Wood sub-variety differences, sweet/sour/flowing cherry, red/white/post oak

[siletzspey]

Curious question...

From a wood-chunk smoke-flavor perspective, is there much of a difference between say a Sweet Cherry vs Sour Cherry vs Flowering Cherry? Ditto say a Red Oak vs White Oak vs Post Oak? And the list goes on.

• Oak: Red, White, Post, English (ornamental), ...
• Cherry: Sweet, Sour, Flowering, ...
• Apple: Eating/baking, Cider, Crab, Hawthorn, ...
• Plum: European, Asian, ...
• :

I just cut down a dying flowering cherry tree with 16" base, and it made me wonder "are all wood sub-varieties essentially the same" BBQ wise? Are there some sub-varieties that should be avoided? Is there a compelling reason to buy wood chunks so as to get the proper sub-variety(s)?

I have most of the sub-varieties above on my property, and would prefer utilize for BBQ when possible.

--tg

 

[motocrash]

Absolutely. Typically the wood from sweeter fruit trees produces sweeter smoke. Oak species have their own nuances as do hickory.

 

[jcam222]

I would say for my ability to taste sub species would be hard to differ in ate from each other. For example red oak and post oak. In a blind test I doubt I could tell the difference. Now certainly between oak and Apple , I think I could.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

IME: I refer more robust smoke flavors in general.

Orchard cherry vs wild cherry - absolutely a difference. I l've never used Flowering Cherry, to my knowledge.

Definite difference between Water Oak (a type of red oak) and Post Oak (a type of white oak). Both are great.

100% Shagbark Hickory is different from what the big box and other store bags of hickory provide.

Me hand cutting Mesquite in South Texas is way different from what the big box and other store bags of mesquite provide. Kiawe is slightly different on its own merits, different species.