I only use fruitwood for smoking (except of course for smoked salmon, for which I use alder). I started with plum, and then added apple, then cherry. All are wonderful. I have a good friend who recently took down a pear tree and has been smoking with pear chunks. He swears by 'em. I'm taking him out a paper shopping bag full of chunks of wild cherry to trade for equivalent volume of pear today.
Some fruitwood can be downright difficult to split. I made a wedge attachment that fits over the business end of my 20 ton press. With an air-over-hydraulic 20 ton jack in the press, it really helps to do those gnarly burly stumps! Still a lot of work, but now at least doable.
seattlepitboss