Woods for Smoking

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Chuckwagon
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Woods for Smoking

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Jul 20, 2011 01:59

Woods Used For Smoking

Acacia is similar to mesquite but not as strong. Acacia should be used in small amounts or for limited amounts of time.
Alder has a light flavor that works well with fish and poultry. Alder is the traditional choice for smoking Salmon.
Almond is similar to pecan and give a nutty, sweet flavor to meat.
Apple is mild and sweet in flavor and is often used with poultry and pork. Apple smoke will cause chicken skin to turn dark brown in color. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most popular woods for smoking.
Apricot is similar to hickory but is sweeter and milder in flavor. It`s great for poultry and pork.
Ash burns quickly and has a light, unique flavor.
Black Walnut has a bitter, heavy flavor and should be mixed with other wood.
Birch has a flavor similar to maple and is good with pork and poultry.
Cherry has a sweet, mild flavor that goes well with any meat and many other foods. Cherry is one of the most popular woods for smoking.
Chokecherry has a bitter flavor and should be used in small amounts for short period of times.
Citrus woods (lemon or orange) give a light, fruity flavor milder than apple or cherry.
Cottonwood is very nice and an old favorite of many people. It`s mild in flavor and may be used with stronger flavored woods if desired. Avoid "green " cottonwood.
Crabapple is similar to apple wood and may be used interchangeably.
Fruit, like apple, apricot or cherry, fruit wood gives off a sweet, mild flavor that is good with poultry or ham. It may be quite "sooty".
Grapefruit is a mild wood that produces a good, smoky flavor for any meat.
Grapevines make a lot of tart smoke. It`s fruity but sometimes heavy and acrid. Use it sparingly with poultry or lamb.
Hickory is everyones` favorite and adds a unique, strong flavor to all meats.
Lemon is a mild wood that produces a good, smoky flavor for any meat.
Lilac produces mild, sweet smoke for smoked cheese, poultry, and pork.
Maple smoke gives a sweet flavor to poultry and ham.
Mesquite burns hot and quickly. It is popular for short-term grilling but not recommended for barbecuing or for smoking sausages. It is probably the strongest flavored wood of all types.
Mulberry is sweet and similar to applewood.
Nectarine is similar to hickory but sweeter and milder in flavor. Good used with poultry and pork.
Oak is possibly the most versatile of all hardwoods, strong but not overpowering, and a fine choice for beef or lamb.
Orange is a mild, smoky-flavored wood used on any meat.
Peach is similar to hickory but is sweeter and milder in flavor and is a nice choice used for poultry and pork.
Pear produces a sweet, mild flavor similar to apple wood.
Pecan has been called "mild hickory", burns cool, providing a more delicate flavor.
Plum is similar to hickory but sweeter and milder in flavor. Great choice for poultry and pork.
Walnut has a heavy, smoky flavor and should be mixed with more mildly flavored woods.

Other lesser-known woods safely used for smoking include: avocado, bay, beech, butternut, carrotwood, chestnut, fig, guava, gum, hackberry, kiawe, madrone, manzita, olive, range, persimmon, pimento, and willow. For smoking, AVOID cedar, cypress, elm, eucalyptus, fir, pine, redwood, sassafras, spruce, and sycamore. :shock:

Moisten hardwood sawdust well ahead of burning time, but do not soak it until it is dripping wet. Turn the hot plate to high until smoldering begins, then turn the heat down until it produces only a constant trickle of smoke. Moistened wood is not as acrid and produces a better tasting sausage. As a rule, any hardwood free of resin (or sap) is generally good for smoking food. If the tree produces edible fruit or nuts, the wood is typically good for smoking.

AVOID:
Cedar
Cypress
Elm
Eucalyptus
Fir
Pine
Redwood
Sassafras
Spruce
Sycamore

Please avoid any chemically-treated or processed wood when smoking food. Numerous arsenates, borates, silicates, coppers, pesticides, and other substances, have routinely been placed into wood as preservatives, insecticides, and who knows what else. :roll: In many cases, when "treated" wood (lumber) is burned, the smoke may become toxic and dangerous. Never use processed lumber to smoke any food.

It's important to remember that smoke penetrates meat much faster at higher temperatures. A case in point may be a sausage perfectly smoked at 120° F (50° C) for 4 hours. The same sausage may acquire a bitter, over-smoked flavor if smoked at 250° F (120° C) for the same length of time.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon :cool:
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:29, edited 3 times in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ssorllih » Wed Jul 20, 2011 02:58

Here in Maryland I have access to six kinds of oak, three maple, cherry, pear, apple, mulberry, hickory, beech, walnut(which I hear is rather heavy). Has anyone tried magnolia? I used mulberry last time on some turkey wings it was pleasant.
Has anyone used sweet gum or persimmon?
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Post by Tatoosh » Tue Jul 24, 2012 07:15

I have been told that mango wood should not be used, with varying sources saying it was due to the sap of the tree causing problems and others saying it was due to intensive insecticides being used to maintain the health of the tree and fruit causing problems.

I know at least one individual that does use it for smoking sausage in Manila, however.
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:48

mango is related to poison ivy in that the sap can cause contact dermatitis
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Jul 24, 2012 13:32

Yeah Ross, just look at what happened to me when I tried it! :shock: My mug puckered up like a wet sheepskin before a hot fire! I looked like the hindquarters of bad luck... shucks, at first, I had to sneak up on a dipper of water just to get a drink! I'll stick to hickory! :mrgreen:
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Jul 24, 2012 15:41

Tatoosh, My memories of the flora of the Philippines is dim. I do remember quite a bit of citrus fruit and that wood is recommended. Mulberry wood makes for good flavor. The locals used to call me boondook. I was stationed at Clark and Poro Point.
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Post by ssorllih » Mon Dec 10, 2012 03:41

Three times lately I have smoked meat with pear. Twice I have done salmon and once chicken. Each time I am surprized at the very pale color that I gain compared with hickory or maple. Even applewood imparts more color than does pearwood. The flavor is very pleasing.
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