How to Use a Smoker, Pairing Wood with Food
Denise Clarke
August 10, 2008
When you are considering how to use a smoker, the number one item you need to think about after the actual "smoker" selection is the wood chips that you will smoke and pair with your food.
Wood, food pairing will make or break your end result and really separates the men from the boys, so to speak, in the BBQ smoker world. It is important to keep an eye out for different sources of wood and whether you can get it from a local source or if you have to order it online. Basically, you can use just about any kind of wood for your BBQ except for pine.
Here is a rundown on some of the more popular choices:
Alder is very delicate with a hint of sweetness and is great with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds. Traditionally, it is used in the pacific northwest to smoke Salmon.
Apple is slightly sweet with a denser, fruity smoke that is particularly good with ham, but also works well with beef, poultry or game birds.
Cherry is good with all meats and imparts a fruity, slightly sweet smoke flavor.
Cedar planks are terrific for those that want to use traditional Pacific Northwest Indian smoking techniques for their salmon.
Grape vines are quite similar to fruit wood, aromatic and great with most meats
Hickory, an all time favorite with its pungent, smoky, bacon like flavor is the most common wood used for smoking pork and ribs.
Maple is good with pork, poultry, cheese, vegetables and small game birds with its mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor.
Mesquite has that strong earthy flavor that all smokers recognize and is especially good with beef and most vegetables.
Mulberry reminds most people of the sweet smell of apple and is great with ham, but also with beef, poultry and game birds
Oak, is great with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game and with its heavy smoke flavor , one of the most popular of the woods to smoke with.
Peach is good with most meats with its slightly woodsy, sweet flavor
Pecan, while similar to hickory is not quite as strong. The cool thing with pecans is that you can smoke with the pecan shells also. Pecan is good for almost any smoking needs.
Pear is terrific for pork, poultry and game birds with its sweet, woodsy flavor.
Plum is milder and sweeter than hickory and is a good choice for almost any meats.
Walnut produces a very heavy smoke flavor and is best used in combination with lighter woods like apple or pecan. Used alone it can give the foods a bitter taste. Try this with game and red meats.
So this is the basic rundown on your wood choices when you are learning how to use your smoker. Search around and see what you can find at your local supermarket or grill outlet. If you are a purist and you have forests or orchards nearby, take your trusty hatchet with you and harvest some of your very own smoking woods.
Wood, food pairing will make or break your end result and really separates the men from the boys, so to speak, in the BBQ smoker world. It is important to keep an eye out for different sources of wood and whether you can get it from a local source or if you have to order it online. Basically, you can use just about any kind of wood for your BBQ except for pine.
Here is a rundown on some of the more popular choices:
Alder is very delicate with a hint of sweetness and is great with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds. Traditionally, it is used in the pacific northwest to smoke Salmon.
Apple is slightly sweet with a denser, fruity smoke that is particularly good with ham, but also works well with beef, poultry or game birds.
Cherry is good with all meats and imparts a fruity, slightly sweet smoke flavor.
Cedar planks are terrific for those that want to use traditional Pacific Northwest Indian smoking techniques for their salmon.
Grape vines are quite similar to fruit wood, aromatic and great with most meats
Hickory, an all time favorite with its pungent, smoky, bacon like flavor is the most common wood used for smoking pork and ribs.
Maple is good with pork, poultry, cheese, vegetables and small game birds with its mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor.
Mesquite has that strong earthy flavor that all smokers recognize and is especially good with beef and most vegetables.
Mulberry reminds most people of the sweet smell of apple and is great with ham, but also with beef, poultry and game birds
Oak, is great with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game and with its heavy smoke flavor , one of the most popular of the woods to smoke with.
Peach is good with most meats with its slightly woodsy, sweet flavor
Pecan, while similar to hickory is not quite as strong. The cool thing with pecans is that you can smoke with the pecan shells also. Pecan is good for almost any smoking needs.
Pear is terrific for pork, poultry and game birds with its sweet, woodsy flavor.
Plum is milder and sweeter than hickory and is a good choice for almost any meats.
Walnut produces a very heavy smoke flavor and is best used in combination with lighter woods like apple or pecan. Used alone it can give the foods a bitter taste. Try this with game and red meats.
So this is the basic rundown on your wood choices when you are learning how to use your smoker. Search around and see what you can find at your local supermarket or grill outlet. If you are a purist and you have forests or orchards nearby, take your trusty hatchet with you and harvest some of your very own smoking woods.
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