Before we do any typing of cooking in our smokers, we ask ourselves, “what kind of wood do I need to use?” Well, here are going to give some basic overview on different types of woods you can use in smokers. This will hopefully feel of what woods to try with certain types of foods, so don’t be afraid to experiment. There are some rules to certain woods for your smokers, but we’ll get to that below.

Hickory

You just really cannot go wrong with hickory when it comes to cooking any type of red meat in your smokers. It’s a decently mild wood that can produce good hearty, but sweet flavor. Its most popular when it comes to cooking ribs and pork shoulders because those are 2 characteristics we usually look for. I would never recommend this wood to anyone cooking chicken, though. Have you ever heard of Hickory flavored chicken? I think not. Use this wood in any variety of smokers with any type of meat mentioned above, and you should be happy with the outcome.

Mesquite

A lot of people, when they hear mesquite, they think of turkey or chicken breast. Some people like to use mesquite like they use hickory in their smokers, as a sort of all-around good wood to use. I beg to differ because the flavor from mesquite can become very distinct in certain meats that soak the smoke in. This is why mesquite in our smokers, coupled with say a brisket or ribs, may be the wrong choice because you’re going to get an overpowered taste, in my opinion. I would mostly stick to turkey or chicken with this wood, and most smokers won’t take long to cook either of them, so you won’t get any intense flavors you don’t want!

Apple and Cherry

These two are similar because they produce a sweet smoke throughout the meat in our smokers. We all love sweet so this wood can be popular amongst the pork crowd, but both are mild enough to be used for poultry and chicken. I have personally switched from using hickory on my pork, to cherry wood, and the taste difference with my sauce and rub, which are more spicy, give a very nice contrast to the flavor of the meat. I feel as if this wood is becoming more and more popular amongst the competition BBQ scene, and they can also be used amongst other woods to give them a different smoke profile in their smokers.

Oak

Oak is a lot like hickory, in that it is a versatile piece of wood. Its flavor is never overpowering and it burns well. This makes it popular for the brisket crowd, because as we all know, briskets take a lot of time to cook. This wood gives brisket the just right amount of smoke flavor, while retaining the actual flavor of the meat. Throw a good amount of this wood in your smokers and sit back.

Pecan

Pecan is kind of like Oak and Hickory’s brother. Its commonly found amongst champion BBQ smokers and is a nice blend of characteristics. It burns cool enough to allow temperature control, but it boasts a superb smoke flavor. It also produces a small profile of fruit, which as you know by now, is a popular trait amongst woods. On top of all that, it is still robust enough to hang around in your smokers to cook brisket, and other big cuts of meat. Needless to say, this is almost the king of woods. You can use this on just about anything.