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Wood for barbecue smoking

Smoke is the third element of barbecue cooking along with heat and cooking time. Originally, smoke was used to preserve food for very long periods. Today, it's used more to flavor food with a "wood-fired" taste. Don't rush out to find old pieces of wood to flavor your food, smoking is an art, and the selection of wood pieces must be done carefully.

How to use your barbecue as a smoker?

It all depends on your equipment. If you're using a gas barbecue, it's also possible to use it as a smoker. However, you'll need to get a smoker box to place the wood chips in, or wrap them in aluminum foil with lots of holes inside. I advise you to double the foil to make sure it doesn't give way and you end up with all the wood chips at the bottom of your barbecue. Place the wood very close to the heat source. If you're using a charcoal barbecue, you can simply place the wood on the embers or put them in a perforated metal box. The best thing to do is to experiment to see what works best for you.

Which wood to choose?

You can use any wood that is dry. Fruit tree wood or walnut are very good woods for smoking food. Of course, some woods are better than others. Let's take an example, you're going to cook a large piece of meat that will require several hours of cooking, apple wood will be ideal because its taste remains subtle and takes a long time to flavor the food, whereas mesquite which is a strong wood will be perfect for flavoring small pieces of meat. So it all depends on the food you're going to cook.

Wood for barbecue smoking

  • Acacia: It's identical to mesquite wood just a little less strong. This wood gives off a lot of heat, it should be used in small quantities and for a limited time, so not for too large foods.
  • Alder: It has a light aroma that is excellent on fish and poultry. It's the wood traditionally used for smoking salmon
  • Almond: It gives a nutty flavor, excellent for all meats.
  • Apple: This is a wood that gives a mild flavor to food. Excellent on poultry and pork. It will discolor the chicken skin, turning it dark brown.
  • Apricot: This wood is excellent for smoking poultry and pork. It's very similar to walnut, although it's a bit milder and less intense in flavor.
  • Black walnut: It gives a very strong taste to food, it's better to mix it with other woods as it gives a bitter taste.
  • Birch: gives a flavor similar to maple. Great for chicken and poultry as it's not too strong in taste.
  • Cherry: One of the best woods for smoking your food, it's extremely popular
  • Lemon tree: It produces little smoke, but it gives a slightly fruity taste to food just like apple or cherry.
  • Poplar: It has a very light flavor and adds very little aroma to food, it's better to mix it with another stronger wood
  • grapevine: This wood produces an excellent smoky flavor, can be used for all meats
  • Walnut: It gives a very strong taste to meats, don't use too much, very good for smoking beef or lamb.
  • Maple: Like fruit trees, it gives a very mild taste, it's excellent for poultry and pork.
  • Mesquite: It's very popular in the USA where it's used for grilling because it produces very high heat, but as it burns quickly, I don't recommend it for long barbecues. However, it's a very powerful wood that quickly imparts its flavors to meat. It's widely used in restaurants.
  • Oak: This is a hard wood but not too powerful, so it's very good for beef and lamb.
  • Peach: Superb for smoking pork and poultry. It's very similar to maple but it's milder and develops fewer aromas
  • Pear: Just like apple, it produces a mild and not too strong aroma.
  • Hazelnut: It develops a strong smoke, it should be mixed with other woods

You can also use wine or alcohol barrels to flavor the meat, it's a real delight.

Woods to avoid are: cedar, cypress, eucalyptus, pine, sycamore.

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