Hardwoods for cooking should be bark-free.
Why-- When the bark combusts it does so in variable levels, producing a short burst of elevated temperature. This is likely due in part, to the chemical air pollutant particles that have settled into the outer bark layer (ethyl ether – a common laboratory solvent as well as a starter fluid component; dichloromethane – common compound used in paint strippers and degreasers as well as to decaffeinate coffees and teas; calcium oxalate crystals – a calcium salt found in plant materials with a link to kidney stones in humans. Bark harbors impurities and can leave a distinct taste difference in foods cooked over bark-on woods.
Wood used for cooking should be hardwoods only.
Why-- Softwoods or coniferous woods should Never be used for cooking as they have elevated sap levels and more air in their cell structure which causes them to burn fast, hot, produce lots of spark, and produce unpleasant flavours that are not ideal for flavouring foods. Let’s be clear on what softwood Never to use:
When you order SmokinLicious® hardwoods, you receive 100% of that hardwood!
Hardwoods for cooking should be harvested from stands that are in forest areas, free of chemicals.
Why-- It is well documented that the smoke from hardwood is influenced more from the soil composition (Terroir) and climate than the actual species selected for wood-fired cooking.
When wood is harvested from orchards or nurseries, it’s apparent that they have been sprayed with pesticides and chemical preservatives or enhancers. Go chemical-free when you wood-fire cook with a pure product.
The wrong wood choice can be a risk to your health.
Why-- Wood is like a sponge. It is designed to absorb impurities that circulate in the air, soil bed, and water system. Like the fruit trees produce, the wood absorbs the pesticides that are applied to the trees. Eat a non-organic apple (keep in mind organic produce also is exposed to pesticides but usually these are natural derivatives and not synthetic), wash it, and you will still absorb any pesticide that has been absorbed into the actual fruit meat.
Same is true for the tree. Pesticide applications embed into the soil base of the tree, which then enters the root system, and is on the way to the other parts of the tree. Now let’s be clear, pesticides can also become air born as they turn into a vapor and travel with air. Bark of any tree is a great absorber of these air particles. Once pesticides enter the human body, they are stored in the colon.
SmokinLicious® takes your health in account which is why we are the only cooking wood company to seek and receive Kosher certification.
Hardwoods for wood-fired cooking should be dust-free.
Why-- Wood dust is an irritant. How people react to the dust is dependent on each person’s immune system. You should make every attempt to purchase wood for cooking that is clean of dust, particularly for wood chips. Often sellers of wood chips don’t screen the product sold and you can often end up with a bag or box full of wood dust. This will certainly aggravate most respiratory systems and potentially could exacerbate already compromised systems.
Just as with the clean food concept which focuses on minimally processed foods and as direct from nature as possible, SmokinLicious® holds to the same approach.
Sourcing wood from forest regions (direct from nature) that are in close proximity to our manufacturing facility, provides us with the unique advantage to process into the various cooking products the hardwoods harvested that meet our strict criteria: 100% bark-free (we don’t allow any bark-on product to cross our threshold), 100% heartwood (no outer cores of the tree cross our threshold), harvested hardwood that is less than 6 months of age (ensures this is still a “green” product), chemical-free (no pesticide or growth enhancement techniques employed), and in raw state to allow us to process it into a suitable cooking wood size.
Superior Product… Superior Outcome! All wood-fired products for smoking, grilling, coal cooking, ember fired, cold smoking, and stove top smoking. Only Forest Fresh wood used in all our products.