Smoke Wood? What kind is Best? Well it depends...

The art and science of smoking meat on a grill centers around the smoke. In particular what to use to produce the smoke that imparts that wonderful flavor to meats, fish, and cheese. Not all wood is suitable for smoking and not all types of wood are suitable for all types of meat. There are even ways to produce flavorful smoke without using wood at all. More on that below.

There are many types of wood that can be used to smoke meat. Everything from Alder to Walnut. Cherry to Mulberry. Lilac to Lemon. But which is the best wood? Different regions swear by different woods. Some say mesquite is the only way to go. Some say hickory. Some say that fruit woods should never be used. The Grillin Fools actually prefer the fruit woods. My cousin Tom and I prefer apple wood. My Dad prefers cherry. Cherry is my second fave while Tom claims he doesn’t like it all. Although he did strike out on knowing which ribs were done with apple and which with Cherry at the poker party at the end of Feb.

The point is there are a million different opinions on the subject. You need to find out which is yours. The good news is the only way to find out is to spend a lot of time grillin, chillin and thrillin while trying different types of wood.

Click here to see a synopses of just some of the different woods available and what they pair well with…

First a little about smoke woods. The Grillin Fools recommend wood chunks over wood chips for a couple of reasons.

• Wood chunks will last much longer than wood chips no matter how long the chips have been soaked ahead of time.
  
• Chunks do not need to be soaked. In fact we don't recommending soaking chunks at all. Soaking chunks will delay the wood from producing any smoke at all as can be seen here at our rib cook off in Michigan last summer. Dad used soaked chunks in his grill. Tom and I used non soaked chunks in ours and the two community grills. Guess which one had the soaked chunks:

• Chips require soaking. As soaked wood chips get hot the water that they soaked up is released in the form of steam. That steam condenses at the top of the grill. There is a chance when enough water has accumulated under the top of the grill that it could drip down onto your meat. Take a look at the underside of the top of your grill and ask yourself if you want to risk some of that dripping down on your meat? One tip. If you are going to soak the chips, use hot water. Opens the pores/fibers of the wood more and allows more water to be absorbed thus making the chops last longer once exposed to heat.
• Wood chips generally need to be added to the fire many more times than chunks and with each time the grill is opened it releases all its heat which will extend grilling times.
  

We understand that chips are much easier to find with many grocery stores even carrying apple and cherry chips but if you can find chunks of your favorite wood we recommend going with them over chips.

For those with gas grills we recommend placing a handful of dry chips on a sheet of tin foil, form it into a ball and then poke holes in the foil with a thin knife. The tin foil will act as a heat sink as it dissipates heat rather well thus negating the need for soaking the chips. Place the ball right into the flames from the element. The holes in the foil will allow the smoke to escape and fill the cooking chamber. In the very near future I hope to borrow a friends gas grill and show how to use it as a smoker by using this method.

Bark or no bark. Another great debate. Some swear that bark puts off a different smoke than the wood and does not give the meat a good flavor. I have smoked with bark and without. I have never noticed any difference.


Now on to the typed of smoke woods and other smoke producers:

Acacia
These trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. Acacia burns very hot and should be used sparingly.
Good with most meats, especially beef and most vegetables.

Alder
A sweet, musky smoke that is the traditional wood of the Northwest and pairs particularly well with salmon
Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

Almond
A nutty and sweet smoke flavor. Very similar to pecan
Good with all meats.

Apple
The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory. It will discolor chicken skin turning it dark brown and the favorite of myself and my fellow Grillin Fool, my cousin Tom. Dad’s second fave.
Good with all meats.

Apple on the left, cherry on the right:

Apricot
Great substitute for apple as it is also milder and sweeter than hickory

Ash
Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor.
Good with fish and red meats.

Bay
Medium floral smoke with hints of spice & cinnamon
Good with most meats and veggies.

Beech
A mild much used wood like oak.
Good with meat and seafood.

