Best Type of Wood for Smoking?

[DrPepper]

I wouldn't call myself an expert in wood smoking but I'd use green wood for smoking if I had access to it. I've had good success using green hickory limbs as smoking fuel when I've gone camping. My thinking is that the water is already in the wood, and is throughout the wood, so the wood will smoke longer without burning.

[kc5hwb]

I've heard several others say that as well. I am going to have to check some places locally to see where I can get some.

[BagCSC]

I like Hickory myself. I dont use green often (though I have in the past). I normally just let the chips soak in water for a while then add them a little at a time...since they tend to burn up over time.

[Mrs. Chipotle]

How long do you soak them? We've struggled with how long is appropriate.

I guess several hours wouldn't be out of line, the better to make sure they don't burn up before your food is done.

[Mama Mangia]

Just rinse and then soak in water for at least an hour and up to a day - the longer the better. You can use a camping cooler for the large planks and weigh it down with a pot of water. You can also soak in other water-based liquids, apple cider, white wine, etc. depending on the recipe and the meat or fish you will be cooking - just for added flavor. Then brush the smooth side of the plank with a bit of olive oil so that your foods won't stick. Add your food(s) and place over medium-high heat on a covered grill which has been pre-heated.


If you are using your oven for plank cooking, be sure to soak your plank for at least an hour. Place it in a roasting pan to soak. Be sure to keep at least 1/4 inch of liquid in the pan at all times and baste with the drippings for a great flavor.

[kc5hwb]

We weren't talking about cooking planks, we were talking about wood to smoke with, but still this is a very good idea. Thanks for sharing.

I think that I would soak the wood for 1-2 hours if I used old wood, but I want to try to find some green wood somewhere that I can buy for this type of cooking. There are several BBQ shops in my area.

[BagCSC]

Lol....well, growing up in the country, we had LOTS of mesquite trees. I would just cut off some branches. Now, I just buy the chips in the store and soak them for a few hours.

[GregGraves]

I have a cousin that runs a shop that makes and sells a delicious smoked Polish kielbasa in a small town in Pennsylvania and they smoke with hickory because it's so readily available.

[TexasRose]

I have to say hickory is my first choice, just based on the flavor.

However, with its being summer we plan on trying a lot of new woods to experiment with new tastes.

[oldbay]

I've cooked chicken a couple times on a plank of cedar wood. The plank is a smooth flat piece of wood almost like a cedar shingle, except it's smooth. It takes a little longer to cook usining the plank when compared with straight cooking on the grill. What makes this great is that while cooking on the plank,the top gets hot like a pan, and the bottom burns and produces smoke. The final result is amazingly tasty. This really is well suited for chicken that needs to cook for some period of time.