I couldn't wait to get home this afternoon and fire up my "mesquite chunk" pipe, and I had already decided to use Moose Scat for the first bowl (yeah, I'm getting hooked on this stuff). For those not familiar with Moose Scat, it is a wonderful English blend with a bit of perique, made my Jack's tobacco. I love the stuff!
My first impression of the pipe is that it smokes really well, but that's just a function of the drilling I suppose. I think that the mesquite imparts a slighly sweet taste to the smoke. It smoked with a somewhat unusual overtone, slightly sweet and smokey flavored. I'm assuming that must be the mesquite, since that is the flavor that is found in meats smoked with mesquite. All in all quite a pleasant experience, and a bit different from the impartial briar flavor.
The bowl seems to be holding up well (no burnouts etc) which had me worried. I didn't bother sanding the inside of the bowl, and parts of it were a little "fuzzy" - I'm pretty sure that added to the initial flavor.
In retrospect I should have started with a straight Virginia, like Blackwoods flake or Dark Star. I've only smoked about 8 bowls of Moose Scat, and none since my major oral surgery last week. I just don't have a long-time experiece with the tobacco to make minor nuances in taste really noticable, whereas I smoke many more Virginias in a given month.
All in all, it seems (after only one bowl) to be a fine smoker, and does seem to add a slight sweet taste which I don't notice in a briar or meershcaum bowl. Moose Scat is, of course, a great tobacco which would taste wonderful in any pipe, and it tasted great in this one also.
I think I'll load it with a Va tobacco later this evening, simply because I'm much more familiar with the taste of these. Perhaps with a Va I can describe the taste a bit better.
john
Moose Scat in a handmade mesquite pipe!
Moose 'n Mesquite
Tonight I took my mesquite pipe and loaded it up with Dark Star, a tobacco I've smoked for years and and quite familiar with (unlike the previous test with Moose Scat).
The pipe actually smokes very well, and for about the first 2/3 of the bowl it definately added a sweeter taste to this already sweet tobacco. I actually liked it very much, but pipes I make myself always taste better anyway. Especially when the cost was essentially nil!
I think that this block of mesquite was not quite totally dry, as some of the sawdust sorta 'clumped' while I was sanding - plus the chunks appeared to be from the outer portion of the tree, thus having younger and greener wood than the older stuff near the center.
Whatever, it smokes rather well, and I am very satisfied with my "mesquite chunk" pipe. I may just make another, and I think I see a chunk which will serve as a small pipe stand. Uh, then maybe a bowl or two for my Kirtens also....
john - carried away with this stuff!
The pipe actually smokes very well, and for about the first 2/3 of the bowl it definately added a sweeter taste to this already sweet tobacco. I actually liked it very much, but pipes I make myself always taste better anyway. Especially when the cost was essentially nil!
I think that this block of mesquite was not quite totally dry, as some of the sawdust sorta 'clumped' while I was sanding - plus the chunks appeared to be from the outer portion of the tree, thus having younger and greener wood than the older stuff near the center.
Whatever, it smokes rather well, and I am very satisfied with my "mesquite chunk" pipe. I may just make another, and I think I see a chunk which will serve as a small pipe stand. Uh, then maybe a bowl or two for my Kirtens also....
john - carried away with this stuff!
I think you said you got this block out of some you were going to cook with. If it's one those bags, I am sure they wet it down. "They" say it makes it burn & cook slower. Here in Texas they let the mesquite season (Hot Texas Sun) for about a year before they cook or burn it. That is for BBQ cooking.
Tell us a little about how you made the Pipe. Just like one you would make in Brair???? Drill the same? Did you stain it? You may have started something here.
jchamb wrote:
I think that this block of mesquite was not quite totally dry, as some of the sawdust sorta 'clumped' while I was sanding - plus the chunks appeared to be from the outer portion of the tree, thus having younger and greener wood than the older stuff near the center.
Tell us a little about how you made the Pipe. Just like one you would make in Brair???? Drill the same? Did you stain it? You may have started something here.
jchamb wrote:
I think that this block of mesquite was not quite totally dry, as some of the sawdust sorta 'clumped' while I was sanding - plus the chunks appeared to be from the outer portion of the tree, thus having younger and greener wood than the older stuff near the center.
