Apple
Mild and faintly sweet. Very forgiving — hard to oversmoke with it.
Mild
Pork · Chicken · Ham · Cheese
The wood guide
Which wood, and why
Seven hardwoods, from mild to strong, with what each one suits. Every species below is available by the bag, and most by the face cord.
Cherry
Mild, slightly sweet, and it colours the bark a deep mahogany red.
Mild
Poultry · Pork · Beef · Salmon
Maple
Gentle and a touch sweet. Plays well blended with a stronger wood.
Mild
Poultry · Pork · Vegetables
Beech
Clean and nutty without much sweetness. A quiet all-rounder.
Mild
Poultry · Fish · Sausage
Red Oak
The classic middle-of-the-road smoke. Steady heat, no sharp edges.
Medium
Brisket · Beef ribs · Lamb · Sausage
White Oak
Dense and long-burning with a clean smoke. Built for all-day cooks.
Medium
Brisket · Ribs · Big cuts
Hickory
Strong and bacon-like. Use it on its own with a light hand, or cut it with fruit wood.
Strong
Pork shoulder · Ribs · Brisket
Rules of thumb
Four things worth knowing
1. Match the strength of the wood to the strength of the meat
Chicken and fish take on smoke fast, so they suit mild woods — apple, cherry, maple, beech. Beef and pork shoulder cook for hours and can carry oak or hickory without being buried by it. If you are unsure, go milder: you can always add another chunk, but you cannot take smoke back out.
2. Blending is normal, not cheating
A lot of good cooks run two woods at once — hickory for backbone and apple or cherry for sweetness and colour. Because our bags are single species, you can mix your own ratio instead of accepting someone else's.
3. Thin blue smoke, not white clouds
Billowing white smoke means the wood is wet or the fire is starved of air, and it tastes acrid. What you want is smoke you can barely see. Dry, well-seasoned wood is most of the way to getting there — which is why ours is stored indoors through the winter and spring.
4. Chunks flavour, splits fuel
If charcoal is making your heat, use 3"–4" chunks for flavour. If the wood is your heat source, use 12" splits — wrist-size if you want fewer reloads on a long cook.
Quick answers
Cheat sheet
- Brisket & beef ribs — red oak or white oak, hickory if you want it heavier.
- Pork shoulder & ribs — hickory, or apple if you prefer mild and sweet.
- Chicken & wings — apple, cherry or maple.
- Fish & salmon — beech, maple or a little cherry.
- Pizza — beech, maple or oak, for clean heat rather than flavour.
- Colour on the bark — cherry, every time.
Still not sure? Just ask.
Matt has been cutting and burning this wood for years. Tell him what you are cooking and he will point you at the right bag.