Smoking Wood Pairing Chart: Which Wood for Which Meat
A simple chart for matching smoking wood to beef, pork, poultry, fish and more, plus how strong each wood is and when to use chips, chunks or pellets.
The wood you burn changes the taste of your food more than almost anything else you control. This chart tells you what to burn with what, how strong each wood is, and how to buy it for your smoker.
The quick chart
| Wood | Strength | Flavor | Best with | Also good with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory | Strong | Bold, bacon-like | Pork shoulder, ribs, bacon | Beef, jerky |
| Oak | Medium | Classic smoke, clean | Brisket, beef ribs | Pork, lamb, sausage |
| Mesquite | Very strong | Earthy, sharp | Steak, quick-cooked beef | Fajitas, jerky (light hand) |
| Pecan | Medium | Nutty, sweet, rich | Pork, poultry | Brisket, cheese |
| Apple | Mild | Light, fruity, sweet | Poultry, pork | Fish, cheese, cocktails |
| Cherry | Mild | Fruity, deep red color | Pork ribs, poultry | Beef, duck, cocktails |
| Maple | Mild | Sweet, subtle | Poultry, ham | Vegetables, cheese |
| Alder | Very mild | Delicate, slightly sweet | Salmon, trout | Poultry, vegetables |
| Peach | Mild | Sweet, light | Pork, poultry | Fish |
| Post oak | Medium | Smooth, classic Texas | Brisket | Beef ribs, sausage |
Pairings by meat
Beef brisket: oak or post oak. Add a little hickory or cherry if you want more color and punch.
Pork shoulder (pulled pork): hickory is the classic. Mix in apple or cherry for a sweeter, redder bark.
Ribs: cherry and hickory together are a crowd-pleaser.
Chicken and turkey: apple, cherry, maple or pecan. Poultry soaks up smoke fast, so stick to milder woods.
Fish: alder for salmon. Apple works for milder fish.
Jerky: hickory or mesquite, used lightly. Strips are thin and take on smoke quickly.
Cheese and nuts: apple, cherry or pecan, cold-smoked.
Chips, chunks or pellets?
Buy the size that fits your cooker.
| Cooker | Use |
|---|---|
| Pellet grill | Food-grade pellets |
| Electric smoker | Chips |
| Gas grill (smoker box) | Chips |
| Charcoal kettle or kamado | Chunks |
| Offset smoker | Splits (logs) or large chunks |
| Cocktail smoker | Fine chips |
Five rules for better smoke
- Use dry, seasoned wood. Green or wet wood makes bitter, sooty smoke.
- Look for thin, blue smoke. Thick white smoke means the fire is smoldering and will make food taste harsh.
- Start mild if you're unsure. Too much hickory or mesquite on chicken tastes like an ashtray.
- Blend woods. A strong wood for punch plus a fruit wood for sweetness and color is how many pitmasters cook.
- Never burn treated or painted lumber, and skip softwoods like pine, which make sooty, resinous smoke.
Soaking chips: skip it
Soaking wood chips mostly makes steam, not smoke, and it delays the smoke you want. Dry chips in a foil packet or smoker box with a few holes poked in it smolder longer and cleaner.
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