| ACACIA – these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.ALDER – Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
ALMOND – A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.
APPLE – Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
ASH – Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
BIRCH – Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork, poultry and steak.
CHERRY – Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
COTTONWOOD – It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don’t use green cottonwood for smoking.
CRABAPPLE – Similar to apple wood.
GRAPEVINES – Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
HICKORY – Most commonly used wood for smoking–the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
LILAC – Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood, awesome with lamb.
MAPLE – Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds, excellent with Chuck Eye steaks.(similar to ribeye but at a fraction the cost).
MESQUITE – Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.
MULBERRY – The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
OAK – Heavy smoke flavor–the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT – Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
PEAR – A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
PECAN – Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
Plum – Excellent with pork ribs and also good with poultry.
SWEET FRUIT WOODS – APRICOT, PEACH, NECTARINE – Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
WALNUT – ENGLISH and BLACK – Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.
Folks report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA and OLIVE. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i. e. pear and cherry) are also suitable for smoking.
Other Internet sources list the wood from the following trees as suitable for smoking: BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW. |
 
Alder is almost completely out here, Hickory is still hot enough to cook a burger or two.
Hickory is very similar to Oak in many respects but has a stronger smoke flavor, that is all Hickory. |
