About Wood for Smokers

Why Is Smoker Wood Important In Smoking Meat?
Smoker wood chips, chunks, and logs actually impart different flavors on the meat or fish you are cooking. This means that it is another flavor element that you need to be aware of if you want to be an expert smoker. Also, it is important to know which smoker wood you can pair together to create delicious smoked recipes. Many beginner smokers always ask what type of smoker wood to buy and what is the difference between them. The most popular and commercially available wood on the grill and smoking tour today are: oak wood chips, hickory wood chips, mesquite wood chips, pecan wood chips, apple wood chips, cherry wood chips, and alder wood chips. The list below will show you a larger list of smoker woods that may be harder to find unless you to go a specialty BBQ or smoker store.

Types of Smoker Wood

• Alder wood
  
• Almond wood
  
• Apple wood
  
• Apricot wood
  
• Ash wood
  
• Bay wood
  
• Beech wood
  
• Birch wood

• Butternut wood
  
• Cherry wood
  
• Chestnut wood
  
• Cottonwood wood
  
• Crabapple wood
  
• Fig wood
  
• Grapefruit wood
  
• Grapevine wood

• Guava wood
  
• Hackberry wood
  
• Hickory wood
  
• Kiawe wood
  
• Lemon wood
  
• Lilac wood
  
• Madrone wood
  
• Nanzanita wood

• Maple wood
  
• Mesquite wood
  
• Mulberry wood
  
• Nectarine wood
  
• Oak wood
  
• Olive wood
  
• Orange wood
  
• Peach wood

• Pear wood
  
• Pecan wood
  
• Persimmon wood
  
• Pimento wood
  
• Plum wood
  
• Sassafras wood
  
• Walnut wood
  
• Willow wood

Smoker Wood Comparison Chart
The chart below will help you compare different types of wood chips against one another. It was also created to teach you which smoker wood chips can be grouped together. Most smoked recipes call for mixing two types of wood together, but it is not uncommon to use up to three types together or even a single wood for smoking your meat.

Types of Wood Chips	Uses of Wood Chips	Flavor Profile
Alder Wood Chips	Alder wood chips are known for cooking fish and poultry	Light with a hint of sweet flavor. Great mixed with apple wood chips
Apple Wood Chips	Apple chips are great for beef, poultry, salmon, trout & other fish	Dense wood with a sweet smoky flavor. Tastes great mixed or alone
Cherry Wood Chips	Cherry chips are great for beef, pork, or salmon	Mild and fruity smoke flavor. Great mixed with other woods like hickory or mesquite
Grape Wood Chips	Grape wood chips taste great with chicken or other poultry	Sweet berry flavor great mixed with apple wood chips
Hickory Wood Chips	Hickory is a versatile wood chip great for smoking all meats, especially pork and ribs	Hickory is the most popular smoking wood with a bold and robust flavor
Maple Wood Chips	Great for smoking steak, cheese, vegetables and small game	Mild and sweet flavor. Easy to mix with any wood, especially hickory and apple
Mesquite Wood Chips	Most meats, especially beef	Bold earthy flavor that is a great mixing wood with any other type of wood chip
Mulberry Wood Chips	Mulberry chips are taste great with ham and chicken	Sweet and berry finish with a gourmet taste
Oak Wood Chips	Red meat, pork, and fish	A dense wood that burns long and slow. Oak chips can be paired with any type of wood
Peach Wood Chips	A great wood spice to try with different type recipes	A rare soft wood that has a sweet smoky finish. Can be mixed with any type of wood
Persimmon Wood Chips	Red Meats	Strong Pine flavor with a smooth finish that is not too smoky
Pear Wood Chips	Poultry, game birds and pork.	A subtle yet sweet flavor that is great paired with Apple wood chips
Pecan Wood Chips	Great paired with all types of meats	Similar flavor profile to Hickory with a mild flavor that can be paired with any wood
Plum Wood Chips	Most meats and fish	The flavor is milder and sweeter than apple wood and great for mixing with other wood profiles
Walnut Wood Chips	Red meats and wild game	Heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like pecan or apple