When I first got into smoking barbecue at home, I had a lot to learn. There’s fire management, temperatures, dry rubs, and sauces. However, one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle was all the different types of smoking wood.
Thankfully, neither you nor I need to be an arborist to understand the basics of what wood is good for smoking and what isn’t. Hardwoods like oak and fruitwoods like apple are perfect for smoking. Do not use softwoods like pine because the resins burning off can at minimum make your food taste terrible.
But that’s about all the science there is to the different types of smoking woods. Hardwoods and fruitwoods are good, softwoods are bad. You also want to make sure your wood is nice and dried. Green wood isn’t going to burn well at all.
But from there, we can dive into the art of smoking woods. Just like barbecue in general, it comes down to preferences. But here is how I break them down.
Why Is Picking The Right Kind Of Smoking Wood Important?
Wood is an integral part of barbecue as much as the smoker and the meat. The wood gives us both heat and flavor. So when I select wood for smoking, I want to make sure I’m using both the right flavor of wood and the right form of smoking wood.
What Are The Different Forms Of Smoking Wood?
There are four main ways you’ll find smoking wood. And the right one for you depends on what type of smoker or grill you’re using. If you’re using an offset smoker, you’ll be using wood logs or splits. If you’re smoking on a charcoal grill, you’ll be using wood chunks (or potentially wood chips). Wood chips are also used in electric and propane smokers as well as gas grills (yes, you can smoke on a gas grill). And, of course, wood pellets (food-grade!) are the fuel source for pellet grills (or for filling up smoking tubes on those gas or charcoal grills).
If you’re not sure what the differences between wood chips and wood chunks are, check out our deep dive into the subject.
What Are The Different Flavors Of Smoking Wood?
The best woods for smoking are broken down into two groups: Hardwoods and fruitwoods. Hardwoods tend to pack more smoky flavor, and the most commonly used ones are oak, hickory, and mesquite. Some people even use alder. But if you’re looking for a traditional smoky flavor, you’ll want to start with these hardwoods.
Fruitwoods tend to have a milder flavor and a bit more sweetness. The most common types are apple, pecan, cherry, maple, and even peach. This is great if you’re pursuing a sweeter flavor profile or smoking something that has a more delicate flavor.
Oak Wood
To me, oak is the single most iconic flavor of smoking wood. It’s the smell I associate most strongly with barbecue. It isn’t overpowering but it smells like good, clean wood smoke. That’s why it’s arguably my most-used wood for smoking. It’s also the main wood used in Central Texas-style barbecue. It’s not confined to Texas, but when I think of smoking beef, oak is my go-to.
Mesquite Wood
If you’re looking for the strongest wood flavor, it’s mesquite. It does offer a nuttiness, but this is the strongest wood smoke flavor you’ll find. It’s most commonly used in West Texas-style barbecue.
Mesquite can overpower milder-flavored meat, so I wouldn’t recommend using it on poultry, fish, or even when cold-smoking cheese. But it can deliver quite the punch when smoking beef.
Hickory Wood
If I’m smoking pork, this is my first choice. And I’m not alone, either. In pork-centric barbecue circles (like Eastern North Carolina, Lexington-style North Carolina, South Carolina, and even Kansas City), hickory is the main choice.
It delivers a lot of smoke flavor but it has an underlying sweetness to it. That makes it pair well with pork. It’s also common to find bacon that’s been hickory-smoked, so it’s become almost synonymous with pork.
Alder Wood
While the three hardwoods above are quite common, alder wood isn’t as widespread in usage in my experience. But of all the hardwoods on the above chart, it’s the most versatile. It’s the mildest of the bunch which lends itself well to smoking fish, poultry, and even veggies.
Apple Wood
Apple is the second-most common wood used to smoke pork behind hickory. When I go into a grocery store to look for bacon, it’s quite common to find applewood-smoked bacon. It’s sweet and gives enough smoke to make a difference, but it still allows the flavor of your food to come through. It works quite well when paired with hickory to smoke pork.
Cherry Wood
Cherry is more mild than apple, but it still offers a sweet smoke which works well for both poultry and pork. What makes cherry stand out is that the smoke actually helps develop a red hue. So if you’re looking to get a pretty red pork rib, try adding cherry to your smoker. It’ll add a sweet flavor while also helping make your ribs Instagram-worthy.
