Next I’m Going to Smoke a Brisket. What Kind(s) of Wood Would be Good Choices?

[Troutman]

“So if a pecan, cherry, mesquite or oak tree falls somewhere in the woods, does anyone really know how clean the wood burns?”

The BBQ Whisperer

[hoovarmin]

It depends on whether those trees were blade tenderized.

[Troutman]

Indeed. That’s heavy man 😵💫

[Johnny Booth]

Yeah - That IS heavy. According to a non-scientific internet search:
The weight of the average post oak tree is 47 pounds per cubic foot!
🙂

[Nicolaus]

I’m going to use only the Bourbon Barrel Oak for the brisket.

[texastweeter]

Mix the bourbon barrel oak with the mesquite 2 to 1. I run red oak with a bit of mesquite myself for beef, lamb, and venison. I know others here will say it doesn't matter, but tou asked, and you have it so...

[Nicolaus]

Mix the bourbon barrel oak with the mesquite 2 to 1. I run red oak with a bit of mesquite myself for beef, lamb, and venison. I know others here will say it doesn't matter, but tou asked, and you have it so...

I’m going to take you up on that! I’ve been itching to try Mesquite. Thank you!

We have a lot of Venison in the freezer. Could you offer any concrete suggestions for smoking the various cuts?

[texastweeter]

Gimme the cut you wanna try and yes.

[Santamarina]

Oak is my main wood. I use it on everything. I’ve tried many others, but always find myself back with oak.

But more important than the type of wood is the quality of the fire. Even the most delicate wood can ruin meat if your fire isn’t burning properly.

[Smoked Transistors]

My suggestion would be Apple and Hickory cause this was a Harry Soo favorite when smoking Briskets.

[HawkerXP]

I love some cherry but oak or hickory are good also. Be sure to report back with your results.

[Nicolaus]

texastweeter et al, I ended up using 1 to 3 ratio of Bourbon Barrel Oak and Mesquite in this cook and the results were just wonderful.

I pulled the meat from the grill when the point reached 197, which ended up being a bit too early, as one very small and very narrow section on one side of the point ended up being chewy-otherwise, the rest of the meat was wonderfully tender and juicy. Next, time I will probe more carefully and fully, and I’ll probably also wait until all probes read 200.

Here are some photos:

[jfmorris]

Looks great. I don't monitor the point - just the flat, since the point will typically stay juicy no matter what. It's the flat you gotta worry about.

[texastweeter]

Good job! Glad it worked out for you. Nice way to nail your first brisket cook, I sure didn't lol!

[Murdy]

I use pecan on just about everything. Mesquite rarely (chicken occasionally). Of what you listed, I'd probably use hickory or hickory mixed with apple or cherry. Oak would be fine too, in fact, I don't notice a big difference in anything other than mesquite and to an extent hickory.

[mrteddyprincess]

Panhead John got me to thinking early on in this thread about post oak is a thing in Texas BBQ and I really think the answer is because those are the kinds of oak trees that grow in Texas and other parts of the south and midwest. So here's a map of where post oak trees grow. It looks like we have some down in the southern tip of Indiana, but not where I live. Hickory is readily available around here along with wild cherry. Brian