Birch
Medium hard wood with a flavor similar to maple.
Good with pork and poultry.

Blackberry
Much like the woods provided from fruit trees, the small diameter trunks of the Blackberry bush provides a slightly sweet and delicate flavor.
Good for grilling poultry and other meats, such as small game birds like grouse, pheasant, partridge, and quail.

Butternut
Strong smoke, like walnut, bitter when used alone
Good on red meats like Beef, Pork, Venison and other game meats. Can easily overpower poultry.

Cherry
Slightly sweet fruity smoke that's great with just about everything. Along with apple probably the most popular fruit wood to smoke with. Dad’s favorite and my second fave.
Good with all meats.

Smoking ribs in my Weber Kettle with cherry:

Chestnut
Slightly sweet nutty smoke flavor
Good with most meats.

Corncob
Although not considered to be a true wood, the heart of the cob that holds the kernels is the fuel section of this alternative for wood. It is ground into small granular bits that can be added to a smoking box or it can be combined with other woods such as woods from fruit trees, to impart several flavors. The Corncob provides a sweet flavor that may overpower the food if too much is used to season the food as it cooks. Begin by trying small amounts until the desired flavor is achieved.
It is often used as a smoking chip when grilling foods such as poultry, fish and small game birds.

Cottonwood
It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor as it is extremely mild. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.
Good for all smoking, especially pork and ribs.

Crabapple
Is essentially interchangeable with apple
Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

Fig
Mild & fruity like mulberry
Good with all meats.

Grapefruit
Produces a nice mild smoky flavor.
Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

Grapevines
Tart. Aromatic, but can be a heavy flavor so don’t overdo it.
Use sparingly on poultry or lamb but otherwise if used in moderation is good with red meats, pork and game.

Guava
Flowery fruity taste
Good for all meats,

Hickory
The most common wood used. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. This great flavor works well with pork, ribs, hams, poultry, and beef.
Good for all smoking, especially pork and ribs.

Kiawe
Kiawe (pronounced key-ah-vey) is a wood that can is only found in one state in the U.S. Hawaii. Very hard to come by. The wood is dense with a dark thin bark. It is similar to mesquite with a sweet strong flavor
Good for beef, fish and pountry

Lemon
Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness.
Excellent with beef, pork and poultry.

Lilac
Very subtle with a hint of floral.
Excellent for smoking cheese. Good with, pork and poultry.

Maple
Mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor. Maple adds a sweet, subtle flavor that enhances the flavor of poultry and game birds. Smoke a pork roast with them for a sensational taste experience.
Mates well with poultry, ham, cheese, small game birds, and vegetables. Wonderful for smoked turkey!

Mesquite
Strong earthy flavor. One of the most popular woods in the country, mesquite is a scrubby tree that grows wild in the Southwest. Sweeter and more delicate than hickory, it's a perfect complement to richly flavored meats such as steak, duck or lamb. Burns hot and fast and it probably the strongest flavored wood.
Good with most meats, especially beef and most vegetables.

Mulberry
A mild smoke with a sweet, tangy, blackberry-like flavor. Similar to apple
Good with Beef, poultry, game birds, pork (particularly ham).

Nectarine
The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.

Oak
Most versatile of the hardwoods blending well with most meats. A mild smoke with no aftertaste. Oak gives food a beautiful smoked color. Red oak is believed to the best of the oak varieties.
Good with red meat, pork, fish and big game.

Olive
The smoke favor is similar to mesquite, but distinctly lighter.
Delicious with poultry.

Orange
A tangy, citrus smoke. Medium smoke flavor with a hint of fruitiness. Orange gives food a golden color. Produces a nice mild smoky flavor.
Excellent with beef, pork and poultry.

Peach
Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor, milder and sweeter than hickory.
Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.

Pear
A nice subtle smoke flavor much like apple. Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor.
Good on Poultry, game birds and pork.

