Help with my wood

I know you said you don't cook much beef but for the times you do both red and white oak are great w/ the nod going to red. Around where I live people use oak all the time. It works fantastic for tri tip and NY steaks. For poultry I tend to lean toward Hickory and Apple combo. For pork ribs it's apple, cherry and / or hickory for me.

White Oak is amazing and Post Oak is really just a specific species of White Oak. Red Oak, in my opinion, is a VERY strong wood that can be very pungent if it's not fully cured.

White Oak and Pecan are my favorite smoking woods by a large margin. White Oak gives off a mellow, sweet smoke and I think that might scratch the itch you're having. I've used White Oak on poultry, beef, and pork and it's a fantastic smoking wood. It burns for a long time at a relatively lower temperature (in my experience) compared to Hickory or Pecan.

Pecan smells like a sweeter version of Hickory (at least to me) and I absolutely love it on beef or pork. Pecan just has such an amazing smell that I love cutting it and splitting it. When I get a full cord of it my whole back yard smells so good for weeks after I do all the cutting and splitting...even the wife loves it.

When it comes to fruit woods I feel like they don't really offer much in terms of aroma. Cherry is a huge outlier though and it puts a super powerful sweet / cherry aroma on the food. It also darkens up the meat really well, but for my taste it's really overpowering on beef and tastes very out of place. Cherry goes great with poultry and pork, and if you mix it with Pecan or Oak, then you'll be doing yourself a favor.

Good luck and I'm jealous that you can readily get all of these woods. Out in my area all I can get is "mixed hardwoods" which is mostly red oak, some hickory, and if I'm lucky I'll get a bit of pecan.

Not trying to highjack this thread, but I have a question for SmoothBoar, or anyone else for that matter. Does using pecan wood impart a pecan nut taste on the meat you are smoking? The reason I ask is because I cannot stand the taste of pecan nuts. Please, don’t judge, I just do not like them at all. But when SmoothBoar stared that it tastes like a sweeter version of hickory it got me thinking. Thanks all.

We burn red oak like crazy here in Ca. It's pronounced but mellow. If you are getting any harshness out of it then it's not fully seasoned. If it's available use it for sure. Cherry is one of the best fruit wood IMO. The only thing that might possibly beat it out of the top spot for me would be plumb. It's richer, darker sweeter. I just did a chuck on the stick burner last night with Asian Pear. I had never tried it before but was very pleased with the results. It was very mild and a little sweet, but you could tell it was there. It also burns pretty hot.

Whumpa said:

Not trying to highjack this thread, but I have a question for SmoothBoar, or anyone else for that matter. Does using pecan wood impart a pecan nut taste on the meat you are smoking? The reason I ask is because I cannot stand the taste of pecan nuts. Please, don’t judge, I just do not like them at all. But when SmoothBoar stared that it tastes like a sweeter version of hickory it got me thinking. Thanks all.

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I'm don't fell like it tastes like the nut. Hickory but smoother, sweeter and less pronounced.

cherry cherry cherry

Assuming based on your signature you are asking for you WSM. I'd recommend getting some mail order chunks and trying different words. I have had a great experience with Fruita.com. I got a 3 wood combo box a few different times so I could try lots of options.

For a stick burner you really need to source local or it becomes very expensive

I've used most of the smoking woods including mulberry, the actual smoke smells different to me, but not the taste of the finished product, but thats me.....

I'll use cherry the most, have a lot of choke cherry here, and I use pick up sticks from a pignut hickory in my yard that has the nicest "sweet" smoke I've found. That said, not all hickory, cherry, oak is the same everywhere, you just got to find one in your area that you like.

Hickory and Cherry on pork and beef so far. Cherry on poultry. Only thing is I haven't really been able to taste any of the smoke on my chicken (could on turkey). I always heard people say you don't want it too strong on poultry, but I need to up my amount to taste it on chicken. Has anyone ever used peach? I heard it's really good.

All wood is fine, as long as it’s cherry.

I start my coal bed with oak then feed it cherry and almond

Whumpa said:

Not trying to highjack this thread, but I have a question for SmoothBoar, or anyone else for that matter. Does using pecan wood impart a pecan nut taste on the meat you are smoking? The reason I ask is because I cannot stand the taste of pecan nuts. Please, don’t judge, I just do not like them at all. But when SmoothBoar stared that it tastes like a sweeter version of hickory it got me thinking. Thanks all.

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I HATE pecan nuts as well, but Pecan wood leaves an amazing aroma which is complex and maybe a bit sweet? It smells like a bit of a sweeter and lighter Hickory to me. I use Pecan wood on everything when I can get my hands on it, and my customers love the light profile it brings. I use it on chicken and chicken wings, brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork...just amazing.

Before you use it on BBQ you can grab a bag of Pecan chunks at Walmart or Acadamy Sports (or similar type of place) and burn the wood in a barrel or firepit and see if you like the smell. If it does smell like pecan nuts to you then obviously it probably wouldn't be the best cooking wood for you.

Thanks for the info bud. I have always shyed away from pecan would just for the fact of my dislike of the nuts. Going to try your suggestions.

I run either pecan or oak, due to having to clean up my place after storms. Almost a constant supply of pecan, as they are what I refer to, as being self pruning.

I have several family members as well as a close friend that have an aversion to the taste of pecan nuts. They have all been eating and enjoying meats smoked by me with pecan for decades, and they are aware that pecan wood was used to produce their food.

None have ever equated their dislike of pecan nut taste, to meats smoked using pecan wood.

Your taste buds may be more sensitive, but my experience has been that the smoke from pecan does not offend those with a dislike of the taste of the pecan nuts.

Bigpappa1 said:

Thank you, sir, that is helpful! I actually just did some snooping and found that my favorite que joint uses oak. I have been avoiding it for years for some reason, even though it's the most abundant wood I think I can likely get my hands on here in Iowa. That cherry is what I think I really need to try. I used a hickory/mulberry blend on some poultry recently, trying to go light on the hickory. It just didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. Gotta get me some cherry and give that a whirl. Fortunately, I got some big hunks of oak sitting around waiting to be split. Looks like I got wood for the weekend!:heh:

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I think you will be pleased with using oak. It can be vastly different in taste, depending on how well it is seasoned, so make sure your using well seasoned.
Good luck finding the flavor you are looking for.

I cooked almost exclusively with pecan when I lived in Louisiana. It is my favorite. I also like oak quite a bit. I have used red, white, and live oak with no problem. I use cherry of poultry when I can get it. Hickory is ok and I use mesquite in moderation mixed with oak.

Personally, I have never had good results with apple. Last year I found I guy on Craigslist who was cutting down 3 pear trees and I loaded up. They have been curing for a year and I will cook with them in the spring.

One time I got my hands on some persimmon and I recall being happy with it as well.

Avoid citrus for smoking. It is OK for grilling.

Swine Spectator said:

Avoid citrus for smoking. It is OK for grilling.

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I find orange quite pleasant for smoking in the offset.

Try either sugar maple or red maple if you get a chance. Lighter smoke flavor and imparts a golden brown color to chicken.