{"id":3403,"date":"2020-02-19T04:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/?p=3403"},"modified":"2021-08-23T12:48:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T16:48:42","slug":"what-wood-for-smoking-a-primer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/what-wood-for-smoking-a-primer\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h3>\n

\"Our<\/h3>\n

WHAT WOOD TO USE FOR SMOKING <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Listen<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/WHAT-WOOD-TO-USE-FOR-SMOKING-BLOG-AUDIO.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

I see the question asked so many times and in so many ways.\u00a0 What is the best wood to use for smoking?<\/strong> What is the best wood to use for smoking (fill in the blank with your favorite food)?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 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.\u00a0 There are, however, some basic things you should know to reduce the risks of toxicity, damage to your equipment, and overall ruining your barbecue.\u00a0 Use the wrong hardwood and you can bitter any food you expose to that wood\u2019s smoke.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Wood for Smoking?\u00a0 Absolutely No Softwoods!
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Right up front, let me tell you, only<\/u><\/em><\/strong> smoke with hardwood<\/a>.\u00a0 Softwoods or coniferous woods should never<\/strong> be used for cooking because they have elevated sap levels and more air in their cell structure.\u00a0 This causes the wood to burn fast, hot, produce lots of sparks, and produce unpleasant flavors not ideal for flavoring foods.\u00a0 Let\u2019s be clear on what a softwood is: pine, redwood, cedar, fir, spruce, hemlock, larch, cypress.<\/p>\n

I realize that cedar has been a popular softwood used for plank cooking or wrapping foods.\u00a0 If you want to learn more about the risks associated specifically with cedar, see my earlier article\u00a0 and learn why you should discontinue this practice.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What Wood for Smoking”? <\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Meet the North American Hardwoods!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Now, meet the North American Hardwoods!\u00a0 Known as deciduous trees that produce broad leaves, produce a fruit or a nut, and generally go dormant in the winter, hardwoods are the<\/strong> woods to use for cooking and makeup roughly 40 percent of all trees in the United States.\u00a0 However, not all hardwoods are created equal when it comes to flavoring foods.\u00a0 Let\u2019s examine some of the specific hardwoods of North America.\u00a0 I am referencing our key to the boldness of the wood\u2019s flavor (\"\"<\/strong>= Mild \"\"<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>= Medium \"\"<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>= Strong)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Alder<\/em>Alder:<\/strong>\"\"<\/h4>\n

Part of the Birch family of hardwoods, Alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density.\u00a0 It is most commonly used to smoke fish but can be used with mild poultry cuts, pork, vegetables, fruits and spices for natural wood flavoring\/smoking.\u00a0 The flavor profile is mild on our scale of boldness.\u00a0 Alder provides a neutral coloring to the outer skin of foods and is the preference for those who like to cold smoke.<\/p>\n

\"AshAsh:<\/strong>\"\"<\/h4>\n

Ash hardwood is part of the Oleaceae family or olive family of hardwoods and can be used with any food for natural wood flavoring\/smoking.\u00a0 The flavor profile is on the light side making it ideal for most any food but in particular, it works great with wood-fired pizza as it can lose moisture quickly providing for a great bed of coals.\u00a0 Ash provides a neutral coloring to the outer skin of foods.<\/p>\n

\"AspenAspen: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Considered a lightweight hardwood, Aspen is known to have \u201cwet pockets\u201d which can lead to some difficulty with using this as a cooking wood due to its tendency for bacteria development.\u00a0 Variations in moisture can result in temperature variation during cooking which is directly opposite the goal when fire cooking.<\/p>\n