Pecan Wood
Pecan offers a nice combination of sweetness and nuttiness with enough smoke flavor to work on beef as well as poultry. If you want to try adding some new flavors to your brisket or want to smoke hamburgers, pecan is a great way to go.
Maple Wood
Unsurprisingly, maple wood adds a sweet smoke flavor to whatever you’re smoking. It’s not going to be as sweet as making a sauce or glaze using actual maple syrup, but it makes a difference. It has a quite mild flavor which makes it perfect for delicate foods and poultry.
So How Do You Choose The Best Wood For Smoking?
The beauty of smoking meat at home is that you can experiment to find the best flavors for each type of meat. But here at Angry BBQ, we’ve got our personal picks for flavors when it comes to the iconic cuts of meat.
Best Wood For Smoking Brisket
I personally am a traditionalist when it comes to smoking brisket. And by traditional, I mean central Texas-style brisket. And that’s the style of brisket we prefer here at Angry BBQ, too.
So that means that the best wood for smoking brisket is oak. It’s the traditional choice for what most people associate with Texas brisket. And who am I to argue with Texas when it comes to brisket?
For me, this is what I think of when I think of wood smoke. It genuinely just smells like good wood smoke. It’s not as heavy as mesquite which can overpower the food and leave it tasting bitter if you aren’t careful. It’s perfect for brisket (and the best substitutes for brisket like chuck roast).
Best Wood For Smoking Ribs
I love to smoke pork ribs at home. I’m personally a big fan of St Louis-cut spare ribs, but I know there are plenty of people out there who prefer baby back ribs. Regardless of which you prefer, I think the best wood for smoking ribs is hickory.
It’s a strong hardwood, and most people consider it to be more intense than oak. But when I smoke ribs, I’m not running my smoker anywhere near as long as I would for brisket. So I feel like ribs can handle a stronger wood due to less time in the smoker. Even if I’m smoking my ribs 3-2-1 style, the ribs just aren’t going to get oversmoked. Plus, hickory is a common wood used for smoking bacon. So that association makes me think of pork, so it all comes together.
You can add a fruitwood to the mix like apple or cherry as well. Cherry will add an even deeper red color to your ribs which is nice. But I typically just stick with hickory.
Best Wood For Smoking Turkey
I love to smoke turkey. It helps ensure that I don’t dry out the turkey breast which is always the biggest concern with cooking turkeys. Pair that with brining your turkey, and you’ll have the best-tasting juicy turkey.
But the wood you choose for the smoking process plays a big role in the cooking process, too. And turkey doesn’t have a strong flavor so you can absolutely overpower the meat with a heavier wood.
So I think the best wood for smoking turkey is maple wood. It’s a mild flavor with some sweetness, but it won’t make your turkey taste like it’s been overly sugared. It won’t overpower your brine or seasonings but just add enough sweetness and smoke to enhance the experience.
Best Wood For Smoking Chicken
Now choosing the best wood for smoking chicken can be a bit more difficult. That’s because chicken is so versatile, you can take it in any direction you want. For instance, I love smoking whole chickens with a traditional barbecue flavor.
That’s why I think oak is the best wood for smoking chicken. Now oak has a strong flavor so you can be concerned about overwhelming the chicken. But because the target temperature is 165°F internal temperature in the breast, it’s not a long smoking session. I haven’t had issues with having my chicken too smoky when using oak.
Best Wood For Smoking Pork Butts
Just like smoking ribs, I think the best wood for smoking pork butts (or any type of pork) is hickory. It just screams pork to me. It’s smoky and has a sweet undertone that makes me think of bacon. So it suits pork butts perfectly.
I have used oak as well which suits our recipe for Aaron Franklin-inspired pork butts. But at the end of the day, I think hickory is the best.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the wood we use for smoking meat is a personal choice. So the best wood for smoking becomes a very subjective experience. But for my money, the best wood for smoking brisket is oak, the best wood for smoking turkey is maple, and the best wood for smoking ribs (or really any pork product) is hickory.
But the beauty is that you can experiment to your heart’s content. And you don’t have to confine yourself to just one flavor of wood. I know plenty of people who will use oak or hickory and fruitwood when smoking ribs or other types of pork. So use the chart above and these recommendations to find what suits you best!
What are your favorite wood flavors? Do you enjoy mixing different types to get a specific flavor profile? Let us know in the comments!