Here is a list of woods with details of what they can do for various meats:
(not all of these will be available in your part of the world)
Alder, Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
Almond, A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.
Apple, Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
Apricot, mild, sweet flavor. Good on fish, poultry, pork.
Ash, Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
Birch, Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
Cherry, Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the
best wood
for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor. Professional Pit Masters often use
Cherry in conjunction with Hickory.
Citrus, lemon, grapefruit, orange, nectarine light fruity flavor, good with fish, poultry, pork and beef.
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.
Crab apple, Similar to apple wood.
Grapevines Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
Hickory, Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor.
Good
with pork, ham and beef.
Lilac, Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
Maple, Smoky mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
Mesquite, Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning woods.
Mulberry, The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
Oak, Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood.
RED OAK, is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the
best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable
for smoking. Good with red meat, pork,
fish and heavy game.
Orange, Lemon & Grapefruit - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
Peach mild, sweet flavor. Good on fish, poultry, pork.
Pear A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
Pecan Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with
poultry, beef, pork
and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
Plum, mild sweet flavor. Good on fish, poultry, pork.
Sassafras is mild and sweet and works well with pork.
Smoking wood is usually soaked in water for a few hours before cooking. Often Grill Masters wrap it in foil and
then use a fork to pierce small holes in the foil. This controls the smoking of the wood and inhibits it from catching
fire and creating soot, which could adversely effect the taste of the meat.
