matching wood to meat........

code3rrt

code3rrt

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What is your favorite combinations? I'm sure this has to be in the archives, to lazy to look right now. I realize you seasoned folks use lots of different combos.......but which combinations are your very favorites, your really "go to" combinations?
 
Post oak for heat and season with a little mesquite on beef, Pecan with poultry, Hickory on pork.
 
I'm not an old timer, but I've found a really nice pairing between brisket and cherry. Of course I run Oak or Hickory to get that traditional smokey flavor, but the cherry brings out a whole new dimension of flavors and colors in a brisket I can't even begin to describe.
 
Hickory......................................ON EVERYTHING!!! Hahahaha!

Though I really do like mesquite or oak for chicken. I'm not a big fruit wood guy for whatever reason.


Edit: Post oak is just a different species of oak. There are lots of oak species(i.e. Blackjack, Red, White, Pin, etc).
 
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Oak & pecan are my go to woods I like them on anything, I use oak lump as my source and chunk in fist size pecan chunks. Bludawg stop using such big words:heh:
 
Cherry for salmonand other fish, hands down.

Apple and cherry for fowl with perhaps a little oak, mesquite or hickory. Maybe a little black walnut too.

Mesquite, oak and some hickory for beef.

Hickory and maple for pork. OK, I'll usually throw in some apple and/or cherry.

This was the motivation to build my mini-WSM. I had a bunch of smoking woods, some purchased and some collected locally. I didn't know which to use. Neither did I want to fire up a full (or nearly empty 18.5 WSM) to test wood. I do that in the mini. I build a fire with a single smoking wood and then cook a couple pieces of chicken, a couple hamburger patties, a couple pork streaks, a couple pieces of salmon and tilapia. I cover fowl, beef, fish and pork and with no other seasoning save some peanut oil. Oh, yeah... A couple slices of potato. Then I take notes on what I like and what I don't as well as the appearance. That helps to guide me as to what wood I'll use depending on what I plan to smoke.

It's an experiment well worth doing.
 
Cherry, apple, pecan and oak are my favorites. Cherry works good an about everything, love the sweet taste and smell.
 
You can combine all you want but your only going to be able to detect the strongest wood.
Most pitmasters will use 1 wood for heat (oak) and add another for the actual flavor.
I burn 100% Shagbark Hickory.
If i were to add any other wood to that you would never know it was in there. (except maybe Mesquite)
If your using chunks stick with 1 flavor but change it up every smoke until you find what you like.
 
Pecan to me goes well with just about anything but fish.

Apple and Cherry for pork

Pecan and Hickory or Mesquite for beef

I tried Maple one time and in all honesty I could barely taste it. I want to try this again than though cold smoking some bacon before I give up on it.
 
I'm a big fan of white oak (post oaks closest relative outside of Texas) and peach. Shagbark hickory and cherry is always on hand also.
 
HankB said:
Cherry for salmonand other fish, hands down.

Apple and cherry for fowl with perhaps a little oak, mesquite or hickory. Maybe a little black walnut too.

Mesquite, oak and some hickory for beef.

Hickory and maple for pork. OK, I'll usually throw in some apple and/or cherry.

This was the motivation to build my mini-WSM. I had a bunch of smoking woods, some purchased and some collected locally. I didn't know which to use. Neither did I want to fire up a full (or nearly empty 18.5 WSM) to test wood. I do that in the mini. I build a fire with a single smoking wood and then cook a couple pieces of chicken, a couple hamburger patties, a couple pork streaks, a couple pieces of salmon and tilapia. I cover fowl, beef, fish and pork and with no other seasoning save some peanut oil. Oh, yeah... A couple slices of potato. Then I take notes on what I like and what I don't as well as the appearance. That helps to guide me as to what wood I'll use depending on what I plan to smoke.

It's an experiment well worth doing.
Click to expand...

Great info, thanks. That certainly is a good way to go about it, may have to play with that a little bit myself.
 
Offthehook said:
So a different kind of tree, I'm in so cal so I don't see a lot of different woods
Click to expand...

not so fast, my fellow farker.

Head down to the Woodshed in Orange County. They have Red and White Oak, Cherry, Mesquite, Hickory, and Apple. Chips, chunks and logs. Call before you come to make sure they have what you need.

Also, a few well-place calls to any Brethren in Central Cali or the Idylwild area may get you some AVOCADO wood.

You may also want to barter with your neighbors. In exchange for some smoked product, I was able to obtain mulberry and pear wood.
 
Pecan for beef and pork loins, Cherry-Hickory for ribs, butts and chicken. Adler, Apple or Peach for most fish and Mesquite for steaks. I'll never forget being in the Left Coast area and running into a so called bbq place where he proudly advertised smoked with real oak. Source- stack of old nasty pallets(worst, stinkiest oak there is). Our meals were free. Steve.
 
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