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Barbecue Wood Chips
Try different barbecue wood chips to suit your menu ideas. It’s the BBQ wood chips in smoker cooking that provide the flavor and every wood has its own distinctive characteristics.
I buy my wood chips from either BBQGuys.com or Amazon so that I can get them delivered direct to my door. If you consume reasonable quantities of wood chips you'll find the best prices at BBQGuys.com but if you want smaller quantities carriage paid then you'll find Amazon more friendly.
For example you can buy a special blend for a specific meats mixed by Steve Raichlen
Or if you're new to using wood chips and want to experiment then this special offer of 4 different flavors is for you. (Oak, Hickory, Alder & Cherry).
The principal behind smoking is that wood burns when it is heated and by reducing the amount of oxygen available to the wood, it smokes rather than burns and by adding the pieces of wood to your barbecue smoker, a range of fantastic flavors is produced. Some smokers also use a system of pellets.
If you’re just grilling, try wrapping some barbecue wood chips in foil and then perforate the foil with a skewer. Throw the foil pack onto the coals and you’ll get a pretty similar effect. Green wood burns at a higher temperature burns for longer and provides more smoke than aged wood.
You'll find that some flavors in the guide below have live links. If you click on the link it'll take your through to BBQGuys.com where you can check prices.
Acacia Part of the mesquite family provides strong smoke suitable for most meats and vegetables
Alder Delicate aroma with a hint of sweetness to try with fish (especially salmon), pork, poultry and game.
Almond Nutty and sweet smoke flavor that’s good for all meats
Apple Delicately sweet with a dense fruity smoke flavour that works well with beef, poultry, game, pork and ham
Apricot Similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, generally fine for most meats
Ash Be warned this one is fast burning with a light but distinctive flavor that complements fish and red meat
Birch A medium hardwood with a flavour similar to maple. Try it with pork or poultry but do make sure that there's no bark in there because this will deposit a bitter tar on your food.
Cherry Sweet fruity smoke flavour suitable for all meats
Cottonwood A very subtle flavour again for most meats
Grape Vine Aromatic and similar to the other fruitwoods so it works well with all meat
Grapefruit Medium smoke with a hint of fruit that is delicious with beef, pork and poultry
Hickory Pungent smoky bacon flavor perfect for pork and ribs
Lemon Medium smoke with a light fruit aroma that’s great on beef, pork and poultry
Lilac Light and subtle with a floral hint, fantastic on seafood and lamb
Maple Strong and earthy that’s good for pork, vegetables, poultry and small game
Mesquite Another that’s strong and earthy but this time try beef and vegetables
Mulberry Beautifully sweet apple flavor delightful with beef, poultry, game, pork and ham
Nectarine Similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild but good for most meat
Oak Really heavy smoke that works with red meat, pork game & fish
Orange Medium smoke with a light fruit hint that’s good for beef, pork and poultry
Peach Slight sweet flavor suitable for most meat
Pear Another one with a slightly sweet flavor and this time good for poultry, game and pork
Pecan Similar to oak but not as strong so good for most meats
Plum Similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, another one suitable for most meat.
Walnut Very heavy smoke and can be bitter so only good with strong flavored red meat and game.