Wood choice and flavor on poulty

J

john ley

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I have been smoking on a charcoal smoker for years and this year finally did a whole turkey for Thanksgiving. It turned out great but I was surprised that despite using just apple wood (3 baseball sized chunks) it didn't have a distinctive apple smoke flavor. It just tasted smoky like when I do a pork butt or ribs using hickory. I thought with turkey being a meat that soaks up the smoke I would definitely taste the apple flavoring.

Do you guys taste the difference with your wood choices, especially apple and cherry?

Does the charcoal impart more flavor than those running electric and propane smokers?

I am using Kingsford Hardwood charcoal since Stubbs went away.
 
This is my opinion only, and I'm sure many here will disagree, but smoke is smoke, it takes a very experienced super taster, and they are rare, to tell the differences in different wood smoke, there is just too many variables, species, and regional differences, that make this possible with accuracy.
I've used many different woods, some are stronger then others, and may be better suited to different meats, but they all make a good finished product if the smoker does their part.

Thats me, YMMV, let the bashing begin!, :-D
 
I have always used apple or hickory on poultry. I can not "taste" the apple smoke, it is just the level of the smokiness and strength of the smoke that I taste. Since poultry is a "lighter" tasting meat, apple is not a strong smoke like mesquite is.
 
I have some apple from tree's my brother cut down. I've seasoned it and burn it in my stick burner and I can't tell any flavor from it. And it has a weak aroma that is not distinct while its burning.


As opposed to cherry , which has the nicest aroma while burning. Same as the hardwoods of oak, hickory, pecan , et al .
 
I am 100% onboard with cherry for poultry. Myself and the family could tell the difference when I use cherry with it. As for apple when I use it I can tell a difference in the smoke smell as opposed to oak or hickory, it has a sweet smell.
 
Pecan or cherry if I had the choice. I normally have oak and hickory on hand and I use oak most of the time. Cherry is awesome on poultry though


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I use pecan or cherry for poultry, mesquite or hickory for beef, hickory for pork for the most part. Never got much out of apple smoke the few times I have used it.
 
My vote is for cherry with poultry. I feel it gives a mild smoke flavor to poultry and also helps with color during cooking. JM2CW.
 
I use pecan for poultry. Smells almost as heavenly as cherry and adds a nice subtle flavor to birds.
 
Thank you everyone. That is helpful to know I am not alone or missing something. Sounds like I need to give cherry a go next time and try pecan again. I tried it once and was underwhelmed. Maybe I got a bad batch. Appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.
 
Last edited:
Pecan to me. Along with mesquite, oak or hickory. The Pecan is very light, more of a smell when cooking but in my mind really says great chicken is in the air! also this is one of the few times I use mesquite as it burns hot and is (to me) for short cooks as it's strong.
 
You won’t taste the flavor of the fruit, woods are more mild/sweet smoke to strong/spicy. With a big bird, and apple which I would say is a mild/sweet smoke you need to lay it on more. Cherry I feel is in the middle of the range, and is a great smoke and gives a deep color to the meat. I used Hickory/mesquite on my turkey this year for a nice spiciness. When cooking delicate foods or cut up chicken, well seasoned apple beaches set close to the fire produce a sweet mild smoke without igniting. Alder/mesquite is a fun blend for cut up chicken or salmon fillets as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've never been able to tell much flavor difference between species of wood, except maybe for hickory and walnut, which seem to have a distinctive twang to them. Everything else tastes like smoke to me (although I have to qualify that by saying I've never used mesquite).

Personally I don't care for smoke on poultry, so my favorite wood for poultry is fully lit charcoal. Unless I'm doing chicken for chicken salad, which for some reason tastes better to me with a little smoke flavor. In that case I'll use whatever I have on hand, which is usually some type of oak.
 
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