Nothing makes a backyard bbq or a day at the campground better than delicious smoked meats. One of the secrets to a great-tasting BBQ is Wood chips. Using it takes your smoked meat to a whole new level. Here are the best woodchips for smoking that simply make everything better and tastier!
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Types 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. 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 and sweet berry flavor, and 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. 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 type of meat.
- Plum– Milder and sweeter than apple wood, and is perfect for any meats types.
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What Are The Best Wood Chips For Smoking?
There are so many types of wood chips 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.
Best Woodchips For Smoking
This woodchip adds a sweet fruity flavor the does not over power your meats. It can be used as fuel for gas, electric, charcoal grills and smokers. Works great as the main fuel but can also pair well with other types of woodchips. Apple wood is one of the most popular wood chip out there and works best with pork, poultry and fish.
Subtle Sweet fruity flavor
192 cu. in. (0.003 m³)
Chips size pieces
Works great with beef poultry and fish
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
This Cherry woodchips produces a mild smoky, tangy and fruity flavor that compliments lighter meats like chicken and fish. You can use this with gas grill, and electric smokers. It is 100% natural cheery wood and doesn't contain any sort of chemicals.
Subtle fruity flavor
Pair well with other wood chips such as hickory and mesquite
Heat treated to eliminate and prevent pests, mold, or rot
180 cu. in. per pack
Perfect for use with Gas Grills and Electric Smokers.
Ideal for smoking chicken, fish
A must try for smoking Hamburgers, whole chicken, baby back ribs and spare ribs
The Oklahoma Joe's Apple Wood Smoker Chips infuses sweet and smoky flavor to your meats. It burns fast and ideal for short time smoking, you can simply place wood chips in your smoker box or directly on grates and pair 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
Sweet and bold flavor
Pair well with gas grills or in electric smokers
For the best results, place the chips in a smoker tray or foil pouch.
Made from real heat-treated hickory wood to deliver a robust flavor
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 has 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.
Mild and subtle sweet flavor
Comes in a resealable 1-pint container and yield 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 this 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 grills
2 lbs. bag, 179 cu. in.
This oak woodchips infuses meat with just the right amount of smoky flavor. It is Kiln-dried and 100% all-natural which ensures that no other chemicals or additives go with your meats. Oak Wood Smoking Chips pairs 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 produces flavor similar to hickory and adds a hint of sweetness to smoked meats. It is perfect for smoking pork and beef and lamb, but if you want to smoke lighter food like veggies and poultry you can mix them with apple or peach for best results.
Mild, rich taste with a sweet smoky flavor
Pairs well with any kind of meat
Some reviewers says that it is super good for smoking pork, beef, fish and game
180 Cu. in. (2 Pack)
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.
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 it can upset the stomach and doesn’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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