Pecan
Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory but not as strong. Tasty with a subtle character. An all-around superior smoking wood. Try smoking with the shells as well.
Good for most things including poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is the best for that beautiful golden-brown turkey.

Persimmon
A strong, sweet, and dry smoke that is popular in restaurants as it is said the dryness of the smoke increases drink orders of patrons.
Excellent with beef and pork.

Pimento
Also referred to as Allspice, Jamaican Pepper, Myrtle Pepper, or Newspice. This wood adds a natural and somewhat peppery flavor that may also include flavors of several spices combined, such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, similar to the flavors provided when allspice is used as a seasoning to enhance the flavor of various foods.
It is a common wood used in grilling Jamaican foods such as jerk chicken. Often used for grilling poultry and fish.

Plum
The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
Good with most meats, great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.

Sassafras
A mild, musky, sweet smoke with a root beer aftertaste. Some say this is not a good candidate for smoking. Others love it.
Especially good on beef, pork and poultry.

Seaweed
The seaweed is washed to remove the salt and air or sun dried before use. It provides a somewhat spicy and natural flavor to the foods being smoked or grilled.
Commonly used for smoking shellfish such as clams, crab, lobster, mussels, and shrimp.

Walnut
While pecan is hickory's milder cousin, walnut is the strong one. Often mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Intense and can become bitter if overused.
Good on red meats like Beef, Pork, Venison and other game meats. Can easily overpower poultry.

Italian Herbs
A strong smoke flavor that is completely unique! You can use fresh oregano, rosemary, thyme or any combination of them with oak wood to give zesty and robust flavors.
Especially good for lamb, pork and poultry. Good for pizza too, when you cook it on the grill.

Oriental Herbs
A strong smoke flavor with oak that's truly amazing! A blend of Sesame seeds and Ginger Root with oak wood or Mesquite gives a nice oriental BBQ flavor.
Especially good for beef, pork and poultry.

Onion and Garlic
Soak garlic chunks and/or garlic cloves in water for 60 minutes. Plop the onion and/or garlic right over the coals. Add more when smoke stops. Does not need produce a lot of smoke like typical woods but it doesn’t need to in order to add an incredible flavor to any meat.
Great with all meats, seafood and game.


Other Woods
Avocado, Carrotwood, Madrone, Manzanita, Hackberry, and willow. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i.e. pear, cherry, apple, etc.) are also suitable for smoking.

Wood that should not be used for smoking
DO NOT USE any wood from conifer trees, such as pine, fir, spruce, redwood, cedar, elm, eucalyptus, sycamore, liquid amber, cypress, or sweet gum trees. Cooking salmon on a cedar plank is not the same as using chunks of cedar to smoke meat.

Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used.

Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated.

Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison.

Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat.


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How NOT to Smoke Ribs

While I tout my grilling prowess on this site quite a bit I am also human and I do screw up from time to time. This is one such case back in November of 2008...


As the weather got colder the local grocery store was blowing out their ribs. I bought a couple packs of spares and threw them in the freezer. A few weeks later it was to be a warm Saturday so I thawed the ribs out on Friday, pulled the membrane from the back and marinaded them in Apple Cider, garlic, black pepper and some Worcestershire Sauce in a ziplock. Here they are going into the fridge for the evening:
And the next day we have the ribs laid out and ready for a rub:

You can see some rib tips that will be what I call chef's prerogative during the smoking process.

Here are the rub ingredients:

Normally I do a paprika/garlic/brown sugar (or turbinado sugar) rub. I decided to change it up a bit here and experiment with Cumin, Curry, Chili Powder, Turbinado Sugar (or Sugar in the Raw), Ground Cinnamon, Granulated Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. As usual I never add salt to my rubs. I add a pinch of coarse salt to each side of the ribs independent of the rub and then apply the rub as you see here:

I made enough rub to slather the meat and more for later when I cover them with syrup and more rub before putting them in foil to create a nice bark.

