Smokinlicious® Smoking Wood Tips

Maple cooking wood for smoking- Oh the mighty Maple tree gives the grill or smoker and nice subtle tasting smokey flavor

MAPLE WOOD COOKING: OH, THE MIGHTY MAPLE TREES! Click To Tweet

Loyal users of our culinary quality hardwoods know the benefits of our woods but we still hear this one question a lot: what is the best hardwood to use with specific foods, especially meats?

Let’s start with a feature on the mighty maple tree which could turn out to be the best choice!

Maple hardwood is part of the Aceraceae family of wood. The scientific name for the variety we manufacture is Acer pensylvanicum L. but the common names for the varieties found in the Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania regions include: Black Sugar Maple, Hard Maple, Rock Maple, Striped Maple, Moosewood.

Hard Maple is considered the king of all maples because it is stronger, stiffer, harder, and denser than any other maple variety.

Maple can be used with any food for natural wood flavouring/smoking. The flavour profile is on the mild side with a sweet undertone. Feel free to use the wood with any food: chicken, turkey, game birds, beef, lamb, fruit, vegetables, chocolate, eggs, etc.

Depending on the time of year the maple is harvested will determine the coloring to the food. Color range can be from a deeper brown to a lighter tan. Why so much color variation? Maple has peak periods for harvesting in order to avoid the heavy sap run in this wood which generally starts in December finishing in March.

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WHAT WOOD TO USE FOR SMOKING Click To Tweet

I see the question asked so many times and in so many ways. What is the best wood to use for smoking? What is the best wood to use for smoking (fill in the blank with your favorite food)?

I’m going to shake things up a bit by stating there is no rule book saying a specific wood must be used with a specific food. There are, however, some basic things you should know to reduce the risks of toxicity, damage to your equipment, and overall ruining your barbecue. Use the wrong hardwood and you can bitter any food you expose to that wood’s smoke.

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