blackbutt wood for smoking

[kangur1806]

Hi there, can anyone tell me if the blackbutt wood can be used for smoking meats and fish?

[Bentley]

Had to look it up.

Blackbutt (often referred to as Coastal Blackbutt to distinguish it from the tableland species) is one of the most common species of hardwood commercially available from the coastal forests of New South Wales.

Well its a hardwood. How does it smell when it burns?

[Amfibius]

Blackbutt is a species of Eucalypt. Eucalypts are generally not recommended for smoking, as they produce a strong smelling oil. I have never tried it myself, but I remember reading somewhere that it will make your food smell of petrol.

[Davo]

If that's the case, wouldn't redgum give you that smell as well.....also being of the eucalypt family.....i've used redgum for smoking and i have yet to find any weird smells...maybe coz it smoulders slowly...I don't know.

cheers

Davo

[Amfibius]

Davo, if you have experience with it, you are one up on me. Like I said, I don't actually know ... it's only something i've read.

[Bentley]

Ohhh, it sounds like the Mesquite of Australia! If you have never cook with pure meqsuite wood, not that charcoal or lump BS...Try it and tell me your ribs dont taste like you poured lighter fluid on them!

[Davo]

Ohhh, it sounds like the Mesquite of Australia! If you have never cook with pure meqsuite wood, not that charcoal or lump BS...Try it and tell me your ribs dont taste like you poured lighter fluid on them!

G'day Bentley & Merry Xmas to you

As for the Mesquite, I often use American mesquite with beef and have used it with chicken as well and use only chunks and not ships but I have never found it to have a lighter fluid smell or taste...It can be strong if you use too much but never like what you described.
The same with redgum which is a eucalypt variety of wood but I use it sparingly.

The gasses in eucalypt trees though can be extremely volatile in times of bushfires to the extent they often throw out fireballs which are well in excess of 1000C and have been known to melt firetrucks and turn anything or anyone near them into crispy critters but slow smoking with this wood hasn't given me that lighter fluid taste...maybe the smoking temps are not hot enough for that....don't know

Cheers

Davo

[Smokey]

Ive used it in the past, It goes OK.
Being a light color it does not have the heavy pigments.
However It can have lots of gum veins and you need to avoid those grades unless you are a Koala.
Shayne uses select grade Tassie Oak which is Mountain Ash in its best form, another gum tree that can have pockets of rosin.
IMO, No Gum is ideal but if you can get clean select grade it is usable. There is better woods out there that are easy to get.
Titch sent me a few bags of Light gum rough dust that I suspect is Mountain Ash, It goes well in the smoker box when doing steaks.
Black wattle, Sheoak, Various Tea trees(Inc Paper barks), Spotted Gum and even hoop pine for fish, are easy to get.
BB, Worth a try, Its not poisonous like silky oak or mango wood so suck it and see

[Commander Cody]

hey ol' smokey,

HOOP PINE.... ....but is not pine still pine.. .. and that would make it totally no go. yeah.. ..

kevin

[EuciSmoke]

do not use pine of any sort for smoking !

[Smokey]

do not use pine of any sort for smoking !

What do you think Cedar Plank is ?
Quote- Keith R Bootle, Auther "Wood in Australia" Types properties and uses.Mc Graw Hill
Page 386, Fish smoking and curing;
"Various tea trees as well as sheoaks. Hoop pine and spotted gum have been succesful. Dry sawdust is used"
End quote.
There are many types of pine and other softwoods Some can be used and some not.
Having said that, Its not my cuppa tea

[urbangriller]

Some butchers use pine...but like Mick says...not my cup of tea!

Chris

[Livewire]

There are many types of pine and other softwoods Some can be used and some not.
Having said that, Its not my cuppa tea

Heh Mick

You are more into the "HARD" stuff

Redgum. mallee root

Glenn

[Mountain Mick]

Eucalyptus pilularis Blackbutt is in the family Myrtaceae in the Genus: Eucalyptus and so is a hardwoods and used by Indigenous peoples to cook over for thousands of years plus I would say allmost very butcher from Taree and Coffs Harbour would have used it in they smoke house plus not talking that it burns lovely in wood stoves. I love to use it. MM

Yes My with Smokey Mick , I will not use pine just not right and not my cuppa tea as well , and hell you I've use mallee root just a bit dear $$$$ to ship up this way.


P.S I just Phone called a few old butcher mate in NSW and it one of the main saw dust in the hardwood sawdust mix that they get in and the one chap said it make a cracking smoke for fish. so has anyone got so pure Blackbutt chips or dust ?? MM

[trentski]

The gasses in eucalypt trees though can be extremely volatile in times of bushfires to the extent they often throw out fireballs which are well in excess of 1000C

Pretty much any bushfire will do that given the right conditions. You can light the sap as it drips out of pine trees, Macgyver used it to make a type of grenade out of pine cones once.