\"Basswood\u00a0\u00a0 Basswood: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This hardwood is known as the preferred wood for carving.\u00a0 It grows commonly with red oak, white ash, and sugar maple trees.\u00a0 This wood is soft and light which makes it a quick burner.\u00a0 It does not have any notable odor or taste which makes it a poor choice as a cooking wood.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/strong>American Beech\"\"<\/strong>\"\": <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This hardwood grows in large stands and mixes in with many of the other dominate hardwoods.\u00a0 It is a popular filler wood for making charcoal so you know it burns long and evenly.\u00a0 It is classified as moderate in flavor boldness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"BirchwoodBirchwood:<\/strong>\"\"<\/h4>\n

This can be an ideal firewood choice due to the prevalence of the varieties of birch and the strength of the wood itself.\u00a0 However, it is not a highly flavorful hardwood for cooking and burns too hot.\u00a0 If used for fire cooking, you will have a challenge controlling the cooking temperature.<\/p>\n

\"BuckeyeBuckeye: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This hardwood produces a poisonous nut as well as twigs.\u00a0 For that reason alone, it is not recommended as a smoking\/cooking wood.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/a>

#chefburtandtom<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Butternut:\"\"<\/strong>\"\"\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Butternut\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This hardwood belongs to the genus that includes walnut though it is not as weight-heavy a wood as walnut.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let the name confuse you.\u00a0 There is no buttery taste to this wood.\u00a0 In fact, it does not offer any balanced qualities when used for cooking and for that reason, is not recommended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Cherry\" Cherry:\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Like Oak, there are many species within the genus of cherry.\u00a0 It has an obvious fruity aroma and tends to light easily producing a steady burn and flavor.\u00a0 Wild or forest grown cherry is very different from orchard cherry which can have bitter undertones which may in part, be due to the chemical application commonly applied to nursery trees.\u00a0 Feel free to use it with poultry, beef, pork, lamb, even vegetables, as it is a workhorse when it comes to flavoring foods.\u00a0 Be sure to use a meat probe when cooking with cherry wood as this wood provides a reddish-pink hue to the meat that can easily be mistaken for under-cooking.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\"ChestnutChestnut:\"\"<\/strong>\"\"\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is a very hearty hardwood that is resistive to decay so it is not necessarily an easy lighting wood.\u00a0 It can be used for smoking though I certainly feel there are better choices out there.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"Cottowood\"<\/strong>Cottonwood: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This hardwood is part of the genus that contains the aspens and poplars.\u00a0 As such, like its siblings, it does not make for a good smoking wood.\u00a0 In fact, when it becomes wet, it produces a sour odor which can transfer to food.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Elm <\/strong>Elm: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although this is a dominant hardwood in the USA it is a hardwood that has no characteristic odor or taste.\u00a0 For that reason, it does not make for an ideal cooking wood.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \"GumGum (Sweetgum): <\/strong><\/h4>\n

A very heavy hardwood that holds moisture for indefinite periods of time which causes it to be a poor choice for pleasant smoke flavors.\u00a0 This can produce musty aromas that can transmit to foods.<\/p>\n

\"Hackberry\"\u00a0 Hackberry: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is a moderately hard wood that has a yellow to grayish heartwood that does not make it the best choice for smoking.\u00a0 The benefits of exposing food to this wood are not well documented and for that reason, is not an ideal choice.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"HickoryHickory\/Pecan:\"\"<\/strong>\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since these hardwoods are part of the same genus they share similar qualities: dense wood that is strong, can be difficult to lite, but produce a lot of color and flavor to foods.\u00a0 What should be noted here is that not all the species are the same.\u00a0 Some hickory varieties are very bold and can have bitter undertones.\u00a0 It is important to learn the differences between varieties before selecting one for cooking.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \"MapleMaple:\"\"<\/strong>\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

There are over 120 species of maple so let\u2019s clarify some of the terms.\u00a0 Sugar maple and black maple are also called hard maple.\u00a0 Silver maple, red maple, and boxelder are called soft maple.\u00a0 These maples make for excellent smoking and cooking woods producing beautiful even coloring and a moderate flavor level.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \"PersimmonPersimmon:\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is not a heavily populated hardwood in the USA and it is a slow grower.\u00a0 It can be confused with Hickory due to similar coloring.\u00a0 However, it does not produce the same flavors as hickory.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Poplar Poplar: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

