Types Of Wood For Smoking

As a rule, any hardwood that is free of resin (or sap) is good for making smoke. Some woods, however, make better smoke than others. The most common woods used for smoking are mesquite and hickory. And wood from fruit and nut trees make excellent choices as well. Most fruit woods like apple and cherry have a mellow flavor and won't flavor much during short periods, but are excellent in medium and long smokings and add great flavor without overpowering the food. Woods like mesquite are very strong and flavor quickly, but can become overpowering and even bitter if smoked too long, especially when using lighter meats like poultry and fish. Mixing two or more woods that compliment each other can balance flavors and create a greater range of uses. 

Remember to use the wood as a flavor enhancer. Don't place too much emphasis on producing a deep "smoke ring". The ring of color ranging from dark pink near the outer edge to pale pink towards the center is not really a smoke ring at all. The pink color is a chemical reaction of the meat's water content reacting with the heat and smoke. The depth of color depends more upon the moisture of the meat than upon the density of smoke and has little or no bearing on flavor.

Use the list below as a general guide to choosing wood types:

Alder:
Very delicate with a hint of sweetness.
Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

Apple:
Very mild, with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet.
Good with poultry and pork. Adds a dark brown color to poultry skin.

Cherry:
Mild and fruity. Similar to apple, but slightly bitter because most Cherry wood comes from chokecherry trees.
Good with pork, poultry and beef. Adds a dark brown color to poultry skin.

Hickory:

Very popular, highly used wood. Has a strong, heavy, bacon flavor.
Good with pork, ham, and beef.

Maple:

Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet.
Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

Mesquite:

One of the hottest burning woods. Predominately honey, earthy flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Good with beef, fish, poultry, and game.

Pecan:

A cool burning wood, nutty, mild, and sweet with a flavor similar to hickory, tasty with lots of subtle caricature.
Good with beef, poultry, pork and cheese. A real compliment for steaks & ribs

Red Oak:

Red oak is quite similar to mesquite.
Good with ribs and beef.

White Oak:

Hot burning, long burning wood. A lighter, milder version of mesquite.
Good with red meat, pork, fish, and heavy game.