While I prepared the rub I had my charcoal in a chimney getting hot. No need to haul out the big horizontal smoker for two slabs so I just used my Weber with Charcoal Bins on each side to keep the temp down and cook/smoke the meat indirectly:


Then I put my grill grate on that has flip up ends which makes it MUCH easier to add fuel and smoke wood throughout the grilling process which for this session was planned to be a 6 hour process - 3 hours smoking, 2 hours foiled with syrup or honey and more rub, and 1 more hour with no smoke just to harden that amazing bark:

I shut the lid and let the temp come down as displayed on my remote thermometer:

I was looking for anywhere between 200 and 225 on this so 217 will work just fine.

For this session I used a rib rack that holds 5 slabs. One note about rib racks, a quick spritz with some Pam prior to putting the ribs on will make clean up a lot easier. Here are the ribs nestled in the rack with a couple of apple chunks in each charcoal bin:

I placed the lid on the grill and opened the vents to allow the smoke to escape. This raised the temp to 223 with more oxygen hitting the fire:

And here we have an absolutely beautiful sight with the smoke billowing out of the grill:

So far so good. I came back about an hour later and the temp had dropped below 200. I added some more coals and another couple blocks of wood and opened the vents to get the temp back up. And this is where it went south for this smoking session. While waiting for the temp to come up I went inside to get a refill of my beer and then got distracted by something. About an hour later I went back out to check the grill. To my horror here's what I saw:


I had no idea how long it had been at 288 or if it had been hotter for a while. I opened the lid and the wood was on fire rather than smoking. I had a bark already, but not one I wanted. I decided to forgo the last hour of smoking to try to salvage the ribs and foiled them after only 2 hours. Despite over cooking them right away I went through the process I had planned on originally just a little earlier and the rest of the steps got shorter. So I took one slab and put it bone side down on some foil:

Then I slathered the meat with syrup:

Then I applied more rub. In this case I was hoping the rub would mask the rub the was burnt:

Then put the other slab on top of the first slab, again, boneside down and repeated the process:

Meat pulling away from the bones is normally a good thing. After 5 hours. Not 2 hours. Here we have the second slab slathered in syrup and more rub:

After about an hour in the foil I pulled them and put them back in the rib rack to firm up the bark. If I were just to serve them at this point the rub would be a gritty, greasy mess. So back on the heat for a little while to firm up the bark.

In the end the ribs were ruined. This is not how the ribs should look:

And here they are sliced:


The ribs were fall off the bone and the ribs in the middle of the slabs weren't bad. The ones on each end of the slabs were inedible.



What I would do differently:

1. I don't own a green egg. I can't walk away from the grill for that long. If the temp had dropped I could've easily recovered from that by just increasing the cook time but the temp spiking is a fatal error that is pretty tough to recover from.
2. I probably should've just slathered them with syup and skipped the extra rub. That way I wouldn't have had to put the ribs back on the heat at the end to firm up the bark. The last thing those ribs needed was more heat.

Nobody is perfect. Especially the GrillinFool. I'm just glad I got those ribs on sale. Paying full price would've really pissed me off for neglecting them while on the grill.

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Essentials for Grillin and Chillin

I have talked about a number of things that I have grilled/smoked/BBQ’d in the past. But I want to address some of the necessities around the grill. Can someone produce fantastic Q without these things? Absolutely. Does Tiger Woods need custom fit, ridiculously expensive, golf clubs to be a great golfer? Could he grab a set of clubs off the shelf at Wal Mart and shoot under par? Probably. I am not saying I am the Tiger Woods of the grill, because I’m still the equivalent of a guy shooting 100 on 18 holes!?!? These are the tools that I use to make my Grillin and Chillin experience a better experience.


First off you need a grill. That is an entirely other discussion. Charcoal vs. Gas. Smoker vs. Non Smoker. If a Smoker, Vertical vs. Horizontal vs. Closet Smoker. Porcelain vs. Metal. I will go into this with another post. And I would guess that the vast majority of people that are coming to this site already have a grill.

