Wood Smoking Flavor Table

[Potkettleblack]

Whoa there, Huskee. Folks will get us confused.

[Nate]

I like pecan... oak always seems like the safest bet though.

[Huskee]

I love apricot wood. Good stuff.

[Attjack]

I agree with you. I have noticed maple is a good fit for whiskey as opposed to hickory. I think mild and strong might be almost all you need to know.

[Huskee]

Too much emphasis, IMO, is placed on subtle differences that the you & I's of the world can't notice. Smoke is smoke. Most if it is great if used right. I think the reality is there are 3 kinds- good, great, & too strong for what you're making.

[Huskee]

you can tell mesquite or maybe hickory from apple, just like you could tell a semi from a car going by on the road, but beyond that it would take a trained smoke sommelier to tell the intricate differences. To be cont'd...

[Huskee]

Attjack It would be fun, but I fear an impossible challenge. Just too much going on. When I do side by sides to test a new wood I use chicken legs with only salt- no other flavorings. Even then it's hard to pick apple from plum from almond. They're all slightly different, but it's kind of like closing your eyes and telling which make & model of car just went by on the road... To be cont'd...

[Attjack]

I would be pretty shocked if any of us could identify the wood from a blind taste test. But it would be cool to test that theory.

[Huskee]

I'm sorry, I hate to be a negative Ned, but these charts are very subjective and at the mercy of their creator (read: baloney). DO NOT take this to the bank and make future smoking decisions based on it. I've smoked amazing briskets with apple. I do most of my smoking with ash (not fit to even be included), and I've done awesome salmon with peach.

[Potkettleblack]

Two guys, possibly one flavor profile...
I've had chicken with mesquite, and it works nicely, and really, anything that you do hotter than 300 or so, the flavor of the smoke doesn't matter... #Science!

[Attjack]

Yup, well 2 men's opinions. From the website:

"King of the Coals is a joint venture by father and son team, Tim and Joe. We both love food and have been cooking together for years."

[Gator Lau]

It looks like one mans opinion. It’s as good as anybody else’s. I like the warning - I didn’t know a couple of those were bad. Personally, I use many - some for different foods; some for different recipes. I don’t know how much it helps, but it gives me an excuse platform.

[Attjack]

I'm sitting on a ton of apricot.

[Steve R.]

Give me oak, hickory and cherry, in that order, and I'm good.

[Potkettleblack]

Surprised by the no apple on cheese. Common in Wisconsin.

I currently use Maple-Hickory-Cherry on everything. Works fine.