| I've seen many lists about wood chips and what | | | | category can be used but I've got one |
| meats best accompany them and it's always struck | | | | recommendation dedicated to lamb:- |
| me that this is approaching the problem for the | | | | Lilac - it's light and subtle with a floral hint |
| wrong side. The wood chip is choosing the food and | | | | Pork:- |
| in my book it should be the food choosing the wood | | | | Alder - supremely sweet |
| chip! So when you scroll down to view my list it's | | | | Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke |
| written in a way that hopefully will allow you to | | | | Birch - strong and earthy |
| decide on your barbecue recipes first and let the | | | | Grapefruit - medium smoke with a fruity hint |
| flavouring follow. To be honest, hickory takes a lot | | | | Hickory - the original pungent smoky bacon flavour |
| of beating (especially on ribs) but there's an incredible | | | | ready for your ribs |
| variety of wood chips to choose from these days so | | | | Lemon - medium smoke with a light fruit aroma |
| it's worth experimenting a little. | | | | Maple - strong and earthy |
| The idea behind smoking is that wood burns when | | | | Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour, pork and |
| heated but by reducing the oxygen available to the | | | | apple goes so well together |
| fire, the wood smokes rather than burns so by | | | | Nectarine - similar to hickory but sweeter and quite |
| adding wood chips to your barbecue smoker, a | | | | mild and still good for ribs |
| beautiful range of flavours can be imparted to meat | | | | Oak - a really heavy smoke so go easy |
| or fish. The best wood to use is "green wood" ie. | | | | Orange - medium smoke with a light fruit hint |
| wood that's not fully dried out because green wood | | | | Pear - Another one with a slightly sweet flavour |
| burns at a higher temperature, it makes more smoke | | | | Plum - similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, |
| than aged wood and it lasts a long time. When buying | | | | compare it with Nectarine |
| wood chips in a bag it's important to soak the wood | | | | Most wood chips have now already had a mention |
| for 30 minutes to get moisture into it before popping | | | | further up but that doesn't mean they don't go well |
| it on the coals. | | | | with Poultry:- |
| One last tip from me before the list:- | | | | Alder - sweet |
| If you have a BBQ grill rather than a smoker, try | | | | Birch - strong and earthy |
| wrapping some wood chips in aluminum foil and then | | | | Grapefruit - medium smoke & lightly fruity |
| puncture the foil a few times with a fork or the point | | | | Lemon - again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma |
| of a skewer. Pop the foil pack in hot coals and see | | | | Mulberry - sweet apple flavour |
| what you think but do try with one of the stronger | | | | Orange - more medium smoke with a light fruit hint |
| smokes otherwise you're unlikely to notice any | | | | Pear - another one with a slightly sweet flavour |
| difference. | | | | Game, generally strong smokes for strong flavoured |
| The following chips are good with all kinds of meat | | | | meats, but there are some exceptions:- |
| so it's good have some in stock:- | | | | Alder - sweet |
| Acacia - a strong smoke | | | | Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke |
| Almond - sweet and nutty (as you'd expect) | | | | Maple - strong and earthy |
| Apricot - mild and sweet and an interesting | | | | Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour |
| alternative to Hickory (just a little milder) | | | | Oak - really heavy smoke |
| Cherry - sweet & fruity | | | | Pear - sweet flavour compare it with Alder |
| Cottonwood - a very subtle flavour, worth a try but | | | | Walnut - very heavy smoke and can be bitter so put |
| not my favorite | | | | it with a strong well hung meat |
| Grape Vine - beautifully aromatic and sweet if you | | | | Fish sometimes works well lightly smoked and |
| can get hold of it | | | | sometimes it's good to go for a really heavy smoke |
| Nectarine - again similar to hickory but sweeter and | | | | Alder - sweet |
| quite mild just like the Apricot | | | | Apple - sweet with dense fruity smoke |
| Peach - slightly sweet flavour | | | | Ash - light and distinctive flavour, it burns fast so |
| Pecan - strong smoke similar to oak but just a little | | | | ideal for fish |
| more gentle | | | | Lilac - light and subtle with a floral hint, fantastic on |
| Plum - similar to hickory but milder and sweeter | | | | seafood |
| For red meat try the following:- | | | | Oak - really heavy smoke |
| Grapefruit - a good medium smoke with a fruity note | | | | I've got two recommendations for Vegetables both |
| Lemon - again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma | | | | of which are strong and earthy:- |
| Mesquite - strong and earthy so try it with beef | | | | Maple |
| Mulberry - beautifully sweet apple flavour | | | | Mesquite |
| Oak - really heavy smoke so definitely one for beef | | | | Hopefully that's given you a few ideas to try at your |
| Orange - another fruity one with medium smoke | | | | next barbecue, just don't forget to soak them |
| Lamb of course is a red meat so any all in the above | | | | before putting them on the coals. Happy smoking! |