I'm also in Texas, where there is plenty of mesquite (but in the DFW area).
Yep, it's from a bag of "chuncks" for use in the bbq grill. They make two kinds, 'chips' which are small, and 'chunks' which are larger. Usually when I use my smoker I will soak the chunks for awhile, then wrap them in foil with holes punched in it - it produces a ton of smoke to season the meat. Since these were on sale, I just put several chunks on top of the charcoal and used them for cooking (after I picked out the ones big enough to make pipes with!)
I basically just used my coping saw to square the block a bit, then drilled and finished it just like a pipe. I put a VERY light stain on it, Brown Mahogony I think. Just enough to bring out the grain.
I keep some stains around that are very light - I mix the Pimo stains with 2 oz of denatured alcohol in a baby food jar, then put another ounce of alcohol in a clean jar and add several drops of the mixed stain - so it basically makes just a "wash". Actually I think most of the color came from buffing with tripoli.
I also make a pipe rest from one chunk, and have saved several smaller ones for use as extensions, trim rings etc. It has beautiful grain, and you can't beat the price ($3.50 for about a 15lb bag, and I'm going to use most of it on the BBQ!)
Being in Texas, you should find it pretty easily - the bags are on sale at Kroger this week at 2 for $7.
Hope this helps....
john
Yep, it's from a bag of "chuncks" for use in the bbq grill. They make two kinds, 'chips' which are small, and 'chunks' which are larger. Usually when I use my smoker I will soak the chunks for awhile, then wrap them in foil with holes punched in it - it produces a ton of smoke to season the meat. Since these were on sale, I just put several chunks on top of the charcoal and used them for cooking (after I picked out the ones big enough to make pipes with!)
I basically just used my coping saw to square the block a bit, then drilled and finished it just like a pipe. I put a VERY light stain on it, Brown Mahogony I think. Just enough to bring out the grain.
I keep some stains around that are very light - I mix the Pimo stains with 2 oz of denatured alcohol in a baby food jar, then put another ounce of alcohol in a clean jar and add several drops of the mixed stain - so it basically makes just a "wash". Actually I think most of the color came from buffing with tripoli.
I also make a pipe rest from one chunk, and have saved several smaller ones for use as extensions, trim rings etc. It has beautiful grain, and you can't beat the price ($3.50 for about a 15lb bag, and I'm going to use most of it on the BBQ!)
Being in Texas, you should find it pretty easily - the bags are on sale at Kroger this week at 2 for $7.
Hope this helps....
john
Heck of a idea of using baby food jar's. I'm to old to have any kid's around but do have those grand babies.
Sorry didn't see that you were in Arlington till I had posted. Of course you know mesquite, your not far from the town of Mesquite.
"Being in Texas, you should find it pretty easily - the bags are on sale at Kroger this week at 2 for $7."
I know you would not tell on another Texan, but I got lazy and use HEB pre cooked & season briskets these day's but I have done my time on the all night smokers.
jchamb wrote:
I keep some stains around that are very light - I mix the Pimo stains with 2 oz of denatured alcohol in a baby food jar, then put another ounce of alcohol in a clean jar and add several drops of the mixed stain - so it basically makes just a "wash".
Sorry didn't see that you were in Arlington till I had posted. Of course you know mesquite, your not far from the town of Mesquite.
"Being in Texas, you should find it pretty easily - the bags are on sale at Kroger this week at 2 for $7."
I know you would not tell on another Texan, but I got lazy and use HEB pre cooked & season briskets these day's but I have done my time on the all night smokers.
jchamb wrote:
I keep some stains around that are very light - I mix the Pimo stains with 2 oz of denatured alcohol in a baby food jar, then put another ounce of alcohol in a clean jar and add several drops of the mixed stain - so it basically makes just a "wash".
Got you only by two years, will be 60 in July. I got a late start on the Kid's. Guess you can say I never started. Only be married since 1999, my first. Deb has three girls with two grand babies and two more on the way. So I missed all the babe bottle things.
jchamb wrote:
Hey, I'm 58 and have a passle of grandkids
jchamb wrote:
Hey, I'm 58 and have a passle of grandkids
