Hickory vs Oak

[DustyJoe84]

With a few smokes under my belt now I'm coming up with more questions. My first few smokes went really well using oak. I smoked some pork spare ribs a couple days ago and used hickory and noticed a tremendous difference in my experience.

I feel like I was able to maintain more consistent temperatures with oak and that I didn't have to add a split as often. Does hickory tend to burn hotter and faster than oak? With hickory I was having problems keeping the temperature down in the range I was wanting.

 

[indaswamp]

Oak is a very dense, even burning wood. Which is why it is used as a heat source for most all of east Texas. Flavor woods can be added onto the oak coals.

 

[Hawging It]

I burn OAK as my primary wood and then throw on a HICKORY Log or 2 during the cook.

 

[flatbroke]

I burn OAK as my primary wood and then throw on a HICKORY Log or 2 during the cook.

how does that work out for you? can you taste the hickory? reason I ask we don't have hickory here, so I too use oak, but could buy some small bags of hickory for a store I suppose

 

[Weaverspitbbq]

I use oak pecan mesquite...mix ... works for me

 

[JWFokker]

Hickory burns quite hot. Simple solution is to use shorter splits, run a smaller fire.

 

[phathead69]

If both seasoned I agree that the hickory burns a little hotter per same size. Regardless of species all my smoking wood get cut and one main splitting on the wood splitter then stacked. As I smoke I split it again and vary in size from wrist size up to maybe 3 times that and use as needed pending weather etc.