Rum Barrel Smoking Wood

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UPDATE!!!  

Rafael just sent this in for anyone interested in buying his Rum Barrel Smoking Wood in bulk!  Click here for the pricing info. 

Also, contact Rafael directly if you wish to be considered as a Master Distributor for this product! 

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Hey guys – as you know I like to offer up new and interesting things from the BBQ Smoker world as I find them.  Recently, Rafael Cotto contacted me about a product he’s making – BBQ Smoker Wood Staves made from Aged Rum Barrels.

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He calls the product simply: Rum Barrel Smoking Wood

I love the idea of infusing some rum aromatics into the smoke for BBQ.  Here’s a bit of history on the product I asked Rafael to send over.

Let me know what you think…

Rum Barrel Smoking Wood Review

My name is Rafael Cotto and I am the founder of www.foodiesPR.com, a website focus on gastronomy for foodies based on the great island of Puerto Rico.

I am a foodie in every sense of the word.

I eat, drink and dream about food and the culinary arts, and when I am not writing restaurant reviews and photographing culinary masterpieces, I am an avid BBQ Smoker.

I believe in the barbecue triangle: heat, smoke and time!

Rum Barrel Smoking Wood: The Essence of Puerto Rico in BBQ

I have smoked everything under the sun from meat and poultry, to fish, game, vegetables, and even cheese. In my exploration for smoking gourmet greatness, I have tried just about every wood imaginable.

I have smoked with a wide array of tree species and infused woods including whiskey barrel and wine barrel, which got this island boy thinking… why haven’t I tried smoking with rum barrel wood? The answer was quite simple: there was no such product offered in today’s smoking wood market that offered such a thing!

And so Rum Barrel Smoking Wood was born.

Sourcing and Procuring the Rum Barrels

I first set out to talk to all the major Puerto Rican rum distilleries. What I discovered was that Puerto Rico along with most of the major Caribbean Islands that produce rum, do not make their own wood barrels. A majority of distilleries purchase their barrels from whiskey distilleries in the United States. By law, whiskey distilleries can only use their barrels for up to 1 year.

The rum industry, however, has no regulation on the number of years a barrel can be used to age product. By the time a rum barrel has reached the end of its useful life it has been used to age whiskey for 1 year, plus used for up to 18 years aging different kinds of rum in various stages of production. As a result, the quantity of “retired” rum barrels are limited and very hard to find. Realizing this, I had to work hard at establish relationships with rum distillers of all sizes to convince them to work with me.

Experimenting With Different Preparations of the Wood from Rum Barrels

As soon as I scored my first few rum barrels, I started experimenting with different cuts of wood like sawdust, chips, chunks and planks. I tried each wood cut with an assortment of different meats, on gas grills and different style smokers. What I found was that the wood chips didn’t hold the exquisite aroma of the aged rum as well, and the larger cuts produced a much more intense smoke flavor.

Rum Barrel Smoking Wood – How To Achieve Maximum Balance and Flavor

What I love about Rum Barrel Smoking Wood is the uniquely aromatic yet delicate flavor it gives food whether you are smoking dense red meat or a specialty cut of white fish.

As a smoking professional my preferred method of smoking is obviously charcoal, however, I have become rather skilled at smoking on gas grills out of necessity. Countless times friends and family would beg me to bring Rum Barrel Smoking Wood to a gathering. I’d show up ready to smoke only to find that the only cooking medium was a gas grill! What’s a guy to do?

Simply,

1. Place 3-5 Rum Barrel Smoking Wood chunks across the back burner cover.

2. Fire up the grill! Lighting all burns.

3. Once the wood starts to smoke, turn off the burners, leaving the back burner as your temperature control. Adjust the heat as needed.

4. Have patience….

5. Enjoy!

I promise you will love opening a bag or box of our Rum Barrel Smoking Wood.

I’ve had people tell me after opening a bag that they didn’t know whether to throw it on the charcoals or gnaw on it like a piece of candy!

Please visit our website at www.rumwood.com to try a unique and new flavor experience today! And be sure to share your smoking experiences using our Rum Barrel Smoking Wood at rafael@foodiespr.com. We look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, keep smoking!

Ever tried smoking with wood infused with spirits?  Do you think you’d like to give Rum Barrel Smoking Wood a try? 

Leave a comment below and let us know!