An extremely light hardwood that does not hold any ideal moisture for smoldering to produce a clean smoke. \u00a0Poplar burns too quickly to be an ideal choice for cooking.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Sycamore Sycamore: <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although this hardwood has a medium weight and can burn evenly and for good length, it does not do anything for coloring foods or adding any pleasant flavor.\u00a0 For this reason, it is not recommended for cooking.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"RedRed Oak:\"\"<\/strong>\"\"\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

The oaks are the one hardwood that worldwide dominates with the greatest number of species.\u00a0 This is a heavy wood that can be difficult to light but once it ignites, it produces intense smoke and flavoring that is easy to distinguish when consuming foods cooked over it.\u00a0 Red oak has a strong aroma and flavor, requiring a trained hand to use it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"WalnutWalnut:\"\"<\/strong>\"\"\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

One of the heaviest hardwoods available, it belongs to the same genus as hickory and pecan.\u00a0 If classified as smoking, it is on the bold side and should be used in small quantities.\u00a0 The wood produces a very dark outer \u201cbark\u201d coloring.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"White White Oak:\"\"<\/strong>\"\"\"\" <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Similar in structure to Red Oak, the white variety tends to be less strong aromatically though it still produces an obvious bold flavor to foods.\u00a0 Because it is a heavy, dense wood, it holds moisture for a long time making it more ideal for hot smoking and grilling rather than for cold smoke application.<\/p>\n

There you have a quick guide on the hardwoods of North America and those considered ideals for fire cooking.\u00a0 Experiment and keep a written log of what works with the other ingredients you use in your wood cooking.\u00a0 Hope you enjoyed our discussion of what wood to use for smoking!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Tom

#chefburtandtom<\/p><\/div>\n

What is the best wood to smoke meat with?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although we would all love to give credit to just one item, it\u2019s a combination of the hardwood type, the cut of meat, what you do to the meat (marinade, rub, etc.), and how it is cooked (charcoal grill, gas grill, electric grill, etc.).<\/p>\n

Generally, bolder meats like beef respond to bolder hardwoods like oak and hickory for pronounced flavor while more subtle meats like chicken tend to be flavored nicely with the more moderate hardwoods like maple, ash and cherry.\u00a0 Pork is pretty-middle-of-the-road when it comes to the meat\u2019s boldness, so it can take either a bold or moderate hardwood species.<\/p>\n

In case you didn\u2019t notice, we have purposely omitted orchard woods because at SmokinLicious\u00ae we are concerned about the spraying and chemical pesticides that may make these woods not suitable for smoking.<\/p>\n

o<\/span>what wod to use for smoking<\/span><\/h3>\n

SmokinLicious\u00ae products used in this blog:<\/h2>\n

Wood Chips- Grande Sapore\u00ae<\/a><\/h3>\n

Wood Chunks- Single & Double Filet<\/a><\/h3>\n

Smoker Logs- Full & Quarter Cut<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"More

More Related reading on “What Wood for Smoking” and other great smoking and grilling tips and techniques<\/p><\/div>\n

Additional reading:<\/h2>\n

-TO BARK OR NOT<\/a>– We discuss bark on or bark off wood products, pros and cons.<\/h3>\n

-COOKING WOOD WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW<\/a><\/h3>\n

-10 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PURCHASING WOOD FOR COOKING, GRILLING & SMOKING<\/a><\/h3>\n

-BEYOND PRICING: THE TOP THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING COOKING WOOD<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Dr.

