Switched from hickory to pecan wood after a buddy brought his own smoke to a cookout... never going back

I was always a hickory guy. Thought that was the only real way to smoke ribs. Then my neighbor Jim showed up at our July 4th block party with a St. Louis rack done over straight pecan. The color was this deep reddish brown and the flavor was way more mellow, not that heavy bacon taste you get with hickory. I tried it myself on a 8 pound butt last weekend and the family actually noticed the difference. Has anyone else switched woods and felt like an idiot for not trying sooner?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_webb63d ago

Man that neighbor Jim is the real MVP here, sounds like he came to the party ready to convert some folks. I had the same thing happen with applewood a few years back, kept telling myself hickory was king but then I tried pork shoulder done over apple and it was like a whole new world opened up. Pecan is one of those woods that everyone sleeps on because it's not as "in your face" as hickory or mesquite, but it gives this almost nutty sweetness that just works with everything. Now I'm over here with four different bags of wood in the garage like some kind of backyard lumberjack, trying to figure out which one to use for next weekend.

the_henry3d ago

Count me in the pecan fan club too @ray_webb6. It's just better.