# curing mesquite



## corpus shorty (Oct 31, 2007)

don't you cut limbs into the smallest peace you can,soak it in water for a few days then let it dry out ?

thanks


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## activescrape (Jan 8, 2006)

I like to use mesquite that is still semi green. Seems to have a better flavor and doesn't burn up so fast. In the smoker I use big pieces.


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## ifish2 (Aug 13, 2005)

I get it cured for at least a year for small pieces, and even longer for large ones. I've never heard to soak it first.


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## br1006 (Mar 24, 2006)

I usually get branches etc... we have knocked off or trees we doze over at the ranch about a year or so after they are dead and dried. the best wood to me is old mesquite fence posts that are rock hard! That "heart" wood as we refer to it will burn forever and stays hot. I have a huge stack from some old pens that were torn down and we cut it up into chunks for cookin with,


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## Dookie Ray (Apr 9, 2008)

I used to know a fellow from Kingsville that told me that you don't have to cut and haul all that wood with you at all. All you need to do is get you big coffee cans full of the mesquite beans. He said get the fire going good and hot with another wood, and then just toss in a handfull of the beans every now and then. The green ones last longer in the fire and put out the same flavor in the meat. Never tried it, but seemed to make sense to me.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

not a fan of bark on anything, so stay away from small diameter pieces.


use the biggest dried pieces possible, split and dry stack off the ground.

that goes for oak, hickory, and pecan too.

when the ends are dry cracked it is usually good to go.


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## Fisher Lou (May 16, 2005)

For me, the best cure is to talk to the ones that use it the most. The locals that cook with it everyday can tell you what to do. I like to use only the coals. never the smoke. Try that with trout filets, real butter and Tony's. Simple yet very very good!


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## RubenZamora (Oct 19, 2005)

I've never heard of Curing wood. Like one poster said above. Every year a bunch of Mesquites fall down or what not and we just get the tractor and drag the entire tree to a location we have. Then after a year or more we just cut them down. 

And yes, dried out old mesquite fence post are awesome!! and yes they burn hot.


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## El Cazador (Mar 4, 2005)

Some of the best bar-b-queing wood is mesquite (and believe it or not) huisache wood that seems like it almost almost petrified. It burns long and hot. And as far as huisache, when it is aged, cut and burning, you cannot tell the difference in the way it looks, burns or smells.


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## jamesgreeson (Jan 31, 2006)

I never cover mesquite to sooty,open flame or coals work great.


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## fishbowl365 (Mar 9, 2005)

what are the symptoms? never heard of this ailment. what did your dr. say? hope you make a full recovery..........


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## yak attack (Jul 17, 2008)

*wood stands for curing*

Let the wood sit outside for a year, preferably covered. Some people like green mesquite better (ie. Goode Co.). You can soak smaller pieces for an hour or so then throw on fire to produce smoke. If you have enough wood then no need to soak in water. I often use a milder wood, like water oak, for the heat then put on pecan, mesquite or pecan for smoking.

Hurricane Ike actually helped out in that department. The Heights had numerous pecan trees down. So much that I had to build two 7 foot wood stands to hold it all. One stand is for curing, the other is older wood for smoking now.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

we also have a big stack of old mesquite posts(some are probably 70 years old). green mesquite is probably why some folks say mesquite is too strong. we only use dry(at least one year old) and my buddy McBee hates huisache. says it's too strong. I have no use for pecan. it burns too fast, makes next to no coals, doesnt split and cut pecan will rot totally away in three years. dry live oak is very good, but is hell to split and cut.


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## Roger (Aug 12, 2005)

Humidity has alot to do with drying out wood. The higher the humidity the longer it's gonna take. It's kind of a look, cook and see deal. Green mesquite is a no no in my book. Over here in S.La. we have alot of oak, pecan and hickory and I like all three. For me mesquite comes in for beef and thats where it shines.


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## energinerbuzzy (Oct 28, 2008)

Green Mesquite is the only way to go for me! No soot, burns slow and hot and excellent flavor.
You need to learn how to cook with it though or you can ruin some good meat!


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## Roger (Aug 12, 2005)

All you want is a thin blue line of smoke coming out of the stack. You definately don't want it looking like a freight train.


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## energinerbuzzy (Oct 28, 2008)

Roger said:


> All you want is a thin blue line of smoke coming out of the stack. You definately don't want it looking like a freight train.


Yep.
and I have a separate old junk pit that I keep a fire going in to use.
I keep it at the same temp and the main pit and just pull out what I need and replace the wood in the old pit. It keeps the excessive smoke down and burns the bark off. 
Plus I wind up with coals that are already burning the same as the main cooking pit. That cuts down on the having to play with the pit to get the temp right again.
That picture looks about perfect for what a pit should look like smoking any cut of meat!


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