Tips from professional Chef Tallyrand:
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Tallyrand
Food and Cooking Tips
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Food
tip on cooking with wood
 The
type of wood used is all important; different woods
impart different flavours, different degrees of smokiness
to the foods. Here is a list of common woods and the
types of cooking flavours you can expect:
Alder
The
traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific
Northwest, alder also works well with other fish.
It has a light delicate flavour.
Apple
and Cherry
Both
woods produce a slightly sweet, fruity smoke that's
mild enough for chicken or turkey, but capable of
flavouring a ham or beef steaks.
Hickory
Hickory
is the king of the woods in the Southern barbecue
belt of the USA, as basic to the region's cooking
as cornbread. The strong, hearty taste is perfect
for pork shoulder and ribs, but it also enhances any
red meat or poultry.
Maple
Mildly
smoky and sweet, maple mates well with poultry, ham,
and vegetables.
Mesquite
The
mystique wood of the past decade, mesquite is also
America's most misunderstood wood. It's great for
smoking because it burns very hot, but below average
for barbecuing for the same reason. Also, the smoke
taste turns from tangy to bitter over an extended
cooking time.
Manuka
New
Zealand's very own, it can part a bitter flavour if
used to high a temperature
Oak
If
hickory is the king of barbecue woods, oak is the
queen. Assertive but always pleasant, it's the most
versatile of hardwoods, blending well with a wide
range of flavours. What it does to beef is probably
against the law!
Pecan
The
choice of many professional chefs, pecan burns cool
and offers a subtle richness of character. Some people
call it a mellow version of hickory.
Rules
(of thumb)
The
number one concern above all else is ensure any wood
you use is not treated or tanilised, as this
will give off toxic fumes into your foods.
Allow
the wood to burn down to an ember before cooking on/over
it, this will allow for subtle flavours in the foods,
as most woods tend to give a bitter taste if used when
they are still flaming.
If
using wood, keep any marinades simple and not too over
powering or the delicate flavours of the wood and seasonings
will be superceded.
Related
Recipe:
Published
30
July 2001
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