The Wood. Mesquite, or Meszkit wood in Hungarian. Hard, similar or even harder than akc, excellent firewood, it is no coincidence that it is an organic, defining part of Texas BBQ culture. Its smoke gives a slightly caramel, nutty flavor, and it has an unmistakable aroma. Acacia. A type of wood that is widely available in large quantities in Hungary. It is popular in the BBQ world because of its clean, neutral smoke. It is suitable for smoking not only because of its clean smoke but also because of its very high heat value. If you use acacia, you should always use it without the bark. You have two options when using it. Either you use it alone, which is especially beneficial in the case of Nagy Vasak, from the point of view of calorific value and smoke formation, due to its high heat-producing capacity, in this case you get neutral smoke, the meat does not get a distinctive or characteristic flavor, the natural flavor remains. This of course has its advantages, especially in the case when you use various sauces, the natural flavor does not become an endless, baroque chant with the characteristics and seasoning of the sauces. Or you mix it with various fruit trees, apple, cherry, mey, or grape twigs, muscat ottonel, Pöpöske muscovite, Irsa olive, that is, with materials whose aroma and spiciness are strongly characteristic. In this case, the end result takes on the harmony of the more aromatic woods. From this point on, it is up to you and your creativity what accessories you add to the meat. The result can be phenomenal, great, inimitable, unique, but it can also be the opposite, forgettable and run-of-the-mill. Oak (post oak, hickory). Throughout Texas, but in the Central Texas region, it is the most popular type of wood when it comes to BBQ. Hard, with a high heat value, a clean smoke similar to acacia and a fairly neutral flavor. It may have a slightly caramel flavor, but we can also say it has a neutral effect. Some fruity characteristics: Apple, Cherry, Sour Cherry, Peach (yellow, apricot), Plum, various Grape, Blackberry and Blackcurrant twigs. Apple: has a slightly fruity flavor, suitable for smoking pork, poultry and fish. If you are thinking of classic Texas smoking and give Brisket a central role, use it in the form of smoking chips along with acacia and oak. If you are smoking chicken or pork, you can use it in larger quantities, or even on its own. Cherry: goes well with virtually any meat. Its taste is intensely fruity and lends a beautiful reddish color to meats. Sour cherry: perhaps its color is the most valuable. If we said about cherries that they give meats a red color, we can say even more about sour cherries that they are red, and will give roasts a deep red color. And their taste is much more intense than cherries. They can also stand their ground on their own in the case of beef. Peaches and plums are similar in many ways. Apricots perhaps give meats a slightly more vibrant character, especially in the case of fish and poultry, which is exciting and recognizable. But for example, with a very intensely flavored blackcurrant twig, we can create an inimitable aroma. Last but not least, we should talk about the various rods, such as grapes (muscat ottonel/muscat, pölöskei muscat, irsai olivér) primarily spicy, muscat varieties. It is no coincidence that these varieties are experiencing an increasing renaissance not in winemaking, but in the field of pálinka brewing. In America, California is the region where the most grape rods and grape heads are used during smoking. The smoke of muscat varieties is full-bodied, aromatic, and characteristically brings out the fruity grape flavor. In addition to having this characteristic fruit flavor, it has an inimitable, pepper-like character, which wonderfully emphasizes the depth of the basic salt-pepper seasoning of meats. It burns quickly, it is a question of thin rods, usually added at the end of smoking, as if highlighting the role of the central spices. It is essential for chicken, pork, fish, but also for Santa Maria-style beef. Blackberry and Blackcurrant. Well, these two sticks can do a rough job. I recommend dosing them on a pharmacy scale. Its smell and taste are incomparable to anything else. This is especially true in the case of blackcurrant. Anyone who has ever held blackcurrants in their hands, not frozen or in juice, but fresh from the bush, knows what intense flavor means. It is a true Pit Master's spice, you really have to know how much to use. However, it is worth experimenting with them in every picture, at the end of smoking, in moderate quantities. Then, once you get the taste, there is no stopping. Generally about wood: use only dry material, never use wet, raw wood, this will ruin both the taste and texture of the meat. And, well, a few words, really only a few words about gas. This is not smoking, but it is not even BBQ in the original and traditional sense of the word. Smoking and, in a broader sense, BBQ is perhaps the most difficult and central part, I could say the meaning is fire management, the control, management, regulation, teaching, feeding of the fire, in order to have the right heat and smoke available in your hands during the average 16-20 hour smoking process. You add, take away, transfer, put in, it doesn't matter what, when, where and how much. That's why Pit Master is the cook and not the propane putan. But of course that's okay too, of course, but that's not what I'm talking about here, or what I want to talk about. It's a different style, a different masculinity, a different person in the garden and a different personality, knowledge, needs and attitude. Let's not confuse art with industry and artist with craftsman.