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Permalink Reply by Tom Parks on August 1, 2009 at 12:00pm

The chemical composition of the fruit vs. the wood is completely different, so your results would be completely different.

For instance, if you dried an apple core suffiently for it to burn and produce smoke, I would be concerned somewhat about the smoke coming from the seeds, which contain some amount of cyanide. The fruit itself - like practically any fruit - contains an amount of a simple sugar, fructose, C6H12O6. Sugars will produce some rather unpleasant smells when they burn.

I see from the photo you've got a nice smoker, but have you ever tried saucing your ribs at too high a heat, too early with a high sugar glaze? The burnt sugars generally produce undesirable results.

Wood smoke, on the other hand, produces unique a smell characteristic of the species, related to the density of the wood, sap content, etc. Pine smoke, for instance, produces a fairly acrid or bitter smell/taste due to the high sap, or tar, content. Some people may like it, but the "off" smell is unsuitable for most cooking. Apple wood and cherry wood produce what some may even describe as a "sweet" smoke, but the characteristics are slightly different. I dare say some folks on here can probably distinguish the difference between smoke from alder, oak, hickory, and so on.

All that being said, the joy of experimentation is all part of the fun. Think of the first guy who suggested we eat oysters or told his pals cow's milk was good. Where would we be without those pioneers? Keep up the good work!

Permalink Reply by Sheldon Holsopple on August 1, 2009 at 12:16pm

Thanks Tom! Glad I didn't try any of that before asking!