Rating of woods for smoking?

I think" best" may have to do with personal tastes,combos of rubs & sauces.


Many feel that mesquite can be bitter on long cooks and use it mostly for grilling.

Oak is thought of as the queen of woods.

Many use it for their well rounded taste and add other woods for flavor.

Folks in the southeast are big fans of hickory and it is one of the stronger.

Pecan is slightly milder than hickory.

Fruit woods are mild and many like apple with pork.

Some like cherry with fowl,but it can darken the product.

Folks in the NW have a lot of alder and its mildness lends itself to fish.

Here is a good site for general info.

I have not known of anyone cooking with bay,so can't help there.

http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/8.html#8.1

I agree with Tom. It totally depends on the type meat you are smoking - and too, everyone's tastes are different.

My favorites for pork are cherry, hickory and oak; for beef it's hickory; for fowl it's apple or most any fruit wood. I've not done much fish but had decent results with hickory. I have tried mesquite and just don't care for it, too bitter.

My 2-cents worth...

I'm afraid I can't rate them, I only use one kind.


HICKORY!!

I like Smokemullet's reference to bay.
Smokemullet is from Cedar Key. Red Bay to smoke mullet is what you do!

Cedar Key smoked mullet..........with ice cold beer, is what makes us strong here on the Gulf Coast.

Smokemullet, how 'bout telling us a bit more about that bay wood. Not available broadly on this continent, you know.

Your right I2BBQ,
Red or white bay is what they use here in Cedar Key to smoke mullet, grouper, redfish and sheepshead. Smoked mullet is the fish of choice here. Before we discuss the bay wood, a story about mullet must be told. Mullet - common white mullet or the mullet of choice for cooking is black mullet. Mullet has an evolutionary link to fish and fowl, it tries to fly and has a gizzard just like a chicken. The meat of a black mullet, the local fish, is firm and has about as much oil as salmon. During the fat season they have a row of fat inside the rib cage that picks up the smoke and is wonderful. Also the fish has a slight meat taste and texture. Either eaten from the smoker or made into dip makes a treat. We have specials on Friday at the local restaurants that serve fried mullet, swamp gabbage (cooked palm shoots with ham hock), slaw and cornbread.

Now! Bay wood. Both white and red bay grow around the gulf coast and does very well in the Big Bend area. The red bay is slightly stronger than the white bay, but both are used for smoking fish here. It gives a mild sweet bay flavor to the smoked product. People here BBQ meats with bay using branches with the leaves attached. The leaf is a true bay leaf and looks like Turkish bay, but is milder. It is not related to the California Bay Laurel which is very strong. When on the tree the underside is a whitish silver color and when the winds blows it is easy to identify as the leaves turn over and are much lighter in color than the green leaf top. The leaves will discourage roaches from the area.

Now mullet dip. Take a smoked mullet, that has been salted before smoking and bone it, same bone structure as a fresh water bass. Add real mayonnaise till the texture is about like cottage cheese. Then add McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce until real hot. The mayonnaise will dilute the heat somewhat. Don't add sour cream, yogurt salt or anything else. Serve with crackers and beer - lots of beer.

Now youall know everything I know.

just adding my 2 cents.
for pork i like hickory, oak and apple mix
for chicken give me whole pecans shells and all
for seafood i sure like orange
for beef i like oak and cherry
but under no circumstance do i like mesquite!!!!
jack
ps i think i just opened a can of worms like i did with the smoke ring thread but i sure hope not

My two cents worth... I dont like cherry on anything. Too smoky. Hickory is my #1 goto wood for pork & beef. Occasionally I add some mesquite to it, but just a little. Apple is the wood of choice for fowl, fish, and cheese. When I make canadian bacon or regular bacon, I use maple. And maple smells sooooo good while it's smoking. Pecan is good on pork butt occasionally. I need to get some oak and experiment. On my charcoal grill, when cooking my "messy chicken" or "messy chops", I love the Jack Daniels whiskey barrel chips. Did NOT like the pellets tho. I would love to try some orange but will have to wait till I make a trip to FL to get some.

Bob

Being from the Southeast I was raised on hickory switches and smoke. It is the mainstay for smoking in Tennessee. My favorite is pecan, it has a full flavor but I have not had a bitter experience using it. I have a free supply of hickory and cherry (local Amish sawmill) but cherry always seems too smokey and bitter. The orange sounds like a great idea. It's all a matter of taste. Whatever you use make sure it's seasoned. I have grilled with green wood with good results but I've ruined meat with green wood in a smoker.

smokemullet,
Thanks, you answered my question about the bay wood right here.
When I was a kid I got hooked on smoked mullet bought at the fish bait store wrapped in newspaper. They must catch the mullet in nets, I've never seen one that was caught with a hook.
The smoked mullet dip is absolutely the best thing I've ever had. I like it on bread sticks or those bagel crisps.
Orange wood, or any citrus is excellent to smoke with. You'll notice the leaves and stems have the citrus smell. It's very good with chicken, turkey, or fish.
Peggy