Let’s start from the beginning. In order to Grill/Smoke/BBQ, one needs a heat source. Each of these methods will require a different amount and intensity of heat but they all need heat. If you have a gas grill this is provided with the flip of a switch. For most of the rest some sort of charcoal is used. This can be in the form of standard fluid lit charcoal, match light charcoal, premium briquettes, cheap briquettes and lump charcoal. One could also simply use chunks of hard wood to grill but that gets expensive fast. What do I use? Cheapest Briquette I can find and a Chimney Starter:


With a Chimney Starter I dump in charcoal, put some newspaper in the bottom and light. 20 minutes later I have red hot coals. Considering it is December and here in St. Louis it has been really windy getting that paper lit can be a PITA for many people. Not for me. I bought one of these to light the paper:

This thing does a couple of things that are very helpful. First, it is not affected by the wind. I can get that torch going in a Hurricane. Second, it really makes my inner pyro happy!?!? I bought this thing at Home Depot for $12 with the can of fuel. New fuel cans are about $3 and last almost a year. It’s also great for lighting the outdoor fire pit. And yes I realize that is overkill, but that’s not the first time I’ve been accused of that!?!

Now that the paper is lit we have 20 minutes to prep the grill and the food. If the plan is to smoke some meat then some smoke wood is required. I am fond of the fruit woods – Apple and Cherry – but I have been known to use all kinds of smoke wood from Hickory, to Apricot, to Mesquite, to Oak. Right now I have Apple, Apricot and Cherry chunks:
When smoking small batches like a couple of slabs, a whole chicken or a turkey breast I use my Weber One Touch Gold. I have already discussed how I turned that grill into a smoker in another post. The gist is that one needs charcoal baskets to keep the heat away from the meat:
And a grill grate that folds up on each side helps a great deal in adding charcoal and smoke wood:Without the flaps you will need to lift up a very hot piece of metal that has meat on top of it. Talk about a recipe for disaster.

While the charcoal is lighting let’s prep the food. I use a lot of spices in my grilling and do a variety of rubs which is a whole other thread in itself. But no matter what spices you use, Penzey’s is the way to go:

Speaking of necessities for rubs. Have you ever made a sweet rub or BBQ sauce with brown sugar only to have the sugar burn and blacken well before the meat is done leaving you with a burnt outside and an underdone inside? There is a solution. Turbinado Sugar or Sugar in the Raw. This stuff has a much higher smoke point and will not burn nearly as brown sugar. This is a must have for any Pit Master:


Another necessity would be a really good knife or two. I am partial to the Kershaw Shun Classic Series. The knives are ridiculously expensive but are well worth it. The two I use the most are the 10 inch Chef:

And the 6.5 inch Santoku:

The Chef is great for slicing, particularly large cuts of meat such as the Spiral Cut Pork Loin I showed in another thread while the Santoku is great for dicing, mincing, chiffinading, and juilianning.

Now that the food is ready to go on the grill, one needs an implement to get it to the grill and manipulate it once on the grill. I highly recommend tongs. A grill fork is a bad idea for just about any meat. There are all manner of tongs out there. My favorites are the Good Grips Tongs seen here:

I’ve tried many types and these to me are the very best. If anyone knows of any better, please let me know. I want to try them.

Now that the meat is on the grill, we need to make sure the temperature is what we need it to be. If we are just grilling steaks that temp is as hot as you can get it. But for smoking and BBQing that temp needs to be within a specific range. For smoking I like to keep the temp between 200 and 250 with 225 being pretty ideal. For BBQing I want to keep the temp around 275-300. My smoker has a built in thermometer but the temps in the cooking chamber can very greatly in a horizontal smoker. I like to put an extra thermometer near the heat source to know what the temp is for the meat closest to the heat. That way I can make sure that the meat in that area doesn’t get burned or overcooked. While my thermometer is not wireless like this one, I plan on getting this one after the Holidays:
The one above is wireless and would allow me to leave the grill for extended periods of time. An alarm will tell me if it is too hot or too cold. Some ribs I did recently were overcooked because a temperature spike to something like 280 overcooked them because I was inside. If I had this wireless thermometer that wouldn’t have happened.

