Let Wood Chips Make Your BBQ Smoker Unique
Posted: Saturday, February 02, 2008
by Paul Yates
Barbecue Smoker Recipes
I’ve seen many lists of wood chips and what foods go well with them and it’s always struck me that this is approaching the problem for the wrong side. The wood chip is choosing the food and in my book it’s the food that chooses the wood chip! So when you see my list at the bottom of the page it’ll be written in a way that hopefully will allow you to decide on your barbecue recipes first and let the flavouring follow. To be honest, hickory takes a lot of beating (especially on ribs) but there’s an incredible variety of wood chips to choose from these days that it’s worth playing around a little.
Before I get to the list here’s the scientific bit first. The idea behind smoking is that wood burns when heated but by reducing the oxygen available to the fire, the wood smokes rather than burns so by adding wood chips to your barbecue smoker, a beautiful range of flavors can be imparted to meat or fish. The best wood to use is what’s describes as green wood which essentially means that it’s not fully dried out and this is because green wood burns at a higher temperature, it makes more smoke than aged wood and it lasts for longer. When buying wood chips in a bag it’s important to soak the wood for 30 minutes to get moisture into it before popping it on the coals.
One last tip from me before the list:- If you have a BBQ grill rather than a smoker, try wrapping some wood chips in aluminium foil and then puncture the foil with a knife point. Pop the foil pack in hot coals and see what you think but do try with one of the stronger smokes otherwise you’re unlikely to notice any difference.
The following chips are good with all kinds of meat so it’s good have some in stock:- Acacia – a strong smoke Almond - sweet and nutty (as you’d expect) Apricot - mild and sweet and an interesting alternative to Hickory (just a little milder) Cherry – sweet & fruity Cottonwood - a very subtle flavour, worth a try but not my favorite Grape Vine - beautifully aromatic and sweet if you can get hold of it Nectarine – again similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild just like the Apricot Peach - slightly sweet flavour Pecan – strong smoke similar to oak but just a little more gentle Plum - similar to hickory but milder and sweeter For red meat try the following:- Grapefruit – a good medium smoke with a fruity note Lemon – again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma Mesquite - strong and earthy so try it with beef Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour Oak - really heavy smoke so definitely one for beef Orange – another fruity one with medium smoke Lamb of course is a red meat so any all in the above category can be used but I’ve got one recommendation dedicated to lamb:-
Lilac – it’s light and subtle with a floral hint Alder - supremely sweet Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke Birch - strong and earthy Grapefruit - medium smoke with a fruity hint Hickory – the original pungent smoky bacon flavour ready for your ribs Lemon - medium smoke with a light fruit aroma Maple - strong and earthy Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour, pork and apple goes so well together Nectarine - similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild and still good for ribs Oak – a really heavy smoke so go easy Orange - medium smoke with a light fruit hint Pear - Another one with a slightly sweet flavour Plum - similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, compare it with Nectarine Most wood chips have now already had a mention further up but that doesn’t mean they don’t go well with Poultry:-
Birch - strong and earthy Grapefruit - medium smoke & lightly fruity Lemon - again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma Mulberry - sweet apple flavour Orange - more medium smoke with a light fruit hint Pear - another one with a slightly sweet flavour Game, generally strong smokes for strong flavoured meats, but there are some exceptions:- Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke Maple - strong and earthy Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour Oak - really heavy smoke Pear - sweet flavour compare it with Alder Walnut - very heavy smoke and can be bitter so put it with a strong well hung meat Fish sometimes works well lightly smoked and sometimes it’s good to go for a really heavy smoke Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke Ash - light and distinctive flavour, it burns fast so ideal for fish Lilac - light and subtle with a floral hint, fantastic on seafood Oak - really heavy smoke I’ve got two recommendations for Vegetables both of which are strong and earthy:- Hopefully that’s given you a few ideas to try at your next barbecue, just don’t forget to soak them before putting them on the coals. Happy smoking!
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More Information:- Free Barbecue Recipes - Free barbecue grill recipes & meat smoker cooking ideas on gas, charcoal or electric.
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Easy Smoker Recipes - Easy recipes for the smoker grill with lots of tips.
About the author:-
The Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man writes free barbecue recipes & outdoor smoker recipes on gas, charcoal or electric. Outdoor grilling tips, easy fire pit menus, healthy rotisserie suggestions and best homemade bbq sauce recipes are all available at Barbeque Smoker Recipes
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