Let's talk Wood's.

[lilpine100]

Right now I'm using two side smokers & one old skool vertical smoker. Here in Florida, I get to fire up the smoker a lot. Somebody send me some pointers on different types of woods

 

[one eyed jack]

Welcome to the site LILPINE.   I have tried quite a few different woods through the years but personally have settled on Hickory.  Just personal preference.  (I'm real fond of pretty strong smoke flavor).

In general;  I view fruit woods as fairly mild and I confess that my pallet is not refined enough to differentiate between them.  I have used Cherry and like it OK but it is not as strong a flavor as Hickory.  Oak is closer to Hickory than the Cherry and I have not experimented much with Mesquite.  (I just quit stressing over it and settled on Hickory).  Avoid soft woods.  You should have access to some Live Oak there around Jacksonville, don't you?  That should work alright.

Try them all and see what you like.

 

[gary s]

  Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a warm, cloudy and rainy day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[4pogo7]

Right now I'm using two side smokers & one old skool vertical smoker. Here in Florida, I get to fire up the smoker a lot. Somebody send me some pointers on different types of woods

I like to use apple, cherry, pecan, peach, or other fruit woods for things like pork loin and chicken. They are milder like Jack said and sweeter. I think they go nicely with "light" meats. I tend to have smoke go longer with these woods since they are milder so I can get more of the smoke flavor in the food. 

For a strong taste I have used mesquite before. It is good and is distinct. I have used it for venison backstraps and other beef or venison cuts. I also like it for mesquite smoked turkey breast (home version of the store bought lunch meat). Usually I would have smoke going for a certain amount of time and them finish it without smoke to whatever internal temp I am going for. This gets me the flavor I want without going overboard with the stronger smoke.

Lately I have been using hickory (backstrap and pork butt) It gives good flavor and is the typical wood choice for many BBQ restaurants (seems like everything is Hickory smoked). It is a stronger flavor so I usually don't have smoke going the whole time, unless it is a cut that will get done very quickly, mainly very lean cuts.

Other than that I am not going to be much help. I don't have a ton of solo smokes under my belt just yet, but have been helping my dad for quite a few years. Hope some of this is useful.

 

[thomas phillips]

I love Mesquite. Love the strong robust flavor it gives when I cook beef and pork. For poultry I like to use Apple and Cherry. I would like to try Peach but I can never find chunks of it in stores and every time I try to order pellets for my pellet smoker its out of stock or back ordered.....

 

[smokerjim]

i go with hickory or oak most,,sometimes apple or cherry,i've tried mesquite got to say i didn't like it for me it was over powering.if i had to pick 1 hickory is my favorite.

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello and Welcome.

Being from Texas Mesquite is my "go to".  Not everyone likes Mesquite.  When I have friends around I use a blend.  Oak, Hickory, and Mesquite are strong flavours.  If you like those go for it.  For folks not from Tex. I use a blend of 1/2 pecan, 1/4 oak and 1/4 cherry.  The cherry is a bit sweet and adds a GREAT color to the meat.  Experiment!  That is the key.  Just use burgers.  Different woods and or blends.  Find what you like and there you have the "perfect" smoking wood.  Don't discount Pecan until you try it.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[gary s]

I am in East Texas lots of Hickory, Oak and Pecan   Right now I am using Pecan

Gary

 

[sfprankster]

I'm all over the place when it comes to using different woods. Some are used to compliment the spices or flavors I'm seeking to create in the meal. Others to be more intense and to the forefront of the flavor profile. It all comes down to a matter of personal preference.

In my WSM, I use several fruit(apple, cherry, citrus, grape, peach, etc) and nut(almond and pecan) both singularly and in different combinations. The only time I regularly use mesquite, is in my kettle. When the cooking times are short and I want to infuse the smoke flavor.

As to what I consider traditional woods(hickory, maple, oak), I have to order most of them online. The only one I can find locally is oak. The eastern hardwoods that are available in the bags at Home Depot, and the like, I have found these to be too dry and I can't tell the difference in the flavors, other than the names on the bags. When I source wood locally, it contains enough moisture to taste the difference in the final product.