Home smoked malt instead of rauch malt

I'd like to brew a smoked porter that calls for three pounds of rauch malt. It also calls for British pale malt as the base, and 1 pound of Munich malt.

Instead of buying the rauch malt, I'd like to smoke my own grain at home. Would you just use 3 more pounds of the Brit pale and smoke that? Or can I just smoke some of the bulk two row I have here? The Weyerman rauch is listed at 1.7-2.8 Lovibond, so I'm thinking that using the two row might be ok?

I plan on smoking in an electric smoker(big chief) for a couple of hours after soaking the grain in water. Any tips of wood to smoke with? I have cherry, apple, hickory, and alder that I can use with that smoker. I have maple, oak, peach, apple, hickory and others that I use in my other smokers. I know that rauch malt is typically smoked with beech wood, but I'm thinking maybe alder might be a good substitute?

Alder smoked malt is great in porters (see Alaskan Smoked Porter). You'll be fine using either more pale or 2-row, this isn't a beer where the subtle notes of a base malt are on display.

Good luck.

Thanks oldsock.....I'll give the cheap two row a whirl and see how that turns out.

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I was just thinking about this earlier today . Was thinking about smoking some 2row on a mix of maple and pecan and adding that to a porter.

The maple and pecan sounds like it would be really good in a porter. If you get to smoking and brewing this, please post your results.

I'll probably smoke some two row soon, and give it a few weeks to mellow out a bit.

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Has anyone here ever use mesquite to smoke malt? I've read up online and in books about how to smoke the malt (BTW thanks to guys for all the info the some of the older threads) but I'm interested in using some mesquite. It's a strong smoke so I'm wonder do I need to use less, smoke for less time, or just do it the same as any other wood?

BTW I'm want to use a blend of mesquite and hickory.

Thanks in advance.