Woods used to smoke meat

[bayoutider]

Here is a list of Wood types, Characteristics and which meats to use them with

Acacia From the same family as mesquite, but not as strong. Most meats, especially beef. Most vegetables.

Alder Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.Traditionally used in the Pacific Northwest to smoke Salmon. Good with about any oily fish or shellfish.

Almond A nutty and sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.

Apple Slightly sweet but denser, fruity smoke flavor. Beef, poultry, game birds, pork (particularly ham and bacon)

Apricot The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. Good on most meats. Excellent used for wild game such as duck or deer.

Ash Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.

Birch Medium hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
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Cherry Slightly sweet, fruity smoke flavor. Good with all meats. Makes the prettiest Turkey you have seen. The skin will turn a red color.

Cottonwood Very subtle in flavor. Good with most meats. Try mixing with stronger woods to lessen their effect.

Grape vines Aromatic, similar to fruit woods. Good with all meats. Best used with fish or seafood though.

Grapefruit Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness. Excellent with beef, pork and poultry.

Hickory Pungent, smoky, bacon-like flavor. The most common wood used. Good for all smoking, especially pork and ribs. If you have or can find a shag bark hickory tree strip the bark and use it like wood chips.

Lemon Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness. Excellent with beef, pork and poultry.

Lilac Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb

Maple Mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, vegetables and small game birds

Mesquite Strong earthy flavor. Most meats, especially beef. Most vegetables. Must be a Texas thang, I think this sucks.

Mulberry The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple. Beef, poultry, game birds, pork (particularly ham).

Nectarine The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. Good on most meats.

Oak The second most popular wood to use. Heavy smoke flavor. Red Oak is considered the best by many pitmasters. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

Orange Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness. Excellent with beef, pork and poultry

Peach Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor. Good on most meats.

Pear Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor. Poultry, game birds, pork.

Pecan Similar to hickory, but not as strong. Good for most needs.

Plum The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. Good on most meats.

Walnut Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter wood like pecan or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

*Mango & Papaya similar to Peach. Don't try Cocoanut or banana, they don't work. Teak is interesting. Haven't tried fig.

 

[bayoutider]

What woods NOT TO USE

Don't use any wood from conifers (PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.). These woods can produce some of the nastiest red splotches all over the skin of the unhappy diners and make them extremely sick.

Do not use ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE or LIQUID AMBER trees.

Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used. For all you know, that free oak planking could have been used in a sewage treatment plant.

Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Paint and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat and old paint often contains lead.

Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated.

Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat. If you have some good cherry wood (or other good smoking wood) that is old and has a fungus growth and you want to use it, pre-burn it down to coals before you put it into your smoker.

Some cookers remove bark from wood before using saying the bark impairs a bitter taste. I do not remove bark and have noticed no bitter taste.

 

[Brtraker]

Count me as one of the ones that removed the bark. I had heard that it provided a bitter taste. I also use to use mesquite when I cooked steaks, I lked the flavor but the boss lady didn't. I control the barbeque but she controls the, well, you know what she controls, so I quit using it. :biggrin2:

 

[NYBamaFan]

I use Hickory. A tip - if you que with charcoal, place wet hickory shavings on the coals once they are hot, then put on the meat. The smoke in the que gives the meat a smoked flavor without the smoker...

 

[rpeastep]

No pine, huh? Everytime I get a lot of something, it has no use or value. :BigA:

 

[bayoutider]

No pine, huh? Everytime I get a lot of something, it has no use or value. :BigA:

Sell it for pulp wood. If you have a lot of it you can buy a really nice competition smoker and a cord or two of hardwood.

 

[tide80]

Hey bayoutider,

You list a lot of woods I have never seen at stores. Do you know of a
place or site that you can get these items?

I have only used Hickory and Mesquite. I would like to try some other
woods.

 

[bayoutider]

Found this one using a google search for wood smoker chips.

wood chips

There are more. I used to get some chips from a guy who sold firewood. He would save up oak chips, hickory chips, pecan and apple chips for some of us. Try the corn cobs with ham, chicken or other pork.

 

[BamaOzz]

Found this one using a google search for wood smoker chips.

wood chips

There are more. I used to get some chips from a guy who sold firewood. He would save up oak chips, hickory chips, pecan and apple chips for some of us. Try the corn cobs with ham, chicken or other pork.

You say "corn cobs"? I have never heard of this before. Please elaborate. Flavor it incorporates into the meat, when to add, do you soak and with what?

 

[bayoutider]

You say "corn cobs"? I have never heard of this before. Please elaborate. Flavor it incorporates into the meat, when to add, do you soak and with what?

Since corn cobs hold moisture so well don't soak them in water or you will put your fire out. Place dry corn cobs in the firebox and allow them to burn. It will take a fair amount of them to flavor the meat, add just a few at a time and see how long they last, it depends on the size. Start adding them when you put the meat on.

The flavor is mild and pleasant. I like it on most lighter meats but not red meat.