amount/kind of wood do you use?!?


 
MikeD125

MikeD125

TVWBB All-Star
Hey guys, I was experimenting with different woods and amounts. This left me wondering what everyone else does for flavor and amount?

Brisket: Pork butt:
Whole Chicken:
Chicken Thighs:
Ribs:
Other:
 
22.5" WSM. Every cook is the same--full bag of Kingsford Competition, about 3 fist-sized chunks of apple, about 3 fist-sized chunks of hickory, spread around the edges of the charcoal ring on top of the charcoal. Some chunks aren't fist-sized so I use whatever it takes to get that amount.

Light the smoker using the minion method with about 10 coals, meat goes on as soon as the hot coals are dumped on the pile, vents wide open to around 200F then close them down and catch my target temp on the way up.
 
Dave Alvarado said:
22.5" WSM. Every cook is the same--full bag of Kingsford Competition, about 3 fist-sized chunks of apple, about 3 fist-sized chunks of hickory, spread around the edges of the charcoal ring on top of the charcoal. Some chunks aren't fist-sized so I use whatever it takes to get that amount.

Light the smoker using the minion method with about 10 coals, meat goes on as soon as the hot coals are dumped on the pile, vents wide open to around 200F then close them down and catch my target temp on the way up.
Click to expand...

I'm about the same......I use both Apple and Hickory and experiment with the mixture. I really haven't noticed a lot of difference in the result.

The only wood I really don't care for is Mesquite......imparts a flavor that too strong for my taste.
 
I usually use 1 part hickory to 2 parts apple and/or cherry for butts, ribs, and briskets. When I do poultry I'll use #2 chunks of apple.
 
My favorite wood for pork is apple chunks. I use four or five for butts and ribs. I use hickory for beef (as in Pepper Stout Beef). This year I have been concentrating on pork as both my wife and I like pork better in general (so do most, not all, of my guests). I so quite a bit of chicken (chicken parts, chicken halves, and quarters) and like apple for them/those, also. I have been gifted a box of pear wood from my son's trees and I will be trying them later in the year (I have to reduce them to "chunks"). I'll post my experience with pear, but, frankly, I believe it'll be quite similar to apple. We'll see...

Dale53
 
The amount for me depends on the moisture content. If I use the bagged stuff from HD or wherever, I'll go 3-4 chunks, when using fillets from Smokinlicious 1-2.
Brisket and Beef roasts is Oak usually red.
Butts- Hickory or Pecan
Chicken or Turkey- Wild Cherry or my favorite Alder
Ribbs- Wild Cherry or Sugar Maple
Ham - Sugar Maple
Meat loaf- Wild Cherry

Tim
 
Brisket: hickory
Pork butt: apple and hickory
Whole Chicken: cherry
Chicken Thighs:cherry
Ribs: apple
 
I use apple and sugar maple on just about everything in the WSM, but I have been using Jack Daniels whiskey barrel chips (pre-soaked) mixed in with most of my cooks on the Performer and I'm really loving it, especially with steaks.
 
Tony R said:
Brisket: hickory
Pork butt: apple and hickory
Whole Chicken: cherry
Chicken Thighs:cherry
Ribs: apple
Click to expand...

Brisket: mesquite
Pork butt: hickory
Whole Chicken: oak
Chicken Thighs: oak
Ribs: hickory

I gravitate towards the heavier woods, so I probably don't use as much as I would if I were using predominantly the lighter woods. I've been through just shy of 160 lbs. of coal so far this year, and off the top of my head I'd say I've been through a total of about 15 lbs of smoke wood - maybe 20 lbs tops.
 
I love oak with beef, if you can get wine soaked oak, even better. For most stuff I usually use a blend of some milds and robust (e.g. apple and hickory). If you ever see the Stubbs brand woodchips those are a great blend of oak, apple and hickory. I use to use them on my kettle on just about everything before upgrading my smoking to a WSM.
 
Apple and cherry for pork, pecan for turkey and chicken, and alder for fish. I need to try some oak.
 
For me, I have lots of different combinations given the rubs/sauces, etc, but here are the most oft used:

Brisket: White Oak
Ribs: Almond/cherry, maybe 30/70
Chicken (Tuscan-style, spatchcocked): Olive
Chicken (Sweet, like with comp thighs): Cherry
Pork Shoulder: Pecan/Apricot, 30/70, or Pecan/Cherry, or Pecan/Peach
Tri-Tip: Red Oak
Salmon: Alder

I like to use and have on hand an ample stash of apple, I just hate to use it because of its popularity. I like using the more obscure woods. People can taste the apple wood in almost anything cooked. They have a hard time figuring out what my combinations are (which I like), but it tends to work really well.
 
Pork Butt/BabyBack-Hickory
Steaks -Mesquite
Chicken just plain ole Kingsford or Lump charcoal. Want to try Apple/Cherry on Chicken. May pick up some Oak also.
 
Ugh I would love to try oak! But I can't find it anywhere. I pretty much use cherry or hickory for most items. Depends on my mood.
 
My son replaced the hardwood floor in his dining room and kitchen. It is mostly red oak, that I have sanded the finish off of
and cut into size to smoke with. Free wood is good. It gets used for all beef these days. I use hickory or pecan for pork, and apple for chicken and turkey.
 
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