Smoker Fuel

[Beefriendly]

Has anybody tried unperfumed cat litter pellets?

Yes, and I can tell you they taste bloody awful! Glad I got that off my chest.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Coffee sacks

 

[ShinySideUp]

Our local SBI used a sort of wood chip material that is sold as horse bedding. It produced cool smoke and lasted a long time - I don't know the commercial name of this stuff.


CVB

I buy that. I get it in my local Cornwall Farmers shop and here it is called Happy Jack. It's like miscanthus but I think is more hemp-based. I light it with a blow-torch as it only takes a few seconds to get going expecially if you leave some of the old, burnt stuff in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, and I can tell you they taste bloody awful! Glad I got that off my chest.

That's good.....saves me doing it. I'll accept your proxy

 

[colinc]

I have tried them although I cannot remember the exact brand. Very very tarry and having tried a few times I decided against further use.

Probably pine aren't they then? Thanks for this I won't bother trying now.


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[Haughton Honey]

Tightly-rolled hessian sacking for me every time (probably what the coffee sacks are made of that someone mentioned above). Burns for ages and ages.

 

[psafloyd]

after using all kinds of fuel I'm now on touch wood (dry rotten wood) with pine needles, I have to say that I like the burn of the wood at first but it has to be topped up otherwise it ends up getting too hot, I might try the cotton fabric but doesn't it stink?
having worked for a T shirt printing company I still remember vividly how bad the smell of burnt shirts was when they got stuck in the drying tunnel

My favourite is lavender stalks (cut at the end of the season) and I've been using a load of dried punk this year, too, as a number of big pieces of wood had rotted down on my allotment and were really crumbly. Burns well, if a little hotter than lavender, though with less tar as lavender is oily, of course.

 

[madasafish]

Has anybody tried unperfumed cat litter pellets?

Our Association has : this morning.

The polite version of what I think is: "foul smelling and noxious ".

As an exiled Scot I object to paying for smoker fuel... dead wood, rotted wood and pinecones work well..
Homebargains firelighters (£1.99 for 40) get them going very well..

No point in adding lavender.. the smell has disappeared long before the end of hour or so my smoker is lit..

 

[MartinL]

Has anybody tried unperfumed cat litter pellets?

By "unperfumed" do you mean fresh from the bag, as opposed to used?

 

[Beefriendly]

That's good.....saves me doing it. I'll accept your proxy

Should never trust what a beekeeper tells you. Definitely check for yourself, we might have different tastes

 

[MartinL]

. . .
As an exiled Scot I object to paying for smoker fuel... dead wood, rotted wood and pinecones work well....

I've never bought fuel for the smoker, why would you?

Little bit of cardboard (to sustain combustion) mixed with something to smoulder.
Something to allow passage of air through the body of the smoker is always good. Hollow sticks from last years Jerusalem artichokes is always a favourite.

. firelighters (£1.99 for 40) get them going very well..

Firelighters? ?

Were not firing up the flying Scotsman to full steam here!
Just setting light to some dry leaves & grass!

I have a candle lighter, £1.50 on fleabay & £3.99 for refill tin of gas.
It reaches the bottom of the smoker easily without burning your pinkies on matches + it still works in the wet!

 

[Goran]

Quite recently I remembered of such simmilar threads - few days ago I placed one piece of " Fomes fomentarius" in the smoker, it lasted over 2 hours.

 

[JWF]

I have tried them although I cannot remember the exact brand. Very very tarry and having tried a few times I decided against further use.

I bought some from Tescos this morning and they've been on a test burn for the last hour. They keep burning well and the smoke is reasonably pleasant. I'll find out what the tar situation is once they've finished burning (or if I get too impatient, which may be sooner!).

 

[REDWOOD]

This is the time of year for a walk in the woods to pick up rotted wood for next years season. Dried over winter in an out house or green house. free, no tar and 100% natural

 

[MartinL]

. . it is called Happy Jack. . . but I think is more hemp-based. . .

No wonder it's called Happy Jack!

JBM??

 

[Teemore]

I buy that. I get it in my local Cornwall Farmers shop and here it is called Happy Jack. It's like miscanthus but I think is more hemp-based. I light it with a blow-torch as it only takes a few seconds to get going expecially if you leave some of the old, burnt stuff in.

Spotted this and was reminded of this:
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/cannabis-plant-grower-to-stop-35371988.html

 

[wessexmario]

whatever you use in your smoker, as the by-products will end up in the honey, I wouldn't use anything that I'm not prepared to use in cooking.

I've tasted over-smoked honey, it's not pleasant, and I do wonder what unknown chemicals might be present in products like cat litter that are never intended to enter the human food chain.
''foul smelling'' might make one think ''why are my senses disliking this?''.

 

[drex]

If I had to use so much smoke that it tainted my honey I would look at my smoker technique or temperament of my bees ( which queen would soon get the chop)