Smoking Wood
When barbecuing and smoking meat, choosing the right smoking wood, and using it correctly, is essential. That said, everyone has their own opinion on this, which makes sense because taste is personal. Gijs usually bases his wood choice on the original recipes and a well-known BBQ Heroes blog. He is happy to answer a few frequently asked questions about smoking wood.
Dry or Wet
Never soak your smoking wood. Wet wood must first lose its moisture before it can get hot enough to smoke. Water evaporates around 100°C, while most wood only starts smoking around 300°C. So at first it may look like your meat is smoking nicely, but that is not really happening yet. Steam adds almost no flavor, so you are effectively cutting your actual smoking time significantly.
On top of that, adding wet wood cools down your coals and therefore your barbecue. That makes it harder to keep a stable temperature. Soaking smoking wood is really a waste.
Is Smoking (Meat) Unhealthy?
The simple answer is yes, smoking itself is not very healthy. But in the context of barbecuing, it is a bit more nuanced. While smoke particles on meat are not ideal, this is usually less harmful than eating raw or burnt meat. That is often a bigger issue with regular grilling. Because smoking is usually done at lower temperatures, the chance of burning food is much smaller. And by using a core thermometer, you can also avoid undercooked meat. So when done correctly, smoking can be a healthier way to barbecue.
In any case, never sit in the smoke plume, keep your barbecue in open air, and use suitable smoking wood (more on that below).
Chunks or Chips?
If a dish such as pulled pork stays on the barbecue for 8–9 hours, that does not mean it should be smoked the whole time. Too much smoke creates a bitter flavor, and that is exactly what we want to avoid.
For long cooks such as pulled pork or spare ribs, Gijs recommends 2 to 3 chunks of smoking wood. For shorter cooks (around 1 hour), like MOINK balls, he only smokes for the first 20 to 30 minutes. Of course, this also depends on personal taste. Gijs prefers smoking at the start of the session while the meat is still raw, because that is when the meat and marinade absorb smoke flavor best. So the first chunk goes on the hot coals as soon as the meat goes on the barbecue.
Which Wood Types Are Suitable for Smoking?
Most hardwood types are safe for smoking. If you want to be extra safe, buy smoking wood from a trusted store. In any case, never use treated wood or wood of unknown origin. And it is not just chemicals in treated wood that are unhealthy, untreated wood with moss or mold is also best avoided. Some molds and mosses can make you seriously ill, so Gijs always recommends playing it safe. You should also avoid the following wood types:
- Spruce
- Pine
- Cypress
- Sweetgum
- Elm
- Eucalyptus
- Sycamore fig (Sycamore)
Which Wood Should I Use for My Dish?
Different wood types produce different flavor profiles and intensities. So it is important to use the right wood for your dish, otherwise your meat may taste like plain charcoal or end up with barely any barbecue character. For convenience, here is a list of wood types with flavor notes and matching dishes.
| Wood Type | Characteristics | Dishes |
|---|---|---|
| Apricot | Bacon-like flavor but milder and sweeter than hickory. | Turkey, chicken, pork, fish |
| Acacia | Spicy and earthy flavor. Related to mesquite, but less intense. | Chicken, beef, fish |
| Maple | Smoky, mild, and slightly sweet. | Pheasant, poultry, vegetables, cheese, turkey, chicken, partridge, pork (ham) |
| Almond | Sweet, nutty smoke flavor with a light but recognizable aroma. | Fish, red meat |
| Apple | Very mild with a subtle sweet fruit flavor. Gives poultry skin a beautiful dark-brown color. | Duck, pheasant, turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, ham, spareribs, red meat, game |
| Birch | Medium hardwood with mild, sweet smoke. | Chicken, pork |
| Beech | Neutral smoke flavor. Colors fish nicely from reddish to brown. | Eel, ham, sausage, fish |
| Citrus wood | Orange, lemon, and grapefruit woods produce a mild smoky flavor. | Pheasant, turkey, chicken, partridge, beef, pork, fish, seafood |
| Crab apple (ornamental apple) | Very mild with a subtle sweet fruit flavor. Gives poultry skin a beautiful dark-brown color. | Pheasant, turkey, chicken, lamb, partridge, beef, game, red meat |
| Grapevine | Produces lots of smoke with a rich, fruity, slightly tart flavor. | Pheasant, turkey, chicken, lamb, partridge, beef, game, red meat |
| Oak | Great aroma and gives smoked food a beautiful golden-yellow to brown color. All oak species are suitable for smoking. | Turkey, eel, beef, sausage, salmon, red meat |
| Alder | Delicate, very soft, sweet, musky aroma. | Poultry, eel, pork, salmon, seafood |
| Ash | Light but characteristic flavor; burns quickly. | Fish, red meat |
| Maple (Esdoorn) | Mild and sweet. | Pheasant, vegetables, cheese, turkey, chicken, partridge, pork (ham) |
| Hickory | Sweet, strong bacon-like flavor. Heavy smoke profile, use in moderation. | Poultry, cheese, turkey, beef, ham, spareribs |
| Chestnut | Lightly sweet, nutty flavor and aroma. | Poultry, beef, pork, game |
| Cherry | Mild, sweet, and fruity. Gives poultry skin a dark-brown color and adds a pleasant pink tint to lighter meats. | Duck, poultry, cheese, lamb, beef, pork, spareribs |
| Bay (Laurel) | Slightly floral and spiced smoke flavor with a hint of cinnamon. | Poultry, vegetables, pork, red meat |
| Mesquite | Spicy, earthy aroma, but quickly turns bitter with longer smoking. Can overpower easily. | Vegetables, cheese, chicken, beef, fish |
| Mulberry | Mild, sweet, with hints of blackberry. Somewhat similar to apple smoke. | Poultry, pork (ham) |
| Nectarine | Sweet, mild smoke. Slightly resembles hickory. | Turkey, chicken, pork, fish |
| Olive | Spicy and earthy smoke, like mesquite but milder. | Poultry, lamb, pork (ham), fish (salmon) |
| Pecan | Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. A good all-rounder. | Poultry, cheese, beef, pork |
| Pear | Subtle smoke flavor, similar to apple. | Turkey, chicken, pork |
| Peach | Similar to hickory but sweeter and milder. | Turkey, chicken, pork |
| Plum | Similar to hickory but sweeter and milder. | Turkey, chicken, lamb, pork, fish |
| Lilac | Very light and subtle with a floral accent. | Lamb, fish |
| Fig | Mild, fruity aroma. | Spareribs |
| Walnut | Heavy smoke profile, usually mixed with lighter woods such as almond, pear, or apple. Turns bitter quickly if smoked too long. | Game, red meat |
| Whiskey barrels | Oak wood infused with whiskey. Adds a whiskey flavor to smoke. | Beef, pork |
| Wine barrels | Oak wood infused with wine. Adds a wine flavor to smoke. | Cheese, beef, pork |
| Blackcurrant | Similar to hickory but sweeter and milder. | Poultry |