What's a good product to put in your Smoker that's easily available

What’s good to use in your smoker. My grandfather used to use hessian bags but there a bit hard to come by these days. I have been trying to use cotton rags but pure cotton is hard to find also.

Hi Darren @Hallamt99
I use Norfolk island pine needles and sourced locally at beachfront, and paperbark also locally sourced from street verge. Pine needles do make the smoker a bit sooty. But it all smells great.

I use pine needles most of the time. At a pinch, I usually have some sugar cane mulch in the shed, destined for the garden. It’s easy to light and smokes well, though not quite as long lasting as the pine needles. I’ve used eucalyptus mulch too, nice thick smoke. I think just about anything that is natural and dry will work.

We use wood shavings. Comes in a big bale and is used for chickens’ and horses’ beddings. It’s poison and dust free. Smokes long time once you got cardboard and wood chips glowing down the bottom.
A layer of rolled up cardboard inside seems to help with aeration, but I heard there may be glue in that.

Dried rotten wood is free and produces a low tar cool smoke.
It’s what I use and I add dried lavender pruning, bay leaves, rosemary and dried orange peel.

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I use long pine needles. I collect a garbage bag full in the spring/early summer and it lasts me all season.

wow- that’s some ‘bespoke’ bee smoke…

I use hessian and pine needles currently. I find needles at the bottom and hessian at the top works well- the hessian up top stops any sparks flying out and keeps the smoke cool.

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We use dried sage on top of oak and beech leaves for a lovely cool smoke

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That must smell amazing :hugs:

After reading this topic a couple of years ago, I started using wood shavings. It lasts so much longer than anything else that I used over the years. I made a couple of buckets full the other day from a bottle brush branch, using an old Makita planer. I jokingly thought to myself that I’m making a tooth pick. I finished up making a nice tomato stake.

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You have far too much time on hands Jeff :grin: I use everything and anything I can scrape together, my smoker fuel bucket always seems to be empty. Gumleaves, mulch, grass and I often steal the chicken hay from their nesting box…

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I used to use exactly what you use now. I think it took about 30 minutes to make enough shavings (a far superior smoker fuel) to last me a couple of months. I think it’s time well spent.

I like the convenience of just reaching into the cab of my ute & grabbing a handful of excellent smoker fuel.

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Thanks everyone. That’s not what I expected but I’m excited to give these ideas ago

Pine cones work very well

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Sounds like you are giving them a nice energy cleanse :slight_smile:

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