Cherry, Not Just For Furniture Anymore!

Cherry isn't just for fine furniture anymore, heck, it makes a darn good smokin' wood! If your finding yourself in a hickory-rut, check out some of these other alternatives and flavors for smokin' your favorite meats.

Hickory is a great wood to use for smoking. It smokes long and hard and gets deep into the meat, producing a wonderful pink color and hardy smoky taste. It's the "go-to" wood most pit masters grab when they're gonna' smoke somethin' big! However, there are a lot of other trees growin' out there, let's take a look.

The Woods

O.K., there are a lot of woods out there, but I'm only going to talk about woods that I have actually used. I don't feel comfortable suggesting you use something that I haven't tried myself.

I do not collect and dry my own wood.  I have never used wood with bark, I have read it can impart a rancid, bitter flavor into your meat. Also, while some people do use construction or flooring scraps, I personally would not. You never know if the wood has been pre-treated with chemicals and this wood can even contain varnish. I purchase pre-packaged wood chips, specifically made for smoking and grilling. 

Again, this is just my experience and opinion. Food is a wonderful and strange thing. Take for instance collard greens, I love 'em, my hubby can't stand 'em. So, with that in mind, I suggest you experiment and find out what you like. Nothin' is written in stone when it comes to barbecue. Heck, some of my best recipes started out as experiments or emerged from an accident!

Hickory / Burgers,  Beef,  Chicken, Pork, Seafood: a very hardy, smoky wood often described as a "smoky bacon" flavor because most companies use hickory to smoke bacon. Dependable, great wood for long hard smoking.

Mesquite / Burgers, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb: when I think of mesquite, I think of Texas and those horrible mesquite flavored BBQ chips! O.K. my opinion of this wood is, be careful with it. It's very distinct, bold and can quickly consume the meat's natural flavor. Unless you're making jerky, I suggest mixing this at least 50/50 with hickory. When mixed, it produces a wonderful twangy smoke.

Cherry / Burgers, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood,  Quail, Game Hen: a very distinct delicate, fruity sweet smoke that doesn't over power the meat. I've found this particularly great for smoking cornish game hen. A nice solid wood that smokes fairly long. 

Oak / Burgers, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood, Wild Game: oak is a great wood and here's why. It smokes long and hard like hickory, but instead of imparting a sweet flavor, it's rather neutral and not as strong. Because of this, I like to soak oak chips in a variety of things, from a nice woody Merlot wine to Jack Daniels whiskey! You are only limited by your imagination with oak. I'm always looking to soak oak chips in something!

Wine Barrel Oak / Burgers, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood, Wild Game: imagine smoking with wood that has been aged in wine for over 10 years! Man, I think I'll just eat it. Oh .........yeah baby........sweet stuff! I love to use this wood when I have company over, makes me look like a real professional. All kidding aside, this wood imparts a wonderful fruity smoke into the meat.  O.K you're going to pay a bit more for this gourmet wood, but it's worth it.

That concludes the woods I've actually cooked with. I hope this helps in your quest for great barbecue!

CHECK OUT northwoodsmailorder TO PURCHASE WOOD CHIPS AND BBQ STUFF!

Another GREAT guide to Buying BBQ Smoking Wood , written by ebayer photosew.

If you enjoy BBQ check out my other guide How To BBQ Like A Pit Master!

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