Smokers, what's your favorite wood.

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

Rubs, brining, injection and marinades are all important for smoking. For me it’s the wood spice that elevates the meat from good to great. So what’s your favorite wood/woods and why? Also, do you use chips, chunks or logs?

Bill

2

In my smoking tex, I use chunks, never chips or anything smaller. I like pecan for brisket, pork (hickory is ok, but a little stronger); sugar maple for fish (particularly cold-smoked); cherry or apple for chicken.

3

Mesquite and pecan for brisket
Pecan and oak for pork shoulder or ribs with apple or cherry on occasion
Apple or alder for cold smoking salmon

4

I use logs, so I can’t get pecan or hickory in the size I want. With my old pit I did use chunk pecan and hickory and liked the results. I used to cook with lump charcoal and wood chunks.

My favorites are cherry, apple and red oak (when I can get it). For coals I use white oak but any oak will do. This fourth I used log cherry and chunk hickory for both my ribs and brisket. I thought it was a good combination. For smoked turkey I generally like apple. But with the new pit, apple logs are not too common in Sacramento anymore, so I might do a cherry, which is my go-to wood.

I like grilling with mequite but not smoking with it.

Bill

5

My favorites are hickory for pork, oak for brisket, alder for salmon, & maple for chicken these days.

As for why, here goes. Hickory is strong and for pulled pork it is all about the smoky perfume and rub for me. Oak is traditional for brisket and gives the right amount of smoke for my taste. Hickory is too strong here though a 2:1 hickory:cherry blend works well for me. Alder is mild and complements rather than overwhelms fish. Alder is also good for chicken but lately I’m loving that golden-brown hue I get on chicken with maple. Apple is also fine but I am tired of it. Pecan is versatile, but not my favorite for any meat. Mesquite is too strong for my tastes. I only use it for grilling steaks or burgers, where the meat only sees the smoke for a few minutes. I suppose blending it like Tex does would help.

I use chunks in my Weber Smokey Mountain and for indirect grilling in my Weber grills. I use chips for direct grilling.

Rich

6

What wood should be used for a wood burning pizza oven?

7

I would go oak.

Bill

8

Red oak with pork.

9

I have got hickory and apple for the pork tomorrow…

10

In our wfo we use primarily cherry, apple and apricot wood.

11

Can somebody list some web suppliers?
I used to use Traverse Fruitwood Co. but I think they’ve gone out of business.

12

Mark, ebay has a ton of producers. I would talk to the tree triming companies and firewood companies in your area. It would be much cheaper.

13

Mesquite is a little tough to come by in Joisey!

14

+1 on ebay…

many of the people selling will cut to what size you need, too…which is nice…as we all have different needs…

15

Maybe I need to go into the Pecan wood business since I have access to 1000 acres in lower Alabama. [wow.gif]

16

Bob. Cause he can have his moments of wicked humor and kindness among his curmudgeonness. newhere

17

Anybody use these guys?

http://www.charcoalstore.com/c4500/Wood-Chunks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

18

Sorry Mark, I have not.