what is the preferred wood for smoking pastrami

[mhchops]

Im wanting to smoke a corned beef brisket into some pastrami and would like to know what is the preferred wood for this application thank you for your input.

 

[linguica]

For wood you want something mild. While the smoke flavor is going to add to the quality of the pastrami, you do not want to over power the flavor with a strong wood like hickory or mesquite. A popular wood to use when making pastrami is maple. I also use woods like apple, cherry, or grape.

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[mhchops]

I have never used anything but hickory and just starting to venture into other woods i do know the hickory can be overpowering if not careful i smoked a shoulder using stubs mix of hickory, oak and cherry ot was very good then i done another with just hickory (chunks this time) and it was too smokey so i think ill see if i can pixk up some maple and give it a try. Do i need to smoke the whole way through or just part of the way?