What wood are you burning - with Charcoal

[jlazar]

I didn't want to steal the topic by jfmorris with a similar title so I am starting a new one. His question focused on the type of wood you use in your stick burners. What I would like to know is what wood chunks folks normally use in their charcoal driven cookers. And to take it one step further, is there a particular wood or combination you like with a certain type of meat.

For example, I usually use KBB and wood chunks as follows:

Fish - Cherry
Ham - Cherry
Chicken - Cherry and Pecan
Steaks - Hickory or Pecan
Fatties/Sausages - Anything
Ribs - Pecan and Apple
Pork Butt - Pecan and Hickory
Chuck Roast - Hickory and Pecan
Brisket - Hickory and Mesquite

[lonnie mac]

I have become a HUGE fan of peach on anything lately. But I have all the woods and use them in the usual order.

[DWCowles]

Hickory mostly but I do used pecan, cherry and maple sometimes.

[CRO]

Post Oak only for Brisket
Peach and a mix of other fruit's with pork.
Pecan and another fruit for chicken.

[RonB]

Mostly hickory, but I do use apple too.

[xaugievike]

hickory mostly and pecan occasionally on poultry or beef. just ordered a bunch from fruitawood to replenish the stores...first order from them.

[jfmorris]

I don't use chips anymore, just chunks from the store (Weber or Kingsford) when smoking with charcoal, and sometimes a friend will give me branches off his fruit trees - but those go to the stick burner. What I've used to date are:

Apple - pork, ribs
Pecan - Pork, chicken
Hickory - Beef
Mesquite - Beef

I probably use apple chunks the most, and will use them on beef or chicken if thats what I have.

[Mudkat]

I just got a truck load of cherry and hickory so it'll be cherry and hickory for everything. Oh and I still have some apple in the shed.

[Troutman]

Check my signature tab for my answer (too lazy to re-type )

[rodkeary]

Apple or Cherry - chicken
Peach - pork
Red Oak - beef (in particular tri tip)
Hickory - beef (brisket, beef ribs)

[EdF]

Apple and pear have been big favorites for my family. But that was what we could easily scavenge in our old location. Here, some cherry, oak and hickory, depending on what's cooking.

[fuzzydaddy]

I have limited space for my wood chunks, so I currently only have 3 - all from Fruita
-Cherry (pork butts, pork ribs, pork tenderloins, chicken, beef and probably about anything)
-Post Oak (only brisket, beef ribs and chuck roasts)
-Pecan (haven't used it yet)

When there's room, next to get is apple, hickory and peach.

[Steve R.]

This changes my answer sigificantly compared to what I burn for straight wood. My favorites for chunks are bourbon barrels, persimmon and wild plum. Probably the 2nd best butt I have cooked was with persimmon chunks. Bourbon barrel chunks are my go to for brisket. The wild plum... if you can find this in the wild, it is second to none for poultry or pork loin/tenderloin.

[BourBonQ]

Mostly hickory, then pecan and apple. Just got some cherry that I will use for the first time this weekend on an Easter turkey.

[Huskee]

I have so many kinds of wood, in the 20s, so with each cook I'm using something new. I lean toward a mix of cherry & oak for brisket, or cherry and sassafras. Otherwise I don't have a go-to I usually trying some new mix. Used to use peach a lot, got tired of it. Honey locust is incredible. Orange is my least favorite.

[jlazar]

Agree on the orange. Have also stopped using peach. For fruit, cherry and apple are the go to.