Wood talk

suziemc · Oct 1, 2010

I don't understand how to pare the wood with the meat. I picked up some pecan wood today and all I have is a slab of pork ribs. Will this work? I usually use oak or hickory w/ the lump coal, but I'm stepping it up to try something different. Taking all suggestions, thanks!

lilburnjoe · Oct 1, 2010

Pecan is awesome on ribs. I like to mix cherry, peach, or fig wood with pecan wood. Flavor is incredible.

shdybrady · Oct 2, 2010

This is the way i tend to see it. Fruits and nut woods work well with pork and chicken. Mesquite and hickory work best with brisket. Thats my general rule of thumb. What fruit wood goes best with which cvut of pork is all opinion of pallet. So it changes person to person. But you might enjoy some pecan wood with your brisket. Its all trial and error

Harbormaster · Oct 2, 2010

I like hickory and/or pecan on ribs, hickory and apple on butts, oak and cherry for brisket and birch for my chicken.

Ya, I know birch is kind of a "WTF?" choice, but it works, and it works well.

txschutte · Oct 2, 2010

Pecan works very well with beef and fish. I like fruit woods for pork and chicken. I use mesquite very sparingly, oak as a heat wood, and hickory as a general purpose wood.

Opinions on wood are as lengthy as opinions on smokers. Try them all out, see what you like, and continue. That's part of the fun of barbecue.

Have fun!

suziemc · Oct 2, 2010

Thanks everyone for the help. It is a trial & error. I will try and see how it goes. I appreciate the tips

Dave Russell · Oct 2, 2010

My two cents:

For brisket, oak is THE wood, and if you don't have that, hickory needs to be in the mix. I usually mix hickory with apple and maybe some pecan, but I'm gonna get some oak before my next one as I'm convinced it's the best wood for beef. I've used just pecan for brisket before in the uds and didn't think it quite measured up by itself.

For pork shoulder, hickory is THE wood, but it's good mixed with other milder woods like white oak, pecan, and fruitwoods.

Chicken and ribs are fine with any of the above as long as the smoke is particularly clean and light, but the robust flavors of the nutwoods aren't necessary. I often just use just a fruitwood, but pecan should do just fine.

Hope this helps,
Dave

Smiter Q · Oct 2, 2010

Pecan will give you a different flavor, some say "softer and sweeter".
Since all I have presently is pecan, I am partial. :-D

thirdeye · Oct 2, 2010

When used in the correct amounts.... Light woods tend to have light flavor (like alder or apple on cheese and fish) and they go up from there. A heavy wood like oak or mesquite can be used on beef. Pork is a strange duck, heheheee. Folks might favor apple, cherry, maple or hickory on it.

It really all boils down to taste, and what you feel good about using. I use more cherry than anything. I often use a mix of woods too.

caseydog · Oct 2, 2010

Pecan is very versatile. It works with most meats. I use a lot of it. I'm okay with oak and hickory on sturdy beef cuts, like brisket. I like cherry on pork butt and ribs.

But, pecan is the wood I use most. You just have to experiment with different woods to find what you like.

samann · Oct 2, 2010

hard to beat hickory and apple for any pork, hickory and oak for brisket

suziemc · Oct 2, 2010

Well tomorrow I'm going to try the pecan with some pork ribs. I'll give you all an update when they are done. You all have been very helpful. Oh...one more quick question Will the ribs really taste nutty?

baldbill · Oct 3, 2010

If you have pecan you are good to go! Add some apple if you can.... good stuff!

getyourrubonbbq · Oct 3, 2010

Oak and Pecan are my favorite for Brisket, I will use a lil hickory and apple for butts.

suziemc · Oct 3, 2010

Well the ribs are on straight up pecan wood...my neighbors are either going to love me or hate me...my yard smells AMAZING and there's a nice breeze to carry the scent all around.

TheFinn · Oct 3, 2010

When i first started I used THIS PDF a whole lot but at this point i just tend to pair fruit/nut wood with pork and oak/pecan with brisket.

landarc · Oct 3, 2010

I break it up into fruit woods and nut woods. I have found in general that fruit woods have a lighter flavor and are best when used when a lighter flavor of smoke character is desired. Nut woods such as hickory, pecan, almond and oak have stronger flavor and are best when a strong smoke character is desired. Mesquite is a nut wood but, is in a class of it's own due to a very strong distinct flavor and texture it lends to meat.

I tend to like apple and cherry for smoking pastrami for instance, as I want a milder smoke character, but for brisket, I go with oak and pecan. For ribs, if I am doing a KC or Memphis style cook, I go with hickory or pecan mixed with some apple or peach, but when doing Asian style ribs, strictly apple or peach.

caseydog · Oct 3, 2010

suziemc said:
Well tomorrow I'm going to try the pecan with some pork ribs. I'll give you all an update when they are done. You all have been very helpful. Oh...one more quick question Will the ribs really taste nutty?

No, it won't taste nutty. The best analogy I can give for different woods is that they are like different cheeses. Some will give a mild smoky taste, while others will give you a "sharper" smoky taste.

One of the milder woods I've used was peach. On the other end, I like to grill on mesquite, but not smoke with it.

IMO, pecan is just a good all-purpose wood.

CD

caseydog · Oct 3, 2010

TheFinn said:
When i first started I used THIS PDF a whole lot but at this point i just tend to pair fruit/nut wood with pork and oak/pecan with brisket.

Nice PDF. I need to try smoking some fish or chicken with Italian herbs from my garden.

CD

boogiesnap · Oct 3, 2010

pecan is excellent.
i use that or cherry as a base for all Q.
then "flavor" the smoke as i feel that day.
sometimes hickory, sometimes apple, sometimes jack daniels barrell pellets, mesquite, etc.

i do need to give some oak a go on brisket though. haven't yet.

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