Now that we have addressed some key items for the Grillin part of Grillin and Chillin, let’s discuss the later. Here are two things I need to satisfy the latter:





You may want to check back to this post periodically. As I find more grilling essentials I will add them here.


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A Legit Smoked Turkey Recipe

My last Turkey Recipe was more of a joke than anything. Although it might not be all that bad and sure would get a lot of laughs if you pulled that bird out on Thanksgiving...

This one is a legit recipe although it is only the breast. I make this all year round when I'm tired of pork and beef. I start off with a basic brine of whatever I have on hand - 12 quart pot, cup of salt per gallon, can of soda, garlic, some chunked up fruit, maybe an onion, black pepper, brown sugar, in the fridge for 12-15 hours.

The next day I pull it out of the brine and rinse it off. Sometimes I inject the brine into the breast for a little more flavor and moisture. I don't always and is not necessary. You would get more of a flavor infusion using a store bought injection mixture.

For this one I decided to coat the breast in Penzey's BBQ 3000 rub. So I pealed skin back that covers the breast like so:


At this point you can do all kinds of things to kick a turkey up to the next level. Butter and herbs. A layer of sausage. Even slices of bacon or pepperoni. I just coated it with BBQ 3000:


Once the breast is coated I pulled the skin back up and strategically placed some toothpicks through the skin and the breast to keep the skin from pealing back during the cooking process:


Then I slathered the bird with veggie oil and gave it a dusting of an Italian herb mixture and on the grill with a couple chunks of apple:


Now inside for the sides. Nothing difficult here at all, and besides, with a healthy meal like smoked turkey breast a nice veggie will round out this well balanced meal. Side #1 was fresh green beans taken to the next level. I took a sheet of tin foil, laid down some strips of bacon, tossed some minced garlic and black pepper, put the beans on top of that, added some more minced garlic, black pepper and some more layers of bacon for a nice healthy side dish cooked in bacon grease!?!?!


Green Beans in foil take quite a while to cook on the grill in a foil pouch when smoking so get these on early unless you like reeeeaaaaallllyyyy crunchy green beans.

Side #2, grilled portabella mushroom caps. Pull off the stems, wipe clean with a paper towel. Never rinse mushrooms in water. They are sponges and will absorb too much water. I took the mushroom caps, threw them into a zip lock and added some Italian Dressing for about 20 minutes. Doesn't take long at all to marinade mushrooms since they absorb liquids so readily:


Speaking of Italian dressing, this stuff makes a phenomenal marinade for just about anything from steak, to ribs, to chicken or fish. I don't buy a particular kind of Italian dressing. Whenever I find myself in the dressing aisle I look for whatever they are blowing out for a buck and buy a few bottles. I rarely do salads so I'm not using it for that so I have no preference for brand. I do have a preference for bottles of the stuff for a buck.

Here's the Turkey a couple of hours in, and as you can see here, the beans are not on. Yeah, forgot about the beans inside so we had some crunchy beans!?!?


Here we have the beans on and the ports grilling right over the heat. Nothing to cooking ports. Just grill them like a burger:


Here we have the turkey sliced and the a very good Pinot to go with it being a Cima Calina provided by Fool's Pappy:


The turkey was very moist and delicious. The BBQ 3000 added a good deal of the flavor to the turkey along the outside edges but would've probably been better served had I mixed the BBQ 3000 with some butter and made a compound butter to put in there to baste as it cooked. I just think the butter flavor would've helped as well. All in all, it was a very enjoyable night, for among other reasons, the process, the result and spending time with my dad....
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