Getting a new smoker, question is where do i find wood for a stick burner , when its not something that grows locally?

About the only thing i can get easy is almond wood in Ca.

Its why i have a couple pellet grills but looking for a challenge.

New Mexico, Arizona and California do have commercial pecan groves. Pecan is a hickory though on the mild side for a hickory. Hickory and pork is the, some would say only myself included, classic deep south combination for pork shoulder and ribs. Pecan being milder is often preferred for poultry.

Most of your big box stores will carry chunnks usually apple and hickory, sometimes mesquite and cheery

Then use Almond wood...

From what I see on some of my trusted smoker sites is almond is a lighter smoke which is great for lighter foods. If you want heavier smoke you'll have to look elsewhere.

Throw some hickory or oak pellets on the almond wood, or put them in an aluminum foil pouch with a couple holes. Won't last like whole wood but you'll get extra smoke of your choice.

Don't you have mesquite? I used it all the time in AZ.

My suggestion would be to make a road trip to pick up a cord of whatever you want

Buying wood for a stick burner from places that sell chunks or a bundle of pieces will get expensive

If you were close I would let you come get all the oak you wanted and probably a little hickory

I was all set to buy a stick burner, but cost and operation of a stick burner (adding a split every 30 to 45 minutes) gave me pause. Ended up with a Hunsaker drum smoker. Aside from smoking sausage, it works really well.......on lump charcoal and wood chunks. And I have access to enough free pecan to smoke every hog in Iowa.

Stick smokers are great...if you have the time to monitor the fire, it's a job in itself.
That's why I use a Weber smokey mountain, charcoal and free wood chunks, set it and forget it....smokes just fine...no electric and no wood pile

Haul me out one of your govt horses and I'll send you back with as much cherry, oak or maple as you want.

You have oak in Cali, think Santa Maria style cooking over oak.
Use almond and oak , oak will have longer lasting coals .
Fruit wood is great also, any alders there?


We cut smoker wood every year when we go to Texas to visit family.

I'd choke trying to eat anything smoked at these prices!!!!!

Almond is first cousin to peach so should be very similar, much like the hickory/pecan thing. The only thing that would concern me with almond is the amount of fungicides used in the almond ranches. Commercial pecan gets sprayed heavy as well.

You can buy smoking wood off of Etsy and EBay. Pallets can be a good source for oak and sometimes hickory.

I primarily use mulberry, plus plum, apple, cherry and pear all of which I have in abundance. I use nut shells too.

Keith

We have a lot of choke cherry here, some hickory, plenty of oak....I like Mulberry too and grape vine chunks....lots of woods will work and frankly, other than mesquite, I don't find much difference in any of them.....Certain wood gets a lot of attention only cause it's easily available in the regions it is favored by.

I'll bet you have some cottonwoods along the creek and river bottoms. If so, find some old, long dead, punky stuff. It make some of the best smoking wood there is.

They are more geared toward electric smokers. You only use 2-3oz of wood per smoke, and correct moisture content.

I can't speak to other woods but hickory is best when not fully dried out. It's hard to describe but you want it about half to two thirds seasoned. For my own use I like to cut and split in the spring and let it season for a couple months, varies by split size, and use it while its at it's best. That's why I won't use chips or pellets. You kind of get a feel for it by touch and weight. If to wet it doesn't burn well and can be bitter if too dry you get no flavor. Once too dry it can't be reconstituted by adding water. Hickory has a very distinct sweet flavor and most importantly smell. If you ain't smelling hickory as it smokes it's too dry.