Nothing makes a day at the campground better than cooking delicious smoked meats in the best smokers for camping. One of the secrets to a great-tasting BBQ is using the best woodchips for smoking because it takes your smoked meat to a whole new level.
If you’re a barbecue enthusiast, you know that the type of wood chips you use can have a huge impact on the flavor of your meats. With so many different types of wood chips available, it can be difficult to know which one to choose.
In this blog post, we’ll cover the most popular types of wood chips for smoking, including hickory, mesquite, cherry, and more.
Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster or a beginner, this guide will help you choose the best woodchips for smoking on your next barbecue. So, grab a cold drink, and let’s get started!
Types of Wood Chips For Smoking
There are so many types of wood chips you can use for smoking, with each one having a distinct and unique flavor that elevates the taste of your meats.
To let you know what your options are, here are the different types of wood chips and their characteristics.
- Alder – Has a hint of sweet flavor and can be mixed with other wood chips like an apple. Great for smoking fish and poultry.
- Apple – Mild sweetness and fruity flavor and taste great when mixed or used alone. It can be used for smoking beef, poultry, and fish.
- Cherry wood– Mild fruity flavor and works well when mixed with hickory or mesquite. Perfect for all kinds of meat, but most especially with beef and pork.
- Grape wood – Tart, sweet, berry flavor. Great when mixed with apple wood chips. Best for cooking chicken and other poultry
- Hickory – Sweet and bold flavor that works best for smoking all types of meat, especially pork, and ribs.
- Maple– Mild and subtly sweet flavor, best fit for smoking poultry, small game birds, vegetables, and cheese. It can be mixed with other wood chips like hickory and apple.
- Mesquite wood– Strong, earthy-sweet flavor, works well if mixed with any other type of wood chips. Great for smoking all types of meat but works best with beef( brisket).
- Mulberry– Sweet and berry flavor similar to apple. Works best when used for smoking ham or chicken.
- Oak– Offers moderate smoky flavor and works perfectly alone but can also produce tasty results when mixed with apple, cherry, or hickory. Best for smoking red meat, pork, and fish.
- Olive wood– Similar yet lighter flavor than mesquite and taste great for smoking poultry.
- Peach wood– Gives off a sweet and fruity flavor quite similar to the other fruitwood. Ideal for smoking poultry, pork, and small game birds.
- Pear– Similar to peach, with a subtle yet sweet flavor. Best for poultry, small game birds, and pork.
- Pecan wood– Similar to hickory but milder, and is great for smoking any meat.
- Plum– Milder and sweeter than apple wood, and is perfect for any meats types.
Should You Soak Wood Chips Before Smoking?
There is a common belief that you need to soak wood chips before smoking because it prevents them from burning fast, thus producing more smoke. This is not a necessity; smoking pre-soaked wood chips don’t produce “more” smoke.
Wet wood chips should release moisture before producing smoke. What it produces at first is steam which most people believe to be smoke; this gives the illusion that it generates more smoke than dry wood chips.
Best Woodchips For Smoking
So many types of wood chips are out there that add a different flavor to your smoked meat. Frankly speaking, the best wood chips are quite subjective. We all have our preferred types and flavor.
If you want to try something new or level up your choice of woodchip, here are some of the best wood chips for smoking that are highly rated and well-loved by many smoking enthusiasts.
Mesquite Wood Chips are the perfect choice for anyone looking to add a bold and smoky flavor to their grilled meats. These premium wood chips are made from genuine mesquite wood, which is known for its rich, robust flavor that pairs perfectly with beef, pork, chicken, and other meats.
- Big, bold flavor
- Great with pork, lamb, & beef
- 192 cu. in. (0.003 m^3) sized bag
- Chips size pieces
- 2 lbs. bag
Use Cameron's Alder wood chip to add a hint of sweetness to your meats. Cameron's products are chemical-free and ground to a consistency that genuinely smolders when ignited. These woodchips can be used best in stovetops and outdoor smokers.
- Adds a hint of sweet flavor to your meats
- Pairs well with poultry, seafood, and pork
- Made of 100% natural raw timber
- 260 cu. in. (0.004m³)
- 2lb. bag
Introducing Western Premium Peach Smoking Chips - the perfect choice for anyone who wants to add a unique and delicious twist to their barbecue. Made from premium quality peach wood, these chips provide a sweet and fruity smoke flavor that is perfect for beef, pork, poultry, fish, and even vegetables.
