Review: Longstreet Smokers Apple wood
A while ago I received a package from Longstreet Smokers.
The package contained 2 bags of smoke chips (Beech and Apple), each with a nice label with the Longstreet Smokers logo and the type of wood.
In this review I am going to discuss the Apple chips.
First Impression
Opposite the bag of Beech chips, this package smelled nicely of apple. The wooden scent meets you when you open the bag. Delicious!
The size of the chips themselves was a bit disappointing. Compared to the packet of Beech chips, these chips were somewhat small in size and certainly not all of the same size. This causes an unbalanced combustion of the wood and a fluctuating smoke supply.
The use
To test these chips I smoked a piece of sea bass, the full recipe can be found on this page.
Just like with the Beech chips, I chose not to soak the chips in water, this can disturb the taste of the wood, but to wrap them in some aluminum foil and put them between the coals. In this way I can consider the chips as if they are a chunk.
The package needed a while to warm up, but when it was that far, some nice smoke came off.
The smoke itself was very clearly present in the fish, it did not dominate but it did give it that sweeter touch perfectly. Delicious!
Pro's
A nice structure in the wood
A nice scent comes from the packaging
When the wood starts to smoke, your garden smells phenomenal
The taste is very strong in the smoked product
Con's
Too small a size of chips
The wood has been air dried, which can cause mold at a later time
No certification that no pesticides have been used (after checking with various distributors)
What can be done better?
This is a super product that I can hardly find fault with: the taste is very good and the smell is delicious. Only I would opt to make the chips a bit larger and maybe focus more on certification and that the process can be dried from air to oven. This ensures that the chance of fungi is virtually nil.
For the rest: a top product, I will definitely use more!
NOTE: A review of other brands with apple wood shows that these chips are always quite fine.