Good Post Guy!

I love cooking over an open fire, to the point that unless the weather is real bad, practically all of our evening meals are cooked outside.

You are correct on mesquite burning ho and producing little smoke.

Personally, and I have access to a couple of places in Young county where I get the stuff, I prefer mesquite that has been dead for many years and has been allowed to cure out, sometimes even trees that have been dead for 20 years or more, but are still standing.

That and stumps that have been dozed up.

When gathering the dead stuff, the rule I go by, is that the best wood will be heavy for its size.

Lighter chunks, the same size or even larger, are usually full of insect holes, and will burn really fast without putting out a lot of heat.

The heavier stuff, especially the stumps burns slower, but because it is denser, burns hotter.

When I can get it, I like mixing good oak wood in with the mesquite as it gives to me at least a truer "Hunting Camp" flavor to food, especially steaks.

I second what Spanky said about the fruit and nut woods.

Some of the best brisket Lora and I ever had was up in Collbran Colorado, the town I hunt elk out of.

This guy had him a smoker set up and was selling sliced brisket samiches and he was smoking the brisket over cherry wood.