Help Me Pick My FruitaWood Order!

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

I am planning on getting one of their you pick 'em boxes for wood chunks.

https://fruitawoodchunks.com/shop/ol...-pickem-option

I noticed Vaughn is cheaper but don't really feel like ordering 30 pounds of one type at once as I'd prefer to mix different chunks per cook.

https://shop.vaughnwoodproducts.com/...s-GCM06OAK.htm

I've mainly used B&B or Western hickory, but managed to find a bag of oak and a bag of cherry recently. I also primary do pork and beef and not a lot of chicken, turkey, or fish.

Post oak is definitely on the list. What else should I get?!

Enablers Assemble!

Leaning towards oak, cherry, peach, and pecan...

Feeling kinda torn between apple, mulberry, and maple as potential replacement..

[rickgregory]

I'd do oak and a fruit wood. I don't think the difference is major in most woods until you do something like mesquite, but I use oak or hickory or pecan on beef and fruit woods on pork and fish, so...

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Best fruit wood?

[rickgregory]

I like cherry or apple. Not tried peach etc.

[Bkhuna]

My last order was the 4 variety, cookshack cut. I got red oak, post oak, pecan, and cherry. Pecan is about my favorite for pork and I use the cherry a lot for chicken. Oak makes a great bed of coals to grill beef hot and fast. I really can't tell the difference between the different species of oak.

[Draznnl]

How much do you feel like being a guinea pig? If you’re up for some experiments, you could order post oak, red oak, and white oak to see if there is any discernible difference among them

Edit: No fair, Bkhuna answered my question while I was typing it.

[USMCCrashCrew89]

I got post oak, peach, wild cherry, and sassafras. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices though.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

What do you use peach and sassafras with?

[USMCCrashCrew89]

I’ve mainly done pork with the sassafras, peach for pork and yardbird.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Sassafras is out of stock. Crap

[RichardCullip]

Hickory and Cherry for me.

[Steve B]

Without question you need cherry. It absolutely the best for pork and I also love it with chicken.

[HawkerXP]

#1. I love cherry! and I've had their post oak which was good.

I learned to bore my neighbors with my smoking / grilling stories and this has gotten me apple, cherry and oak from trees in their yards!

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Leaning towards oak, cherry, peach, and pecan...

Feeling kinda torn between apple, mulberry, and maple as potential replacement.

[Oak Smoke]

You won’t regret choosing apple. I have to pay to get all the red oak and pecan wood, that I clean up under my trees, hauled away. With all that on hand I still buy apple.

[klflowers]

I usually do post oak, cherry, apple and lately peach. Next order I will probably do something other than peach though. I use the oak and one if the fruit woods for beef and just fruit wood9 for pork and chicken.

[Craigar]

Whatever you do, make sure peach is in the equation. Typically I order peach, cherry, and something different every time for the 3rd flavor. Last time it was the pecan. Next time it will be almond as the third flavor.

[smokin fool]

Pecan and Cherry are my go to chunks, used 90% of the time.
I do like Maple also, Walmart sells a Maple bourbon barrel chip that I use.
Don't know how much bourbon its ever seen but I like the results.
For brisket it has to be Mesquite.
I've tried apple and didn't mind it, never seem mulberry up here.

[barelfly]

Peach and apricot are similar, I’ve used this before. But the suggestions above are great - cherry is good, and then Oak and Pecan.

I have not ordered from Fruita, but what I have ordered from Smokinlicious in the same fashion as what you are doing is a great way to get a nice variety of species.

[barelfly]

IFindZeroBadCooks - I’ll take a look, it’s been a while since I ordered. I stocked up a bit ago, and then got a double order when my parents got me a box for my birthday. But I”ll give it a look and post back. I know it’s not the greatest website for ordering, but will check

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

The website is horrible. But I managed to find this:

https://www.smokinlicious.com/blog/smoker-wood-chunks-double-and-single-filet/

[barelfly]

IFindZeroBadCooks - yes that is it. By box/cubic foot. A cubic foot box is actually pretty big and the fillet/chunks are great - especially for my electric smoker that has a "house" for the chunks. They fit perfect.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Not seeing too many recommendations for mulberry or maple so the remaining question is what to do about apple.

Currently the list is oak, pecan, peach, and cherry.

Oak Smoke which would you replace with apple?

Everyone else: Dare I drop oak for apple? That would leave my "heavy" wood for pastrami at cherry (I think) and whatever I mix it with (apple, pecan, peach). All of the woods are pretty good with pork, chicken, and turkey.

[TripleB]

I have ordered both from FruitaWood and Vaughn. I do not believe either are seasoned wood, but kiln dried. I've used Vaughn in my offset and FruitaWood in my KBQ. I purchased a moisture meter to see what moisture the wood had. I've read around 18-22% is good. Did not get a reading above 12% - mostly around 8%. Neither Fruita or Vaughn wood or smoker produced smoky flavor to the pork ribs, nor beef ribs. Both brands came out very mild to non-detect.

I am now trying B&B logs from Ace hardware this Wednesday when I do some BBQ chicken on the KBQ. I am hoping on getting some good smoky flavor on the thighs.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Smokilicous claims to track moisture.

https://www.smokinlicious.com/phone/moisture-recommendations-and-table.html

[TripleB]

IFindZeroBadCooks - I would think the same thing for B&B, but I had to try something else. Never heard of smokinlicious, but will give them a try. Thanks

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

I have also emailed Bert at Fruita to ask about the moisture content. We will see if he responds.

[Santamarina]

Oak is my go-to wood for every cook. Every once in a while my wood guy throws a few pieces of almond my way. It’s nice, especially on pork, but I haven’t found anything that works better than oak!