Dr. Smoke- Our recommendation on what wood for smoking<\/p><\/div>\n

what wood to use for smoking<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the best wood for smoking? 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. Right up front, let me tell you, only smoke with hardwood. Softwoods or coniferous woods, should never be used for cooking as they have elevated sap levels and produce unpleasant flavors that are not ideal for flavoring foods. Now, the North American Hardwoods are the woods to use for cooking and make up roughly 40 percent of all trees in the United States. In this blog we discuss all the trees that fall within this category and their flavoring capabilities! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138,1,3,14],"tags":[40,426,36,423,175,425,157,126,34,427,417,416,415,428,117,418,420,421,58,33,430,412,61,429,424,39,165,166,135,125,413,419,422,414,431,433,37,111,112,432],"class_list":["post-3403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking-with-wood","category-general-smoking-information","category-smoking-tips","category-wood-questions","tag-alder","tag-american-beech","tag-ash","tag-aspen","tag-barbecue-smoking-wood","tag-basswood","tag-bbq-wood","tag-bbq-woods","tag-beech","tag-birch-wood","tag-bitternut","tag-buckeye","tag-cedar","tag-cherry","tag-cooking-wood","tag-cotton-wood","tag-elm","tag-hackberry","tag-hardwood","tag-hickory","tag-maple","tag-north-american-hardwood","tag-outdoor-cooking","tag-pecan","tag-poplar","tag-red-oak","tag-smoker-wood","tag-smoker-wood-chips","tag-smoking-wood","tag-smoking-woods","tag-softwood","tag-sweet-gum","tag-sycamore","tag-toxic-wood","tag-walnut","tag-what-wood-to-use-for-smoking","tag-white-oak","tag-wood-cooking","tag-wood-flavor","tag-woods-for-foods-smoking"],"yoast_head":"\nWHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER - Smokinlicious\u00ae Smoking Wood Tips<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our blog "What Wood for Smoking" is a comprehensive guide of various North American hardwood species used for flavoring foods when smoked!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/products.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our blog "What Wood for Smoking" is a comprehensive guide of various North American hardwood species used for flavoring foods when smoked!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/products.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smokinlicious\u00ae Smoking Wood Tips\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Smokinlicious-Gourmet-Wood-Products-1284548111592144\/?ref=br_rs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-19T09:00:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-23T16:48:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/What-wood-to-use-blog-2.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"DrSmoke\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"WHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Our blog "What Wood for Smoking" is a comprehensive guide of various North American hardwood species used for flavoring foods when smoked!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/What-wood-to-use-blog-2.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DrSmokeSmokin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DrSmokeSmokin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"DrSmoke\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"20 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"TechArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/products.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/blog\\\/what-wood-for-smoking-a-primer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"DrSmoke\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/54414873069f00e3d5eccc02256b107f\"},\"headline\":\"WHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-19T09:00:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-23T16:48:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/blog\\\/what-wood-for-smoking-a-primer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1819,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/products.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/What-wood-to-use-blog-2.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Alder\",\"american beech\",\"Ash\",\"aspen\",\"barbecue smoking wood\",\"basswood\",\"bbq wood\",\"bbq woods\",\"Beech\",\"birch wood\",\"bitternut\",\"buckeye\",\"cedar\",\"cherry\",\"cooking wood\",\"cotton wood\",\"elm\",\"hackberry\",\"hardwood\",\"Hickory\",\"maple\",\"north american hardwood\",\"outdoor cooking\",\"pecan\",\"poplar\",\"Red Oak\",\"smoker wood\",\"smoker wood chips\",\"smoking wood\",\"smoking woods\",\"softwood\",\"sweet gum\",\"sycamore\",\"toxic wood\",\"walnut\",\"what wood to use for smoking\",\"White Oak\",\"wood cooking\",\"wood flavor\",\"woods for foods smoking\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cooking With Wood\",\"General Smoking Information\",\"Smoking Tips\",\"Wood Questions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/products.html#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/blog\\\/what-wood-for-smoking-a-primer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smokinlicious.com\\\/products.html\",\"name\":\"WHAT WOOD FOR SMOKING: A PRIMER - 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