Barbecue'n On The Internet - FAQ's - Peach Wood for Smoking and Barbecuing

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Topic: Peach Wood
From: Patrick
Subject: How about Peach Wood

Hey Smokey Hale;

How about Peach wood? How is it to use to smoke with?

The reason I'm asking, the pit of the peach seed contains arsenic, which in small amounts is fairly harmless, but, it builds up in the body. They also say not to feed the leaves to livestock for the same reason, over a peroid of time it will poison them. Will the smoke from the Peach contain any arsenic?

I live in peach country, in fact, Porter is the Peach Capital of Oklahoma, so we have an abundance of the wood. I did try it, it is good so far as the flavor goes, but!

from
Patrick Moore

Hi Patrick,

Actually the peach pit contains cyanide which is much faster acting and more potent than arsenic. When eaten, the cyanogenic gycoside, amygdalin, in peach and apricot pits is more than 40 times as toxic as when injected.

However, if the wood is burned to coals, as any wood should be before exposing meat to it, it poses no danger. I wouldn't stand around inhaling the smoke of burning leaves and wood, though.

Have fun,

Smoky

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