Hi,
Over the years, certain woods have become associated with certain kinds of meat. For example, hickory, oak, and mesquite with beef, alder with fish, and so on. There are no right or wrong choices, just what you like.
I mainly use oak or a 2:1 ratio of oak and hickory when cooking brisket, pork butt, ribs, and turkey breast. (I've found that too much hickory results in a bitter taste, so I like to mix it with oak; others do use straight hickory.) For chicken, I like to use cherry if I have it. It provides a lighter smokiness that works well with poultry. Apple is good for poultry if you have it available. I have a friend who uses pecan a lot for chicken, turkey, and ribs.
Here's a list of smoke woods, their characteristics, and suggested meats that comes from
www.peopleswoods.com that you might find helpful.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>ALDER - hint of sweetness - fish, pork, poultry, game birds
<LI>APPLE - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork
<LI>ASH - light, but distinctive - fish, red meats
<LI>BIRCH - sweet, woodsy - poultry, pork, beef
<LI>CHERRY - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, beef
<LI>GRAPE VINE - tart, rich and fruity - poultry, game, lamb
<LI>HICKORY - sweet, strong and hearty - poultry, pork, red meats
<LI>MAPLE - smokey mellow, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, game, cheese
<LI>MESQUITE ? earthy - poultry, fish, meat
<LI>OAK - lighter version of mesquite - meat, fish, game
<LI>PEACH - subtle, fruity, slightly sweet - poultry, pork, beef
<LI>PECAN - nutty and sweet - steaks, ribs, cheese
<LI>SASSAFRAS - mildly tingly - beef, pork
[/list]
[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 02-28-2000).]