Smoking Woods Reference Table
Posted: 29 Oct 2009, 09:30
On various sites around the web you'll find tables that describe the characteristics of different smoking woods. To save you all the time in Google I thought I could add one here
The extra bonus here is that we can add to it, so if you're looking at the table and you spot a wood we're missing, post a reply and we can add the wood to the table.
The extra bonus here is that we can add to it, so if you're looking at the table and you spot a wood we're missing, post a reply and we can add the wood to the table.
Wood | Characteristics | Works With |
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Acacia | From the same family as Mesquite. Similar Flavour but lighter |
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Maple | Smokey, mellow and slightly sweet, similar to birch. |
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Alder | Delicate flavour with a sweet musky smoke. Often associated with Fish smoking |
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Almond | Nutty, sweet flavour, produces lots of ash. |
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Apple | Mild sweet flavour with a subtle fruitiness. Will turn chicken skin dark |
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Ash | Fast burning wood with a light but distinctive flavour |
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Beech | Very mild and light flavour. In parts of Germany, Beech is a popular wood for grilling Bratwursts. over |
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Birch | Smokey, mellow and slightly sweet, similar to maple. |
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Cherry | Mild, sweet and fruity flavour. Will turn chicken skin dark |
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Grape | Tart flavour, produces lots of smoke |
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Hickory | Sweet to strong, bacon-like flavour |
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Maple | Smokey, mellow and slightly sweet, similar to birch. |
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Mesquite | Sweet and quite light |
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Mulberry | Smokey, mellow and slightly sweet, similar to birch. |
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Oak | Rich and heavy smoke flavour, the queen of smoking woods. |
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Orange / Lemon / Grapefruit | Nice mild smokey flavour |
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Pear | Nice subtle fruity flavour, similar to apple. |
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Pecan | Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. |
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Sweet Fruit Woods - Peach, Apricot, Plum etc | Mild and sweet smoke flavour. |
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Walnut | Very heavy smoke, can be bitter if not used with other woods such as apple or cherry. |
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