wood for smoking

[buglebuster]

starting to get into smoking more and was wondering what kinds of wood chips/chunks everyone uses? I know the normal flavors that you can buy at the store but that looks like it could get expensive. I was wondering about things like pine, cedar, oak? Thinking of stopping at the orchard across from my house and seeing if i can grab some wood from a pile of dead apple trees. One thing i was wondering flavor wise was sagebrush? Has anyone tried the trunk from a sagebrush? I thought it may add a nice flavor.
Thanks.

[sirmissalot]

I like alder for fish and mesquite for meat. I know cedar isn't any good I tried it once and pine doesn't sound appealing either. Not sure about sagebrush trunk.

[Jason]

You want to stay away from resinous woods like Fir and Pine. I have never tried birch even though I here its good for fish, I use a lot of alder and cherry for smoking fish and pork and its super abundant where I live here on the west side. I use apple for cheese and poultry. 

[Stickerbush]

alder, it is plentiful and works good. I just grab a piece of firewood and a hatchet and shave pieces off when I wanna smoke

[Encore 280]

Never use any conifer (evergreen) only deciduous (alder, fruit wood). Fruit wood has the best results for smoking and make sure you peel the bark off first. Bark makes for creosote taste, yuk.

[Blacklab]

Yeah any fruit wood will work along with alder, hickory, mesq, maple, oak, and pecan. I'm sure there is a few more.

[Kc_Kracker]

start smoking everyone has a different taste, but eventually youll start adding apple chips in the mix with alot 

[Kioti]

I like to add apple chunks to my alder for smoking my fish and Hickory or my meat.  For cheese I like a mix of hickory and apple or even plum or cherry.
Oak will add a nice golden color to your meats and a mellow taste.
I have used walnut and apple when I smoke my venison or elk.  I particularly like maple when I do my birds, especially duck and goose.
The fun part is experimenting with different types of wood and seeing what taste they produce. 

[jaymark6655]

I have used a plank of cedar for salmon, heart wood only.  Plank goes directly on coals and smokes fish pretty nice. Not sure how it would do for smoking anything else.  Pine sounds nasty.

[lucky33]

Any kind of hard wood brings good results.  Ive heard dried corncob works too, but I havent tried it.

[NRA4LIFE]

I have gone completely away from alder.  It's too pitchy and can give a bitter flavor IMO.  Hickory for most every thing hog and fish, apple for everything else (cheese, beef, etc.).

[KNOPHISH]

I've got a bunch of apple tree branches if anyone wants em.

[yakimarcher]

I like to use hickory on my Teriyaki smoked salmon, it gives it a bacon-like taste

[Huntbear]

I like Cherry as well... and actually am going to try the big wafers... see how they do.

[whtelk]

I have access to an Osage orange tree, wonder what flavor that would add? it is a hard wood.

[PolarBear]

Alder only for fish and cheese.  Hickory, cherry, apple and oak for pork.  I can't stand mesquite!

[ICEMAN]

Fruit trees, maple and alder. De-bark the branches, then cut into 1 inch thick slabs, place into your smoker heat  tray, then dust round the edges with your store bought chips...  Save a ton of money this way.

[singleshot12]

I tried madrona on a turkey breast last year and it was terrific, gave it a smooth velvety flavor. Hard to cut but i don't think i'll ever go back to alder or apple again. Can't wait to try it on salmon.

[Simcoe hunter]

My Dad used to use oak on his briquettes while bbq'ing steelhead.  Oh man that was good.  Otherwise I use mostly store bought chips.  Am thinking of making my own from local fruit trees.

[quadrafire]

Here is a list I dug out of a previous thread a couple yrs ago. I did not come up with it, but it is interesting.

Here ya go



The following woods can be used for smoking:

Acacia - flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy.
Alder - Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
Almond - A sweet smoke flavor. Good with all meats.
Apple - Mild. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
Apricot - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
Ash - Good with fish and red meats.
Birch - Flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
Cherry - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef.
Cottonwood - Subtle flavor. Mix with chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor.
Crabapple - Similar to apple.
Grapefruit - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
Grapevines - Tart, rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
Hickory - Commonly used wood for smoking. Sweet to strong, heavy flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
Lemon - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
Lilac - Good with seafood and lamb.
Maple - Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
Mesquite - Strong flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game.
Mulberry - Like apple.
Nectarine - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
Oak - Heavy smoke flavor. Good with red meat, pork, fish and game.
Orange - Mild. Good with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
Peach - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
Pear - Like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
Pecan - Similar to hickory. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese.
Plum - Good on white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Milder and sweeter than hickory.
Walnut - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

Other wooods - Bay, Carrotwood, Kiawe, Madrone, Manzanita, Guava, Olive, Ornamental Pear, Ornamental Cherry, Beech, Butternut, Fig, Gum, Chestnut, hackberry, Pimiento, Persimmon, and Willow.

The following woods are not suitable for smoking:

Softwoods or evergreen woods (Pine, Fir, Spruce, Redwood, Cedar, Cypress, etc.), Elm, Eucalyptus, Sassafras, Sycamore, Liquid Amber (Sweetgum), Chokecherry, green Cottonwood.

Other guidelines for smoking woods:


If you have some wood and do not know what it is, do not use it for smoking food.
Never use scraps of treated wood or wood that has had any finish applied. Paints and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat, give off toxic fumes when burning, and old paint often contains lead.
Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals such as insecticides that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison.
Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat. If you have some good wood that has fungus growth, pre-burn it down to coals before you put it into your smoker.

[L-ofalab]

start smoking everyone has a different taste, but eventually youll start adding apple chips in the mix with alot 

 Apple for fish!!

[carpsniperg2]

I have 4 woods I use all the time: apple/alder/hickory/Mesquite

They really cover the board well for me. I have used a little peach wood from time to time as well.

[splitshot]

i sell pickup loads of cherry logs and apple logs  to a pro smoker in spokane.  he wants some white oak, but i have not found any yet.  keep looking.  interesting thread.  mike w

[Hawgdawg]

Hit up the ochard owners. get the wood that spent the winter freezing and the bark just falls off. good luck

[splitshot]

  when getting wood for smoking do you want the bark off or on or do you think it matters?  i know when getting wood for my fireplace i try to leave the bark  and bring home just the wood.  mike w

[JLS]

you want the bark off.

[Moose-head]

Pines are terrible for smoking, but are what you want if you are making turpentine; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpentine I have been using oak lately because that is what I have available.  I have had good luck with crabapple branches and other fruittree wood that I get from pruning trees in the yard.  I remove the bark.

[Kc_Kracker]

pine or any wood can be used for heat, but , if the smoke will be hitting the meat no way bad bad! like he said, turpentine 

[Jason]

Anyone ever try Cascara? If so let us know how it turned out.

[Kc_Kracker]

not me but i know the bark is known for being insanely bitter

[Jason]

not me but i know the bark is known for being insanely bitter

I've heard it comes out real smooth.

[buglebuster]

I had a walnut tree i cut down last year. Still have all the wood so i debarked some and used it. Now that is some good flavor

[Rmac4859]

My son-in-law's family (Alaska) all use cherry for the fish

[romaknows]

vine maple 

[PolarBear]

Scotch broom and bull thistle!  Mmmmmmmm......................

[206]

Scotch broom and bull thistle!  Mmmmmmmm......................

goat heads add a unique flavor. Gotta dry them first.

[Time Immemorial]

vine maple 

Really??