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What kind of wood do you use for your meats?

Just wondering - what type of wood do you use for your meats (ie. chicken, ribs and briskets)?

So far, I've used mesquite and loved it and tried hickory but didn't like it. I also used wood chunks on my cooks.

Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts

Comments

  • Nsdexter
    Nsdexter Posts: 195
    http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/woods.html That might give you some ideas but its all about personal preferance and learning what you like and don't like. Good luck
    HFX NS
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669

    Chicken/Turkey: small amt of mixed chips pecan/cherry

    pork: mixed pecan/cherry or just cherry

    just a naked ham: sugar maple

    beef: just the lump Ozark Oak

     

    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • hapster
    hapster Posts: 7,503
    chicken & pork... mostly cherry, sometimes apple

    Butts & brisket - oak

    Everything else, basically the lump and whatever leftover smoke wood might be in there.
  • onedbguru
    onedbguru Posts: 1,647
    pork - applewood or mesquite
    beef - hickory, mesquite 
    chicken - all of the above 
    turkey/ham hickory/applewood/cherry


  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Fruit for pork butts, everything else Oak and sometimes Hickory. I'm NOT a fan of Mesquite 
  • Pork = pecan
    Brisket = mesquite or pecan
    Chicken = pecan

  • stevesails
    stevesails Posts: 990
    I use pecan on my ribs. Everything else just lump
    XL   Walled Lake, MI

  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    Interesting link but I was a bit saddened by the lack of high enthusiasm for pecan. It's is nice to see it w our crowd.  I use it one everything and will mix routinely w apple.  I have some bags of cherry but haven't used it at all.  I'll try that on my next batch of chicken.

    I'd also say that I like to do Jack Daniels chips w ribs
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    @Village_Idiot, sent me a text confused saying his wood is his meat and asked if I could clarify this post. Thought it was too funny not to post. Carry on.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • Que_n_Brew
    Que_n_Brew Posts: 578
    Chicken & Pork - Peach....Beef - Pecan
    PROUD MEMBER OF THE WHO DAT NATION!
  • danv23
    danv23 Posts: 953
    I used a mix of maple and pecan for my last turkey.  I normally use cherry.  No more cherry for this kid.

    The DudeThis is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder's head. Luckily I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, limber.

    Walter SobchakNihilists! *uck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos. 

    Cumming, GA

    Eggs - XL, L, Small

    Gasser - Weber Summit 6 Burner

  • Z_Eggineer
    Z_Eggineer Posts: 576

    Fish - none

    Salmon - alder, cedar PLANK, or maple

    Poultry - cherry

    Bacon - apple

    Boston Butts - hickory, pecan

    Ribs - super secret mix

    Tri-tip - oak

    Brisket - oak or whatever is left

    Mesquite is the devil.  Cherry, Apple, and JD chips are the best/most versatile.

  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    edited August 2013
    Beef - Jack Daniels Oak
    Chicken - mix of pecan and cherry or apple
    pork - cherry, hickory, pecan or a mix
    fish - alder 
    salmon - alder or cedar plank
                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
  • Aquacop
    Aquacop Posts: 481
    Concur w/ most, definitely use Hickory with Pork, it can take the aggressive profile of the smoke. What did you smoke that made you not enjoy it?
    LBGE 2013 Located in Savannah, Georgia
  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    Use alot of pecan on everything, maybe since I have one in my yard and it just pick up the leftover limbs all the time.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • Ljpick
    Ljpick Posts: 38
    Whats the story on peach? See it used alot on tv I have never used it either and find odd no one has mentioned it yet.
  • Cookinbob
    Cookinbob Posts: 1,691
    Thanks for asking the question, I was going to ask the same.  Right now I have and use apple and sugar maple, but am going Thursday to a sawmill who does oak and hickory.  For $45 he would fill a pickup truck with chunks, but I don;t have a truck.  I figure $5 worth should get me through the winter as far as BBQ goes.  Pecan is not readily available in upstate NY, but I would like to try sometime.
    XLBGE, Small BGE, Homebrew and Guitars
    Rochester, NY
  • Que_n_Brew
    Que_n_Brew Posts: 578
    Chicken & Pork - Peach....Beef - Pecan

    I mentioned it
    PROUD MEMBER OF THE WHO DAT NATION!
  • Ljpick
    Ljpick Posts: 38
    See that. Sorry do you like?
  • Ljpick
    Ljpick Posts: 38
    See that. Sorry do you like?
  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    edited August 2013
    Ribs and pork butts - Peach
    Beef - pecan, oak, hickory
    turkey chicken - cherry, pecan and sometimes apple

    http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/SmokingFlavorChart.pdf
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • Que_n_Brew
    Que_n_Brew Posts: 578
    Ljpick said:
    See that. Sorry do you like?

    Love it. I'll admit, I tried it b/c of Myron Mixon. At first I wasn't a fan of his attitude. But the guy knows his stuff. He cooks exclusively with Peach (all meats). That's mostly a homer Georgia thing but I tried it and like it so much, I'm looking to use up my Cherry and Apple stock and only use Peach for Pork and Chicken. Beef, I will use Mesquite and Pecan. As with everything, it's a personal preference. If you can get your hands on some I will recommend you try it.
    PROUD MEMBER OF THE WHO DAT NATION!
  • U_tarded
    U_tarded Posts: 2,042
    i use peach a lot on pork and chicken and sausage.  i like plum too, they are light and fruity different then apple and cherry.  variety is the spice of life.  every once in a while my time in west texas comes out and i hit beef with mesquite but its usually oak there for me. 
  • GreenhawK
    GreenhawK Posts: 398
    For me Apple is the one wood that goes good with everything.  That's what I use most of the time because I don't have the room to store many different kinds.  

    I do really love Oak for Pork and Beef though.  I also like to use Jack Daniels oak barrel chips.

    Hickory is also good on any meat, but it can be to strong on poultry if you're not careful.

    From the posts above, it looks like I need to find me some peach wood.  It's not as easy to find in North Alabama, but I think I have seen it in a few stores.
    Large BGE Decatur, AL
  • bbqlearner
    bbqlearner Posts: 760
    Aquacop said:
    Concur w/ most, definitely use Hickory with Pork, it can take the aggressive profile of the smoke. What did you smoke that made you not enjoy it?

    I used it on pork ribs. I don't know how to describe it but feel like the smoke is overwhelming.

    Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts

  • bbqlearner
    bbqlearner Posts: 760
    Interesting that some of you are using oak wood. I'm not sure but I thought oak is mostly just for the heat as opposed to flavor. On the BGE, I've only used mesquite wood mixed in with lump but on my offset smoker, I used oak mostly for the fire/heat with some pecan/mesquite mixed in for flavors.

    Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts

  • Don't know what it is, but I think I'm immune to oak smoke. I can never get any noticeable smoke flavor from it. 

    I like pecan, apple, and hickory, with the occasional use of mesquite for things like pulled beef or just when I want a dominating smoke flavor. 

    I am done with cherry. Anyone else find that it's easy to get that acrid over-smoked flavor from cherry?  This has happened several times. I'm careful about waiting for the blue smoke, but not super careful.  I don't have problems with other woods. Maybe I just don't like cherry smoke. 


  • A little over a year with the egg and I'm still experimenting with just about anything I can get my hands on, but here are a few of my favorites right now.

    Salmon - Alder

    Beef (for deli meat) - Cherry

    Turkey breast (for deli meat) - Mesquite

    Ribs and Butts - Peach/Hickory Mix

    Damascus, VA.  Friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail.

    LBGE Aug 2012, SBGE Feb 2014