Dr. Smoke Is In The HouseBy now you are probably aware of our team member, Dr. Smoke, who is an on-going source of knowledge as well as the developer of our flavor-enhanced line of products. Any question or concern may be directed to Dr. Smoke either via our email info@smokinlicious.com or via our toll free line 800-941-5054. Recently, we received an interesting question regarding a specific wood species that we wanted to share.

Doc,
I recently had to cut down my big California Pepper Tree that was killed in a freakish January cold streak here in Las Vegas. The wood smelled so good it made me wonder if it would be good for smoking meat. I mean, the peppercorns it produced had that gorgeous fresh-ground pepper smell, so what the heck, right?

Any thoughts?
Kenny S.
Hi Kenny!

Thanks for the interesting question regarding the California Pepper Tree. First, I think the name is very interesting, as the tree is actually Brazilian. This tree has a long history of healing power in
tribal and herbal medicine uses. It has been known to kill bacteria, kill fungi, reduce inflammation, regulate heartbeat, lower blood pressure, act as a laxative, and heal wounds. Because the chemical composition of this plant in known to contain tannins, steroidal
saponins, and essential oils, it has been linked as a cancer cell killer and viral killer.

The California or Brazilian Pepper Tree has a spicy aromatic scent that is the result of high oil and essential oil content. These oils have not been found to be toxic to animals or humans ingesting them or applying them topically. The bark has been used to prepare a remedy for colds, flu, sore throats, and upper respiratory infections. Although the research literature indicates that the leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, resin, and balsam have been used medicinally in the tropical areas, there is no concrete information on the use of the tree for smoking. Therefore, I would recommend that you try this wood sparingly but keep in mind that due to the high oil concentration, it may be a wood the causes too much heat flare-up to be controllable in the traditional sense of smoking (i.e. slow and low). Also, you must remember, it is a “spicy” wood so smoke a food item that can easily accommodate this flavoring.

If you do smoke with the California Pepper Tree wood, send me a note
on how things turned out.

Thanks again for the question.
“Bon-Bar-B-Q!”
Dr. Smoke
Although we make no guarantee that Dr. Smoke can answer 100% of the questions posed, we can guarantee that he will at least direct you to an appropriate source for additional information. So keep sending Dr. Smoke those queries and he’ll keep you informed!

 

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