The use of Peat in BBQ revisited

Whilst perusing the site and looking through some of the older threads I came across a thread that asked about the use of "Irish Peat" in BBQ.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22604

This thread is from December of 2006.

The general consensus was ( and may still be ) that it was useless for anything other than barley and not a viable substitute for hardwoods.

I have what I consider to be extensive knowledge of its use ( and misuse) and agree that it is in no way a sub for the hardwoods , but used properly , can be a very , very nice addition to our arsenal.


Biggest pitfalls IMHO are:

• Using way to much of it to begin with... As many of you Scotch drinkers out there know. Peat is a very powerful kick.
• Not having the proper environment inside the cooker. It really needs a somewhat humid environment to do well.
• Too much direct heat. The ideal method is to have just the slightest" old man's beard starting.
• Sourcing what I like to term as "Food Grade" peat. Having had experience with many sources I am convinced that there is something to be gained by using Peat from the areas of the world on the same latitudes as Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the like. None of the peat from the Carolina's is what I consider to be "Food Grade"

I have no affiliation with any of the Companies that import peat to the US but I can tell you that the only reliable source as of this writing is "Sneaky Peat". There were/are only Two companies SP and Irish Smoke LTD importing in the US. To the best of my knowledge Jim Gallagher of Irish Smoke passed away in July and there has been no filling of orders and no refunding of monies to date ( Ask me how I know):mad2: There are some companies in Canada that do as well but I have no knowledge of their product or practices.

At any rate ... the object is to use heat to get the essential oils or volatile oils airborne and picked up by whatever liquid you have for humidity.

When using peat I usually cut the amount of hardwood that I am using in half. I walk on eggshells around woods that become bitter quick. Peat usually amplifies the smoke flavor alot. I only use 1 ounce by weight for an entire cook added at the beginning and have found this sufficient to "enhance" 24 lbs of pork. Gamy things like sheep and lamb I'll use 2 ounces by weight as it seems to cut through the gaminess.

Secondly, I use a bowl of distilled water down low and on the rack that I am cooking the meat on. At the end of a cook the bowl on the rack will be a golden color from the peat and smoke-wood and meat with flavor to match. I use this to start a sauce with.

I plan on doing a butt or two this weekend and will get a step by step pictorial for those who may be interested. Used correctly , it will leave your friends trying to guess exactly what it is . Sometimes I feel that it gets a bad rap becausepeople believe that their meat will reek of Scotch. Sometimes I think that A really smoky peaty Scotch is marketed specifically to Americans because we believe that it supposed to taste like a smoked pine tree or it isn't Scotch :becky:

Since the original thread there may be those of you out there who have tried it. I'm going on the assumption ( I know..I know...) that the lack of threads on the subject say there are few that have but may have run afoul of the aforementioned issues that I had to work through via trial-and-error. I welcome any and all comments , Good, Bad, or in between. Thanks to the Brethren in advance for the time!

Wow... Glad to have you aboard. Look forward to your dissertations

FattyMac said:

Never thought of using it before, but now I'm intrigued! :thumb:
My head is spinning with thoughts of salmon, beef and lamb smoked with peat.

You mentioned that there were some Canadian sources. Could you please post them? Thanks.

Click to expand...

This is the only one that I know of in Canada that Imports from Ireland ( allegedly) I have never dealt with them before but plan on contacting http://genuineirishturf.com/home.html

Thanks to all for the interest in the subject. I will be as detailed as possible with the postings and pictorial.

Been a little crazy at work here as of late, but I haven't forgotten y'all... Looks as if the weather is going to more than co-operate on Saturday so I'll get it going. Wife is picking up batteries for the camera this eve. Thanks for your Patience :thumb:

UPDATE: Apology extended for the long wait. Long Story Short, I am faced with many trials and tribulations as of this writing that have sapped most of my time and all of the energy. As soon as I can get to a place that is somewhat normal, I will continue the thread Thanks in advance to all of the Brethren.

Peat - The O'Riginal Irish BBQ

Greetings yer'all
I signed up some months ago when I first saw the original thread on this topic, but in honour of the rules of membership decided not to enter the discussions to enlighten, because it might appear I'd be self-promoting as an originator in the topic and a proprietor.
However, I was drawn back to the thread through Alba Gu Brath's (Scotland Forever) subsequent posts appearing on my Internet links and with new interest being shown ... along with some curious notions and info 'out there.'
As Alba Gu Brath is for the time being seemingly unavailable for this, perhaps I can help clear thoughts for members, if permitted and interested?
Sincere thanks to Alba Gu Brath though for obviously being one of my satisfied customers (but I cant tell from his user name), even if I need to correct and add a few tidbits for better understanding!
1) Yes, select Scottish & Irish peats are unique for flavouring. Decaying sphagnum moss and composting peat bogs around the world (including Canada, Finland, Russia, US, Africa et al) are best left for horticulture or refined derivatives;
2) Yes, most peats are usually more suitable replacements for hard-woods in terms of heat and longevity outputs, but not usually with harvesting time and costs economics (hence some suppliers trying to flog bulk and unsuitable product for their turnover and hiding shipping costs);
3) Select peat is a far more complex medium than any flavour wood, with greater varieties of natural oils, resins and volatiles, being condensed over a far longer period of time without them significantly degrading. It is thus more pervasive, economical and versatile when familiarised;
4) With my then partner (Seamus Gallagher late of Irish Smoke and deceased 2010), we originated Sneaky Peat (USA) from Donegal, Ireland in 1999. Borrowing from our BBQ experiences and trials across 6 countries, the concept of 'Irish BBQ' was founded and trademarked to hallmark Ireland's ancient, open-hearth, culinary traditions;
5) Most other information found on the Internet these days on the use of peat for such food enhancing, began appearing about 2006 as an afterthought to unconscious bulk-selling of peat for US hearths. More recent sites seeming to spring up and fade away after then offering mostly non-peat products, are blending information ‘borrowed’ from Jim's now defunct Donegal website and my own US website, as if to ‘authenticate’ any misunderstanding and unfamiliarity in avoiding copyright and trademark infringement; which we’ve both suffered. Spurious information and unsuitable peat products are thus now available to the unwary.
Having been on BBQ teams for Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Laphroaig, with particular reference to both Irish and Scottish peats in comparing flavor woods, or through live-demo tasters or concession peat-BBQ’d foods up and down the Eastern US, Ireland, Africa, UK and Poland, I trust the above info and expertise brings additional efficacy to the forum’s BBQ’ing endeavours
Erin go Bragh