Which wood do you use to smoke?

[Quads]

I found this chart and thought it was a pretty good reference.
Would be nice to hear from the local experts on what you use, results, and if you are using specific woods to get a particular flavor in your smoker / meat?

Type of Wood and Characteristic
Alder
Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

Almond
A sweet smoke flavour, light ash. Good with all meats.

Apple
Very mild with a subtle fruity flavour, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.

Ash
Fast burner, light but distinctive flavour. Good with fish and red meats.

Birch
Medium-hard wood with a flavour similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.

Cherry
Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some say that cherry wood is the best wood for smoking.

Grape
Tart. Provides a lot of smoke, rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.

Hickory
The King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavour. Good with pork, ham and beef.

Lilac
Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.

Maple
Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.

Mesquite
Strong earthy flavour. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning woods.

Mulberry
The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.

Oak
The Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

Orange
Produces a nice mild smoky flavour. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.

Pear
A nice subtle smoke flavour. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.

Pecan
Sweet and mild with a flavour similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese.

Plum
Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.

Walnut
Very heavy smoke, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

Personally, I've used Oak, Apple and Hickory. However I don't have a full blown smoker. I've only used them in a webber / bullet style smoker.

[j p frog]

I generally use a combination of hickory and apple. Sometimes I add some Jack Daniels pellets. Puts a nice flavor on the meat. Occasionally I will use some pecan.

[sunsetpizza]

Cherry, Hickory and Mesquite. Need to try Apple one of these days.

[j p frog]

Cherry, Hickory and Mesquite. Need to try Apple one of these days.

the apple takes the "harshness" out of the flavor of oak/hickory/mesquite and smooths it out. IMHO

[bigslickwood]

I like mixing fruit woods. With the Bradley smoker, it's easy to throw in different types of bisquits. I'll go half apple/half cherry, or sometimes cherry/hickory.

Pecan is excellent with turkey.

[Richard Cranium]

I usually use hickory and apple. Cherry sometimes. The cherry really seems to add a deep color. I use cherry when I do turkeys for example.

http://www.eyman.net/gallery/albums/album01/turkey_2007_sm.sized.jpg

[dermaestro]

So far I have only tried White Oak, Sugar Maple and Cherry.

White Oak was used for my brisket.
Sugar Maple was used for pulled pork.
Sugar Maple and Cherry was used on ribs.

[j p frog]

I usually use hickory and apple. Cherry sometimes. The cherry really seems to add a deep color. I use cherry when I do turkeys for example.

http://www.eyman.net/gallery/albums/album01/turkey_2007_sm.sized.jpg

sure...make me hungry will ya!

[CRAW]

My favorite is apple wood, but I've used pecan, oak, hickory, and cherry.

[Zemo]

This line made me laugh...


Hickory
The King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavour.

I wonder if they mean hickory gives a heavy HICKORY SMOKED bacon flavor, lol