The best wood smoking chips come from deciduous trees, particularly nut trees like hickory, pecan, and oak, as well as fruit trees like apple and cherry. Mesquite, a popular smoking wood in the Southwest and Hawaii, imparts a robust smoke flavour that complements red meat. Avoid pine and other softwoods, which impart a bitter, tar-like flavour to foods.
For smoking, wood comes in many different forms: logs, which are used in “stick-burners” (the offset barrel smokers used in restaurants and on the competition barbecue circuit); fist-sized wood chunks; and wood chips (the most common form of smoking fuel—available at supermarkets and hardware stores). Pellet smokers use compressed hardwood wood chips pellets; electric smokers use coarse wood chips or sawdust discs, and stovetop and handheld smokers use straight hardwood wood chips.
The Woodabrix’s BBQ Wood Chips are highly compatible with all types of smoking wood. When it comes to smoking foods, the type of wood chip you use has a big impact on the flavour. Experimenting with different flavours to find the perfect combination is enjoyable. If you’re new to food smoking, check out our website to choose the best Barbeque Wood Chips for your smoked foods.
Below is a list of the best combinations of wood chips for smoking:
Apple Wood Chips
Applewood smoking wood chip is a traditional wood chip. It has a distinct aroma as well as a sweet, mild flavour that can add much-needed depth to poultry. If you’re sick of plain old chicken or foul, try smoking it with applewood for a slightly fruity flavour. However, don’t over-smoke your poultry because the sweetness can become too overpowering. Moreover, applewood smoking chips can add a lot of depth to pork!
Hickory Wood Chips
Hickory is a simple wood to work with and can be used to smoke almost any meat. It’s especially good for enhancing the flavour of red meats. If you want a rich, bacony flavour, use hickory wood chips for smoking. It can impart a smoky, hearty flavour to poultry, red meat, and even fish. Again, don’t over-smoke, as it can turn your food bitter and chalky.
Cherry Wood Chips
As your smoking skills improve, you can experiment with different woods such as cherry.
Cherry has a mild, sweet, and rich flavour that pairs well with meats like turkey, ham, or chicken. This sweetness can help to enhance the meat’s savoury flavour. Cherry works well when combined with other wood chips for smoking, such as oak. Cherry wood chips for smoking are an absolute must for fans of bold, layered flavours.
Oak Wood Chips
Without oak, no list of wood chips for smoking would be complete. This is the go-to wood for making mistakes. If you like rich, red meats like brisket, beef, or sausages, oak wood chips for smoking can add a strong, smoky flavour without being overpowering. However, the strong smoke of oak wood chips can be too much for poultry. Furthermore, oak is a great wood for layering. To get the most out of your alder, cherry, or applewood, layer it with oak for a much more robust flavour profile.
Apple Wood Chunks
Apple wood chunks will undoubtedly become a favourite in your backyard cooking arsenal. Innovative smoking chunks enhance the flavour of your charcoal grill, barrel smoker, or pit smoker creations. And, like all of our cooking wood products, they go through our special drying process and are hand-inspected by our expert team to ensure they meet our stringent quality standards, so you know you’re getting an unrivalled product.
Thoughts on Smoking Wood Chips
Using wood chips for smoking is a great way to experiment with a variety of new flavours. Because of the various types of wood that can be used, this technique is ideal for infusing extra flavour into your meat dishes.
The sweetness, fruitiness, or intense smoke can help elevate any barbeque to the gourmet level. Keep in mind not to over-smoke your meat, and don’t soak your wood either. Smoking is also an excellent way to elevate any grilled meat, and it can make any meal memorable. Layer your smoking wood chips with various meats to find the flavour combinations that work best for you.
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