The meat is always very good, but can't tell how much benefit the Rosemary adds.
> Tanks



It depends on a lot of factors, pungency of the smoking material, starting temperature of the meat, cooking temperature.  I'm thinking that unless you use the rosemary in a rub, or skewer, you are not going to get much flavor in 15-20 minutes.  Also once the meat is hot, it takes up less smoke, so you are sort of going about that backwards.  I think that you need an hour of smoke for _some _flavor, and about 3 hours for maximum smoked flavor.

I've made pork kabobs with rosemary stems, and that's just the slightest hint of rosemary.

I especially like chicken kabobs on rosemary skewers grilled hot and fast.


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## Paymaster

I have been using cherry since I started smoking and all this gives me pause. But ,I love the taste and I am still alive after ten years or so, I guess I will continue.


 Here is a link that shows wood good for smoking and which meats are best with which.I find it quite handy.

http://www.3men.com/whatwood.htm


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## aligator

Thanks for the information.


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## Doc_5729

I reckon me and Bitteroot think the same. 

I only mentioned that because anything considered poisonous doesn't go in my firebox. And I did say Not sure about smoking.I'm kinda like IF a cow or horse can eat a belly full of leaves and/or bark and fall over dead, I'm thinking I'll pass.

And just because someone sells it, doesn't justify me personally buying it. No offense, but Firestone sold a bunch of tires that had problems and everyone knew it, but they kept selling them. I didn't buy those either.

Back to wood......

It's kind of like trucks, some folks like Chevy's, others like Dodge and then there's Ford, Toyota, Nissan and ............

well I think you get the idea. Different strokes for different folks. Right!!!


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## Lester7009

Wild Cherry NO !!!!!!!!! But from Cherry tree to eat Big yes. Any fruit tree wood is very good to use its just hard to get.


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