BBQ - Smoking Woods
Most Versatile Wood: Almond
A nutty, sweet smoke flavor. Light ash. Great all around wood. Good with all meats.
Best for Pizza Ovens, Beef, Cheese & Vegetables
Acacia
Same family as mesquite, but more mild. Similar to Kiawe from Hawaii. Very hot burning wood.
Best for Pork
Cherry
Rich flavor, but not as sweet as apple. Can be used with all meats, pork, and poultry.
Mesquite
One of the hottest burning woods. It is slightly sweeter than hickory with an earthy, honey flavor. Compliments beef, pork, lamb, and duck. Remove bark.
Orange
Citrus, medium smoke flavor. Contains a hint of fruit flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, poultry, and other mild meats.
Alder
Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Great for smoking salmon, fish, poultry, and light game meat.
Best for Poultry & Fish
Grape
Aromatic, rich and fruity. Provides a lot of smoke. Use with all meats.
Nectarine
Slightly fruity, somewhat rich flavor. Very good with poultry, games birds, and pork.
Peach
Slightly fruity, woodsy flavor. Very good with poultry, game birds, and pork.
Apple
Slightly sweet, with a dense, fruity smoke flavor. Good with all meat and poultry, especially ham. May darken poultry skin.
Hickory
Pungent and smokey, with a hint of bacon flavor. Best with beef, pork, ribs, and ham. Hot, clean burning wood. “King of the smoking woods.”
Oak
Red oak is similar to mesquite, but with less flavoring. White oak is the most mild, mainly used for heat as it contains no flavor. Both burn very hot, “Queen of the smoking woods.”
Pecan
Delicate pecan flavor. Similar to hickory, but not as strong. Pecan is an all around superior wood. Use with all meats, turkey, and cheese.
Apricot
Mild with a subtle sweet flavor. Smells like apricots when cooking. Good with all meats, poultry, and seafood.
Maple
Smokey, mellow, and lighty sweet. Maple is great to use with beef, pork, game birds, poultry, cheese, and vegetables. Especially sensational with pork roasts.
Olive
Smoke flavor is similar to mesquite, but distinctly lighter. Delicious with poultry and pork.
Plum
A medium-hard burning wood which will provide more heat than many other fruit woods. Has a rich, fruity flavor. Can be used with all meats and poultry.