Tom's Personal Smoker and Grilling
Barbeque Web Page
Welcome to My Barbecue Smoker Page!
Smoking
Woods
Wood Types/Flavoring
| Acacia |
These trees are
in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker,
acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as
heavy. A very hot burning
wood. |
| Alder |
A delicate
flavor with a hint of sweetness. Goes well with
salmon, fish, seafood, pork, poultry, and light-meat
game birds |
| Almond |
A sweet smoke
flavor, light ash. Good with all meats. |
| Ash |
Fast burner,
light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red
meats. |
| Apple
and Cherry |
Slightly sweet
fruity smoke that's great with poultry (turns skin dark
brown), or ham. |
| Apricot,
Plum, Peach, Nectarine |
Great on most
white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and
fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. |
| Birch |
Medium-hard
wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and
poultry. |
| Cherry |
Slightly sweet
fruity smoke that's great with chicken, turkey, pork,
ham, and beef. |
| Cottonwood |
It is a softer
wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for
fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak,
pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for
smoking. |
| Crabapple |
Similar to
apple. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good
with poultry, red meats, game and lamb |
| Grapevine |
Tart. Great on
most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey,
pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than
hickory. |
| Hickory |
The most
commonly used wood for smoking. Sweet to strong, heavy
bacon flavor. This great flavor works well with pork,
ribs, hams, poultry, and beef. These chips should
soak 1-2 hours to prevent a bitter taste. |
| Lilac |
Very light,
subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and
lamb. |
| Maple |
Mildly smoky
and sweet. Mates well with poultry, ham, cheese, small
game birds, and vegetables. |
| Mesquite |
Strong earthy
flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. Smoke
will turn from tangy to bitter over an extended cooking.
Not everyone enjoys the taste of mesquite. Burns
very hot. Recommended for grilling, but not
smoking. |
| Mulberry |
The smell is
sweet and reminds one of apple. |
| Oak |
Most versatile
of the hardwoods blending well with most meats.
Especially good with beef brisket. RED Oak is good on
ribs,
WHITE Oak makes the best coals for longer burning. |
| Orange,
Lemon, Grapefruit |
Produces a nice
mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and
poultry. |
| Pear |
A nice subtle
smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken
and pork. |
| Pecan |
A mellow
version of hickory. Works especially well with
poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an
all-around superior smoking wood. Burns cool. |
| Walnut |
Very heavy
smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter
woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used
alone. Good with red meats
and game. |
Some sources have recommended that
you DO NOT USE pine, fir, spruce, redwood, cedar,
cypress, elm, sycamore, liquid amber, lumber scraps, furniture,
oleander, China berry, Osage orange, poison oak, wild cherry,
shipping pallets, and wood with mold and fungus. Note:
I have not researched to validate these claims.
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Please
feel free to e-mail me at: TomThomasFL@hotmail.com
with articles, tips,
etc. Check back with this site often as I will update it as often as I
can. Enjoy the web site!
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