Choosing a wood to smoke with can be a little overwhelming!
If you're looking to add flavor and aroma to your barbecued or smoked meats, using different types of smoke woods is a great way to do so. Each type of wood adds a unique flavor and aroma, so it's important to understand the differences between the varieties before picking one. Here is a comparison of some popular smoke woods:
Hickory: Hickory is one of the most widely used smoke woods due to its strong flavor and aroma. It imparts a hearty, bacon-like flavor that pairs well with beef, pork, poultry, fish, and game.
Oak: Oak has a milder taste than hickory but still provides a nice smoky flavor. It pairs well with beef, pork, chicken, fish, lamb and vegetables.
Cherry: This wood has a sweet taste that pairs nicely with pork chops and ribs as well as turkey and chicken breasts.
Apple: Apple is a mild smoke wood that typically pairs best with poultry and fish but can also be used to smoke vegetables for added sweetness and depth of flavor.
Mesquite: This wood is intensely flavored which makes it best suited for red meats like beef or lamb as well as pork shoulders and ribs.
Pecan: Pecan has an intense smoky taste that can be overpowering if not used properly. It pairs best with beef brisket and pork ribs but can also be used on other cuts of meat like pork chops or chicken breasts as long as it’s not overused in quantity or duration of smoking time.
Peach & Apricot: These two fruitwoods have sweet notes to their smoke which makes them best suited for poultry dishes like turkey or chicken breast but they can also be used with other meats like beef or pork for added sweetness in flavoring or marinades prior to grilling or smoking the food item(s).
No matter what kind of wood you choose for smoking your food items, always use high quality hardwood logs from trustworthy sources such as local stores or online vendors - this will ensure you are getting the maximum amount of flavor per piece of wood burned during your grilling session!