- Mild and fruity flavor, which adds a subtle sweetness to your meats
- You can use this with gas grills and electric smokers.
- It is 100% natural cheery wood
- Doesn't contain any sort of chemicals.
The Oklahoma Joe's Apple Wood Smoker Chips infuse sweet and smoky flavor to your meats. It burns fast and is ideal for short-time smoking. You can simply place wood chips in your smoker box or directly on grates and pair them with light meats.
- Best way to add fruity flavor to meats like pork or poultry
- Can be used for smokers and electric, gas, or charcoal grills
- Made of all-natural wood chips
- 179 cu. in.
- 2 lbs. bag
- Try to mix it with other woodchips to achieve your desired flavor
Hickory wood is known for its strong, smoky flavor, and Western Premium Hickory BBQ Smoking Chips are no exception. They are ideal for smoking beef, pork, chicken, and other meats, infusing them with a delicious, authentic smoky flavor that will make your guests return for more.
- Sweet and bold flavor
- Pair well with gas grills or in electric smokers
- Place the chips in a smoker tray or foil pouch for the best results.
- Made from real heat-treated hickory wood to deliver a robust flavor
- It can be used for all types of meat but works best with pork and ribs
Perfect for smoking meats such as bacon, sausage, and pork shoulder. These woodchips have a strong aroma that’s not too overpowering and slightly sweet. You can also mix it with apple or cherry wood for a different flavor. This 100% natural hickory wood can be used with gas grills, electric smokers, and griddles.
- Has a mild and subtly sweet flavor
- Comes in a resealable 1-pint container and yields approximately 30 smoking's
- Raw timber, kiln dried and 100% natural
- Works great for smoking beef, pork, vegetables, and cheeses
- Made in the USA
Mesquite wood adds a strong and earthy flavor to the meats and has a relatively shorter burn life which works great for short smoking. You can use these woodchips for smoking dark meats, veggies, and fish.
- Strong earthy flavor
- Ideal for smoking meats, poultry, vegetables, and fish
- Made of 100% natural wood chips
- Great for smokers and electric, gas, or charcoal grill
- 2 lbs. bag, 179 cu. in.
These oak woodchips infuse the meat with just the right amount of smoky flavor. It is Kiln-dried and 100% all-natural, ensuring no other chemicals or additives go with your meats. Oak Wood Smoking Chips pair well with poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and game.
- Adds just the right amount of smoky flavor to your meats
- Perfect for smoking poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and game
- Raw timber, kiln dried and 100% natural
- 2lb. Bag Oak Coarse Woodchips
Pecan wood chips produce a flavor similar to hickory and add a hint of sweetness to smoked meats. It is perfect for smoking pork, beef, and lamb, but if you want to smoke lighter food like veggies and poultry, you can mix them with apples or peach for the best results.
- Mild, rich taste with a sweet, smoky flavor
- Pairs well with any kind of meat
- Some reviewers say that it is super good for smoking pork, beef, fish, and game
- 180 Cu. in. (2 Pack)
What Temp Do Wood Chips Smoke?
Wood chips start to produce smoke at a temperature of about 570 – 750 °F or 300 to 400 °C depending on the type of wood chips you are using. This temperature applies to all wood chips, but some may burn at a slower or faster rate than the other types of wood chips.
Hardwood like hickory, pecan, and oak burns slowly, while fruitwood like apples tends to burn at a faster rate.
Can You Mix Wood Chips For Smoking?
Yes, you can mix wood chips for a custom flavor. Many people have been doing this for so long and achieved tastier smoked meat. Depending on the taste that you want to achieve, you can mix any type of wood chips.
To find the best combination of wood chips, you can try experimenting. Use your favorite woodchip for smoking and add another type in small amounts until you get a good grasp of how to smoke with it and achieve your desired flavor.
What Wood Should You Not Smoke With?
There are so many types of woods that are great for smoking, it’s easy to think that all woods are good for smoked meat, but that’s not the case.
Some woods are not appropriate for smoking for the simple reason that they can be harmful and toxic.
Woods that contain resin(sap) and terpenes are not good as they can upset the stomach and don’t taste good. Woods such as redwood, cedar, pine, sycamore, fir, spruce, cypress, elm, and eucalyptus should not be used for smoking.
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