Wood Choices for smoking for a newbie!

My favorites are apple, hickory,mesquite & cherry in that order. Been favoring apple lately for the subtle flavor but try to keep most on hand for my (the wife's) mood swings :unsure: Get mine from my local BGE dealer. Probably pay more but the stuff he gives me definately offsets the cost.
Pat

I like apple, pecan and guava for many cooks.

Here is some info that might help.

Wood, Smoking, What kind of woods are good for shmoking?

*********The following woods can be used for smoking********
1 Acacia - flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy.
2 Alder - Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
3 Almond - A sweet smoke flavor. Good with all meats.
4 Apple - Mild. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
5 Apricot - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
6 Ash - Good with fish and red meats.
7 Birch - Flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
8 Cherry - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef.
9 Cottonwood - Subtle flavor. Mix with chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor.
10 Crabapple - Similar to apple.
11 Grapefruit - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
12 Grapevines - Tart, rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
13 Hickory - Commonly used wood for smoking. Sweet to strong, heavy flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
14 Lemon - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
15 Lilac - Good with seafood and lamb.
16 Maple - Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small gamey birds.
17 Mesquite - Strong flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game.
18 Mulberry - Like apple.
19 Nectarine - Good on white or pink meats, schicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
20 Oak - Heavy smoke flavor. Good with red meat, pork, fish and game.
21 Orange - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
22 Peach - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
23 Pear - Like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
24 Pecan - Similar to hickory. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese.
25 Plum - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
26 Walnut - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.
27 Other woods - Bay, Carrotwood, Kiawe, Madrone, Manzanita, Guava, Olive, Ornamental Pear, Ornamental Cherry, Beech, Butternut, Fig, Gum, Chestnut, Hackberry, Pimiento, Persimmon, and Willow.
**********The following woods ARE NOT suitable for smoking********
1 Softwoods or evergreen woods (Pine, Fir, Spruce, Redwood, Cedar, Cypress, etc.), Elm, Eucalyptis, Sassafras, Sycamo, Liquid Amber (Sweetgum), Chokcherry, green Cottonwood.
2 Author: unknown


Recipe Type
Equiptment/Toys

Recipe Source
Author: Greendriver

Source: Primo, Greendriver, 08/07/06

Excellent resource, Richard. Thanks. If we still had karma, I'd be sending some your way right now.

Richard great information! I emailed myself to keep in my BGE cookbook. Have a great cookin weekend!