Wood 101

The flavour is in the wood

Wood will add a smokey scent and flavour to the food that you cook on the barbeque, smoker and even in the campfire. A few things to know about wood:

1. Use only dry (not fresh) hardwood and fruitwood (approximately 2 yrs old).
2. Wood comes in many forms: chips, chunks, blocks and pellets.
3. To start, use approximately 2 handfuls of chips and/or pellets, 3 chunks or 1 block.
4. Presoak chips, chunks and blocks in water for 2 hours to 2 days. Do not soak pellets.
5. For gas bbqs and gas smokers place wood in cast iron smoker tray (contains ashes, keeps burners clean). For charcoal bbqs and charcoal smokers, place soaked wood directly on embers.
6. Smoked food is an art not a science. Experiment with different flavours, combine flavours and try different amounts.

The flavour print of wood

• Hickory & Pecan
  Powerful flavouring woods where a little goes a long way. The wood makes great coal for grilling. Excellent for hot or cold smoking, a combination of 20% hickory and 80% oak/apple/etc is a surefire winner.

• Mesquite
  Has a potent flavour that some like and many dislike. The wood is excellent for grilling where the short cooking time prevents it from overpowering the food. Not recommended for long-term smoking.
• Oak
  The most commonly used wood for smoking. It imparts excellent flavour without becoming too strong- outstanding for grilling and smoking.
• Fruit Woods: apple, cherry, maple
  Especially suitable for mild meats, fish, and veggies, but can be used with any food when smoking.
• Alder
  Mild flavoured woods excellent for fish, poultry and seafood.
• All Herbs
  Make an instant impact. A few herb limbs can add a distinctive and delicious flavour to the food. Always pre-soak.

The following is a basic guideline for coupling wood flavours with food types. This is only a guide – once you get a taste for the different woods – experiment!! You can check out our woods (and other accessories here).