GASSSSSSSSPPPP!!????...Not care for Hickory?
"You ain't from around here are ya boy?" < this is where I would pause to spit if I wasn't sitting at a computer in my office > Like anything else smoke is a matter of personal preference. I myself like smoke. If I'm gonna go to the trouble to "smoke" something I want smoke. A lot of smoke. I want to see it, smell it, feel it, wear it and taste it. I want to show up on a weather satellite somewhere. Trouble is, Hickory is a strong smoke and too much of it can overpower what your cooking. I like to mix it with the afore mentioned milder pecan, apple or cherry for long cooks like butts.For short cooks like chicken and pork tenderloins where you want some smoke flavor but only have a few hours to "get 'er done" I use hickory alone. I will also vary the smoke wood mixture depending on the amount of leftovers I expect to have. The smoke flavor tends to get a little stronger after a day or so in the fridge. If I expect most of the meat to be consumed at the first setting i will go stronger on the smoke than if I think I'm gonna be eating leftovers for a week. I've not had that much experience with mesquite. Maybe I'll try it when I finaly get around to smoking a brisket.
