Mesquite ..................

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Just curious who uses Mesquite in there Smoke , and could you tell me just what it was you smoked with it ( meat ) along with your overall opinion on the flavor , and just how much wood you used or recommend .................

 

[Limey]

I find mesquite to be a relatively harsh flavour and always cut it with a lot of fruit wood when I use it at all. My wife on the other hand likes it, as I am sure many other people on this forum do. Try it and see if you like it, but be careful not to over smoke with it.

 

[swthorpe]

I use mesquite for steaks or other beef.  It has a strong smoke flavor so I don't use it for poultry, but it gives steaks a nice smoky flavor.

 

[gregbooras]

When doing brisket I will add a bit to the mix of wood, it has a nice flavor.

Greg

 

[SuperDave]

I only use it when doing chicken and use it as 1/3 my total wood weight, usually with 2 other mild flavors like apple and cherry. 

 

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Wow ................this is really interesting .

 

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

After trying to find as much info as I can on Mesquite and thru your post's I have come to understand that this wood can be a very hardy Smoke maybe more so ................then using Hickory but will be a must try , and with that in mind how much wood ( ounces ) would you use for Ribs ?

 

[gregbooras]

For ribs I use 3 -3.5 oz. of wood total. When I use mesquite in my smokes, I would only make that 1/3 of the wood as others have stated. But if you like a stronger smoke flavor I would go 50/50.

Greg

 

[swthorpe]

I think mesquite is stronger than hickory, which is the wood that I prefer for pork.  However, mixing a couple together with mesquite sounds like a winner as well.

 

[Grampy]

I use mesquite on all beef smokes. Pecan and hickory for poultry and pork.

 

[Limey]

I would not use more than one ounce of mesquite for ribs, but you need to experiment and find out what works for you.

 

[DivotMaker]

I love mesquite on beef, especially.  Personally, I don't find it "stronger" than hickory, just "different."  Wood smoke flavor is so subjective!  Everyone raves about apple wood smoke, but I don't like it.  People say "hickory is too strong;" but, if I had only one wood I could ever smoke with again, it would be hickory!  To me, it's BBQ, and what I grew up with!

The only way to judge ANY wood, is to try it yourself and decide.  Opinions vary greatly, and only your palate can be the judge!

 

[smokeasaurus]

When running my offset with mesquite, I add apple (recommended to me by a pitmaster) very nice. In the Smokin-It, I would try a small pc of mesquite and a larger pc of apple. Very nice and good with all proteins........

 

[Pork Belly]

I have used mesquite chips with chunk charcoal while grilling Steak of beef Burgers. I would not smoke with it. I feel it is to strong of a flavor to be concentrated in a closed environment but on an open grill it is fine.

 

[drains]

I only use mesquite for short smokes or for cooking steaks. Never on long smokes like a pork butt or brisket as it is just too strong for my tastes. Steaks cooked over a mesquite fire are some of the best I've ever had. The fire gets really hot and Sears the meat quickly locking in the juices and adding a distinctly different flavor from charcoal alone.  I could see mixing a small amount in with other milder woods for smoking but not by itself over a long smoke. Just my 2 cents.

 

[smokeasaurus]

I run a small hot mesquite fire in my off-sets. I have tried only mesquite this way and i have observed hardly any flavor from it...only heat. This is because the fire is burning clean and hot. I add fruit wood for smoke/flavor.

Electric Smokers smolder wood in a oxygen starved environment. Woods like mesquite and black walnut do not lend themselves to this type of smoker due to the harsh smoke they produce......I usually use a pc of hickory or oak and one pc of fruit, this will calm down the hickory/oak. Burn rate and the type of smoker will affect the tastes certain woods impart to your protiens.....imho.........

 

[DivotMaker]

Interesting take on mesquite, Scott!  This is just another example of why wood smoke flavor is very subjective, just like any other spice.  I use mesquite a lot, on beef, and love it.  I almost always use it with a mix of hickory. 

 

[SuperDave]

Might be the wood but every time I use Mesquite on beef the meat tastes like it was soaked in kerosene. 

 

[prudentsmoker]

I too have seen numerous posts calling mesquite "heavy", there was even on on Jeff's blog titled Mesquite ruined my meat. On a side note- both Franklin and Joe's Kansas City, which to the uninitiated may be the two highest rated BBQ places in the US, use oak.

 

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Might be the wood but every time I use Mesquite on beef the meat tastes like it was soaked in kerosene.

LOL , .....................Soaked in Kerosene .