For the Love of Wood

A few days ago, I got to thinking about all of the things I’ve threatened to write about in this blog. It occurred to me that there is a common thread that connects guitars, BBQ, and wine – WOOD.

Mahogany, Korina, Maple, Rosewood, and Ash – these five woods come together in varying mixtures to create the snappy twang of my Strat (maple and ash), the thick singing leads of my Reverend Roundhouse (Korina, Maple, and Rosewood), and the roundness of my Jazzmaster (Ash, Maple, and Rosewood).

To read more about wood as used in electric guitars, check out the Electric Guitar Source Book by Dave Hunter and the brief article he did for Guitar Player.

Oak – how I love the. Oak makes both the charred barrels that my delicious bourbons age in and the resting place for so many wines. Oak even provides the hints of vanilla in my Stone Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard. And grilling a steak over red hot oak embers brings new meaning to grilling.

Hickory, cherry, apple, and mesquite – Along with oak, these woods provide the smoke that defines the greatest culinary tradition in the US – BBQ. Rather than try to define the flavors created by these woods, I will refer to an excellent piece that Jim Shahin recently wrote in the Washington Post.