Smoking with Hazel

[stu]

Hi

Can anybody shine any light on whether English Hazel is any good for smoking with? A colleague at work has just finished coppicing his Hazel and there is a small quantity spare for me to experiment with if it is suitable.

TIA Stu

[saucisson]

Hazel can be used for smoking, but you don't hear of it much, perhaps because historically the coppiced hazel was in demand for other uses...

Dave

[Batman]

I don't see any reason why hazel shouldn't be good for smoking, however, it is generally considered that wood for smoking should be at least 3-5 years old, cured ie left to dry, and stripped of bark before use.

[stu]

Hi Dave

Thanks for the info.

Hi Batman

This Hazel is 2" to 3" in diameter, first cutting in a while, it will be put somewhere dry for 9 to 12 months and then used. I will cut it into rounds or semi-rounds to go on the hotplate of my Bradley smoker. You don't get auto-feed but a visit once per hour to top up is fine by me and cheeper