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Best Wood for Smoking Port Butt - Any Consensus?

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    Best Wood for Smoking Port Butt - Any Consensus?

    Need to smoke 2 pork butts this weekend on my pellet smoker - yes, I'm lazy! Any suggestions on what wood, or wood combos to use? I used Apple last time and liked the results, but that was a shot in the dark. I know opinions differ, just curious if there was any consensus. I'm a newbie - just started BBQ last year, so open to learning!

    #2
    Hickory does well, as do countless others.

    Comment


      #3
      Any fruit wood works, too.

      Comment


      • rodkeary
        rodkeary commented
        Editing a comment
        Yup! Peach is my favourite.

      #4
      Cherry

      Comment


      • klflowers
        klflowers commented
        Editing a comment
        I like cherry too.

      • goosebr160
        goosebr160 commented
        Editing a comment
        Cherry is my go to for pulled pork as well

      • frigate
        frigate commented
        Editing a comment
        Another vote for cherry.

      #5
      I use nothing but hickory on swine.

      Comment


      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        +1 on hickory for pork.

      #6
      I favor Hickory.

      Comment


        #7
        Hickory.

        Comment


          #8
          Mesquite! There is no substitute!

          Comment


          • RustyHaines
            RustyHaines commented
            Editing a comment
            +1 on mesquite for pork

          • Troutman
            Troutman commented
            Editing a comment
            Spoken like a true Texan !!! Definitely my favorite for beef.

          • bardsleyque
            bardsleyque commented
            Editing a comment
            hickory is a good substitute...

          #9
          2/3 Cherry and 1/3 hickory. This is in my Primo XL.

          Comment


          • pjlstrat
            pjlstrat commented
            Editing a comment
            Quick question.....I assume you are using Charcoal with wood chunks. Do you wrap your wood in foil with holes poked? What kind of charcoal do you use? Also a Primo user, so trying to learn.

          • fttank
            fttank commented
            Editing a comment
            I use chunks mainly. I have a lodge 2qt Dutch oven that I drilled holes in the bottom that I place my wood in. I sometimes also place a small amount of chips to speed up the smoke process.

          • fttank
            fttank commented
            Editing a comment
            Fogo on the bottom, then fill it up with medium and small pieces of whatever I have leftover. Usually US sourced Royal Oak. I have a few bags of other brands that I’m going to try out soon. Kamado Joe XL is one of them.

          #10
          I use hickory and occasionally use oak. I know a lot of folks like to mix woods, but I like to go with just one.

          Comment


            #11
            Hickory has always been my go to, but that's because it was what I was taught.

            I do have a wild cherry tree that needs to come down though...

            Comment


              #12
              Don't use pine. Pretty much everything else is usable if it's hardwood or fruit. And Bradford pears don't count as fruit. The quality of the meat and the seasoning are the most important factors in my experience and according to this site.

              Comment


                #13
                I like a combination of pecan and apple.

                Comment


                  #14
                  From the home of pulled pork, oak or hickory are the woods of choice. Mesquite leave to the Texans who have no taste buds for that bitter smoke. Fruit woods are fine though apple is more traditional over cherry. But do what you like pork adapts to your flavor additions. Both smoke and sauce. With a sweet hickory or oak smoke the Carolina vinegar sauces work very well.

                  Here are the 5 woods I keep on hand and the meats I use them on:

                  Apple: Pork, chicken, deer
                  Cherry: Turkey, wild boar
                  Hickory: Nearly anything but especially pork
                  Maple: Bacon, Hams a little on beef
                  Oak: Nearly anything but especially beef and pork

                  These chunks last a little more than an hour on my Weber 22.

                  I mix and match on how I am feeling. As I have said before being retired I am have gone back to my Weber 22 kettle with some additions. I have given all my fancy cookers away.
                  Last edited by mountainsmoker; June 27, 2019, 10:07 PM.

                  Comment


                  • texastweeter
                    texastweeter commented
                    Editing a comment
                    my recommendation on pairings is as follows:

                    Oak/Mesquite - beef, lamb, venison
                    pecan - poultry and wildfowel
                    hickory - all pork, domestic or wild
                    fruit wood - fish (except salmon/tuna) cheese, veggies, pasta
                    cedar/alder - salmon/tuna
                    bay leaves/twigs -shrimp/lobster

                  • klflowers
                    klflowers commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Gone back to Weber, given all the fancy cookers away. When I grow up I want to be like you :-). Actually, I only have Webers and a small portable pellet grill, but I want so much more...

                  • DiverDriver
                    DiverDriver commented
                    Editing a comment
                    texastweeter Always maple apple on my salmon. Maple on my duck and goose. Gotta mix in your combos.

                  #15
                  I usually use apple and hickory for my pork butts. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, but usually some of each.

                  Comment


                  • mountainsmoker
                    mountainsmoker commented
                    Editing a comment
                    With the apple orchards out there you should get some nice apple wood. Hickory and apple is one of my favorites.

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