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Dave,
A coupla questions regarding smoking woods. I read your smoking page and you advised not to smoke with construction lumber (for obvious reasons), but what about cedar (since cedar planks are used for cooking fish)? Before I burn them in my outdoor firepit, I’d like to know if the cedar cutoffs from my decking project are appropriate for smoking. The other wood in question is honeysuckle wood from the bushes I dug up. I burned some of it and I noticed the smoke has a strong, sweet aroma. Again, before I burn the rest of it in the pit, can it be
used for smoking? If so, what foods are appropriate? Thanks,
Neil
Hello Neil:
Cedar is regarded as a soft wood, so because of the resins it is not recommended for smoking. Planking does not release the resins into the smoke. Regarding honeysuckle, its wood is similar to grape wood, which is sometimes used for smoking. However, you probably should check honeysuckle against a list of toxic and poisonous plants. Some innocuous-looking plants, like oleander with its beautiful flowers, are highly toxic.
Dave
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