Pairing smoking wood with meat can be trickier than coupling wine with dinner… in some instances, downright difficult. What do you use when you have the choice of pear or maple for your brisket? To take some of the confusion out of the endless possibilities the CBBQA (California Barbecue Association) has compiled a list of common (and not so common) woods used for smoking and meats for which they are suited.
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November 5, 2005 at 1:34 am
*Insert Beavis sound here* He said wood.
I’ve used orange wood with acrid, nasty results. Might be that it was too green. Mike Mills advises against citrus woods in his new book, but the CBBQA site approves of citrus woods. I guess like anything in BBQ, it’s up for debate among reputable experts.
May 9, 2006 at 4:58 am
Do you know of any chefs who have used mountain mahogany for cooking?
Thank-you, Bruce.
April 4, 2009 at 10:20 am
I like to us blue oak, Nor – Cal. It’s really good with beef. Pork and chicken I go with apple.
September 6, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Pecan
October 28, 2009 at 10:54 am
You might want to update your link. It does not work anymore!
October 28, 2009 at 10:58 am
Snato, the link has been updated.
March 9, 2011 at 9:34 am
Its so refreshing to see a list like this one in California. I know more about cooking with wood then most – its good to see Cottonwood listed.
COTTONWOOD – It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don’t use green cottonwood for smoking.
I interviewed Billy Bones a legend outside of KCBS and him and a friend produced POPLAR lump for years always selling out. He is a big fan of cooking with Poplar and most people wouldn’t burn it in their fire place!
Like anything else its a matter of expertise – Just like green wood it takes time to learn how to use wood in a smoker no matter which kind their is a learning curve