How to Smoke With Wild Cherry Wood
Smoking meats to extend shelf life is a practice that dates back thousands of years, although most aficionados of wood-smoked meats these days are more focused on the tasty flavor than the longevity of the meat--which rarely seems to last around the table once it has been pulled from the grill. Wild cherry orchard wood, a popular choice among smoker enthusiasts, is a sweet, medium hardwood that is mildly smoky and especially well suited to cooking chicken, seafood or pork. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Meat marinade or rub
- Wild cherry wood
- Water or other liquid to soak wood chips
- Charcoal
- Meat or chicken
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
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1
Marinate the chicken or meat for at least six hours, even if you are only using a dry rub.
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2
Soak the cherry wood chips before adding them to the smoker, to allow a slow smolder and to better season the meat. You can wet them in water, whiskey, wine, beer or other flavoring. Stronger flavors should be soaked for no longer than 15 minutes.
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Allow the wild cherry wood chips to drip-dry before adding them to the smoker.
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Build a fire in the smoker box out of charcoal or hardwood. Once the fire is going well, add the wet cherry wood chips directly on top of the charcoal or wood fire. Maintain the temperature of the smoker in the neighborhood of 225 degrees. Add an additional piece of wet cherry wood once every half hour.
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Smoke the meat until its internal temperature reaches the minimum recommended temperature for the type of meat you are cooking. For beef, lamb or veal, these temperatures should range from 145 to 170 degrees; for chicken and turkey, from 170 to 180 degrees; and for pork, 160 degrees.
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Tips & Warnings
Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of poultry and meat during the smoking process.
Check your stored wood for signs of dehydration, such as cracks or splits appearing at the ends of wood pieces. If you are using commercial gourmet wood products, you can quickly rehydrate dry wood for about 30 minutes; these products are not usually kiln dried and will rehydrate quickly.
Never use woods for smoking that still have bark on them. Bark acts as skin on a tree, absorbing impurities such as mold, larva and spores.
Avoid using lighter fluids or other chemicals to start your fire--it will greatly affect the taste of the food.
