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Best Best Wood For BBQ Grilling

The best Wood for Grilling Meat on the Barbecue can come from many different types.

Most grills and smokers use charcoal or gas to produce the heat. Adding wood chips adds to the flavour of the meat.

What to burn as a smoking agent: Deciduous Trees VS Softwood Trees

You can use wood for smoking meat on the BBQ but you can also get flavour from meat drippings, which are laden with fat, protein, spices, and even sugars from sauces and even from dried herbs.Each type of hardwood trees create different flavours for cooking meat, fish and poultry.To add taste to a charcoal barbecue, try some of these wood types. (For more information on charcoal grilling read this post).

Jack Daniels Smoking Wood to use for your barbecue
Jack Daniels Smoking Wood

Whiskey barrels made from whiskey soaked oak barrels, if you can get some are great. Jack Daniels makes a smoking wood from their barrels.

The best Wood for Smoking Meat on the Barbecue are hardwoods, deciduous trees which include fruit and nut woods, are the best woods for cooking.

Below are other Don'ts:

Wood Never to Use for A Barbecue

Not all wood can be used as a smoking agent.

Don’t use softwood such as pine, fir, spruce, cedar. They burn too fast, give off a lot of smoke and some say it can cause you to become ill.

  • You can use wood for smoking meat on the BBQ but you can also get flavour from meat drippings, which are laden with fat, protein, spices, and even sugars from sauces and even from dried herbs.
  • Each type of hardwood trees create different flavours for cooking meat, fish and poultry.
  • To add taste to a charcoal barbecue, try some of these wood types. (For more information on charcoal grilling read this post).
  • Wood log blazes as meat arrives on the grill.
  • When smoking meat on the barbecue, having great quality meat helps!
  • Choosing great cuts and, when possible, all natural meat makes it easier to prepare simple and quick delicious recipes.
  • What to burn as a smoking agent: Deciduous Trees VS Softwood Trees

Below is a list of hardwood trees and their flavours

WOOD WOOD FLAVOUR MEAT TYPE
ACACIA SAME FAMILY AS THE MESQUITE. HAS A SIMILAR FLAVOUR BUT NOT QUITE AS HEAVY GOOD WITH MOST MEAT, ESPECIALLY RED MEAT
ALMOND MILD AND SUBTLE GOOD WITH ALL MEATS
APPLE FRUITY SMOKE FLAVOUR STRONGEST FLAVOUR OF ALL FRUITWOODS GOOD WITH RED MEAT, POULTRY, GAME BIRDS, PORK, WILD BOAR
ASH FAST BURNER GOOD WITH PORK AND POULTRY
BLACKBERRY LIGHT DELICATE FLAVOUR GOOD FOR GRILLING POULTRY AND GAME BIRDS LIKE PHEASANT, QUAIL
BUTTERNUT BITTER USE COMBINED WITH ANOTHER WOOD GOOD ON RED MEATS PORK,WILD BOAR, VENISON AND GAME MEATS BUT NOT POULTRY
CHERRY LIGHT DELICATE, SWEET GOOD WITH ALL MEATS ESPECIALLY POULTRY AS IT TENDS TO TURN THE SKIN A DARK BROWN
LEMON AND LIME TANGY CITRUS NOT TOO STRONG WITH A HINT OF FRUITINESS BEEF, BISON, VENISON, PORK, WILD BOAR, POULTRY
MAPLE MILDLY SMOKEY, SWEET FLAVOUR SUBTLE BEEF, BISON, VENISON ,WILD BOAR, POULTRY, GAME BIRDS
MESQUITE STRONGER EARTHY FLAVOUR BISON, VENISON , STEAKS, DUCK AND LAMB GOOD WITH MOST MEATS
MULBERRY MILD GOOD WITH BISON, VENISON , BEEF POULTRY, GAME BIRDS PORK/WILD BOAR
OAK MILD MILD RED MEAT, PORK, BIG GAME RIBS, BRISKET
OLIVE MILD POULTRY/GAME BIRDS
ORANGE TANGY MEDIUM SMOKE FLAVOUR, FRUITY BEEF, PORK, POULTRY.GAME BIRDS
PEACH/PEAR MILD SUBTLE POULTRY, GAME BIRDS, PORK, WILD BOAR
HICKORY STRONG AND SWEET, HEAVY BACON FLAVOUR PORK, RIBS, HAMS, AND POULTRY, BEEF
PECAN SWEET AND MILD WITH A FLAVOUR SIMILAR TO HICKORY GOOD ALL AROUND INCLUDING POULTRY, BEEF, PORK TURKEY
PLUM MILD FLAVOUR MOST MEAT – CHICKEN, TURKEY PORK FISH
SASSAFRAS MILD MUSKY SWEET SMOKE BEEF, PORK AND POULTRY
WALNUT STRONGER THAN HICKORY MIX WITH A LIGHTER WOOD LIKE ALMOND/PEAR GOOD ON RED MEATS, VENISON AND OTHER GAME MEATS NOT ON POULTRY AS IT CAN OVERPOWER THE FLAVOUR
LEMON AND LIME TANGY CITRUS NOT TOO STRONG WITH A HINT OF FRUITINESS BEEF PORK POULTRY
MAPLE MILDLY SMOKEY, SWEET FLAVOUR SUBTLE BEEF, POULTRY, GAME BIRDS
MESQUITE STRONGER EARTHY FLAVOUR STEAK, DUCK AND LAMB – GOOD WITH MOST MEATS
MULBERRY MILD GOOD WITH BEEF POULTRY, GAME BIRDS PORK
OAK MILD MILD RED MEAT, PORK, BIG GAME RIBS, BRISKET
OLIVE MILD POULTRY
ORANGE TANGY CIRRUS SMOKED MEDIUM SMOKE FLAVOUR FRUITY BEEF, PORK, POULTRY
PEACH/PEAR MILD SUBTLE POULTRY, GAME BIRDS, PORK WILD BOAR
HICKORY STRONG AND SWEET, HEAVY BACON FLAVOUR PORK, RIBS, HAMS, AND POULTRY, BEEF
PECAN SWEET AND MILD WITH A FLAVOUR SIMILAR TO HICKORY GOOD ALL AROUND INCLUDING POULTRY, BEEF, PORK TURKEY
PLUM MILD FLAVOUR MOST MEAT – CHICKEN, TURKEY PORK FISH
SASSAFRAS MILD MUSKY SWEET SMOKE BEEF, PORK AND POULTRY
WALNUT STRONGER THAN HICKORY MIX WITH A LIGHTER WOOD LIKE ALMOND/PEAR GOOD ON RED MEATS, VENISON AND OTHER GAME MEATS BUT NOT ON POULTRY AS IT CAN OVERPOWER THE FLAVOUR