Think in strength first
The single most useful idea is to match the strength of the wood to the strength of the meat. Big, robust beef takes strong wood; delicate fish and poultry want mild wood, or they end up tasting of an ashtray. Get the strength right and the exact species matters far less.
| Wood | Strength | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, cherry | Mild, sweet | Poultry, pork, fish, vegetables |
| Oak | Medium, clean | Beef, lamb, anything; the safe default |
| Pecan, maple | Medium, sweet | Pork, poultry, beef |
| Hickory | Strong, bacony | Pork, ribs, beef; easy to overdo |
| Mesquite | Very strong | Short, hot beef cooks only |
| Whisky oak | Medium, vanilla | Beef, pork, a change from plain oak |
Pairings that always work
- Beef and oak: the Texas standard, clean and balanced.
- Pork and apple: sweet, mild and forgiving.
- Chicken and cherry: mild smoke and a lovely mahogany colour.
- Lamb and oak or a little rosemary wood: robust without overwhelming.
- Fish and a light apple or alder: barely there, which is the point.
Three or four fist-sized chunks is plenty for a long cook. Too much wood, or wood smouldering without enough air, produces bitter, acrid smoke. Thin blue smoke that you can barely see is what you want; thick white smoke is a mistake.
Never use these
Never softwoods like pine, fir or cedar as fuel; the resin makes sooty, unpleasant smoke. Never treated, painted or reclaimed construction timber, plywood or pallets, whose glues and preservatives are genuinely toxic. Stick to hardwoods sold for cooking.
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