Smoke wood for Brisket?


 
Hickory isn't bad. I use all kinds of wood on brisket. Usually oak and a couple of fruit wood. Sometimes I like to use mesquite. Just depends on what sounds good when I am firing up.
 
I use hickory with some oak or cherry. Personally, I can't really detect a difference in flavor between smoke woods. Maybe if I tried the same dish prepared with different smoke woods side by side I might, but I can't tell when I change it each time I smoke.

For me, the difference is how strong of a smoke taste you get. Hickory is stronger, and I like that. I'm doing a brisket tomorrow and I'll probably do mostly hickory with a little cherry.
 
When I actually do beef(NC boy) I like cherry or a combo of oak and cherry.

Besides the general flavor it gives to the meat the lack of hickory and apple keeps me from comparing it to my pork BBQ.
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I thought I read somewhere that mesquite gave off a sort of by product that stuck to the inside and was hard to get out. Maybe I am making that up.
 
I made a brisket a couple of weeks ago with a hickory/apple blend and it was delicious. As to whether you can taste the difference between the different woods, my little brother came over for the meal and I had him guess what I used. He guessed 1/3 hickory and 2/3 apple. Exactly right - I was impressed. Maybe he got lucky, but I normally use an oak/apple combo, so maybe not.
 
Regarding your comment about Mesquite giving off a by-product:

I believe this refers to green (unseasoned) mesquite wood only. Supposedly it leaves a foul smelling creasote that lasts for years (can't even be sandblasted out).
However, I would guess that it could actually be scrubbed from the smooth inside of a WSM, vs. the inside of a traditional smoker.
 
Red oak is good. Hickory is good too, but a bit stronger. Either mixed with fruit wood gives a good combo
 
I use oak and hickory. On occasion, some mesquite. Save the juice from the brisket. Used it in some meatloaf this weekend. FANTASTIC!!!!
 
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