Smoker Wood Chips

by Jason
(Las Vegas, NV)

Which smoker wood chips should I be using?

I just got a new smoker and used Mesquite chips on the first use. The Mesquite flavoring was very overpowering on the meat (pork ribs and a whole chicken). By reading your site, I can see that it may not be the preferable kind of wood to use for these types of meats, but it almost ruined the flavor.

I ordered a few bags of chips (apple, cherry, alder, white oak, Jack Daniels aging barrels, Kentucky bourbon aging barrels, and used wine barrels) from a website and am wondering if they will all be this overpowering.

Maybe I need to reduce the amount of wood or something (the wood only smoked for the first hour or so and I didn't replenish it for the rest of the smoking process). Or, is this just a characteristic of mesquite wood?

Answer

Jason, I’m pleased that you found my information about which wood chips suit which meats of use. Mesquite is a very heavy smoke as you’ve found out so try your apple chips – I use apple and pear a lot (in fact most fruit woods) with chicken but when it comes to ribs, the traditional is hickory and some would argue it’s still the best.

The oak smoker wood chips that you’ve bought are also a heavy smoke and I reserve these heavy smokes for beef and game.

You’re right to consider playing around with the quantities of chips, smoking is an art form and there isn’t a right or wrong, it’s simply a matter of taste. When you find the taste that suits you, stick to it but don’t keep it a secret – come back and tell all of us!

To answer your final point, don’t worry about the smoke running out. You can add more chips if you want but generally after the first couple of hours cooking the smoke will have worked its magic and the effect of any more wood chips will be negligible.

To get your wood chips to last longer, ensure that they are well soaked, evenly distributed through your fire and on any unlit coals at the start of the cookout. That way, you’ll get a gradual burn.

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