Barbecue with Wood!

by Tom Brohamer

So you're thinking about using wood the next time you barbecue or grill?  Now comes the big question... what kind of wood should you use?

Preferences on cooking wood are as varied as individual tastes. One of the key things to think about when barbecuing is how much flavor from the wood do you want in the food? Many like the flavor of hickory, while some find it a bit overpowering. Personally, I subscribe to the latter category.  I use pecan for much of my cooking.  Pecan has many of the same flavor characteristics of hickory, without being overly strong like hickory. In barbecue competitions, we use pecan on our butts and ribs (out of 360+ entries, our ribs took 16th place at the American Royal Open barbecue contest this past year.)

For beef, you can't beat oak! In particular I really like red oak, but you can't always get it. I've found that as long as it's oak, it works great with beef. Another great wood combination for beef is a 50/50 mix of hickory and cherry.  There are many competition cooks who swear by this combination.

As for chicken, when competing I'll use a 50/50 mix of apple and pecan wood. Found that straight pecan can be too strong a flavor for chicken, but cut it down a little with apple and it's great. In the past I have used only apple and found it to my liking as well. Just think the added little flavor from the pecan helps. When cooking at home, I'll even use orange wood for poultry.

Fish?... there's a question. It really all depends on what type you're cooking. Obviously you don't want a heavy handed smoke on such a delicate flavor, but what's "heavy handed?" Part of it depends on the flavor strength of the fish you're cooking. I have found that many varieties of fish stand up very well to most fruit woods. On the other hand, I've found that for something like trout I had to use a very mild wood, such as alder.

What it all boils down to is seasoning. Cooking wood is exactly that, a seasoning. Not everyone likes a lot of pepper, some folks like things spicy or salty, the same issue goes with flavors imparted by wood. The best thing you can do for yourself is to try several different kinds of wood for a particular cut of meat, or even a particular rub you are using on a particular cut of meat. Your rub has a lot to do with it as well, seeing how that seasoning has to blend well with the wood "seasoning."

Part of the fun of cooking is experimenting with new things. You'll find that some of the woods are not your favorite, or just don't do much for you, but I can guarantee you'll still enjoy the process of eating your experiments!

Looking to find out which flavor of wood you like best?  We carry the complete line of BBQR's Delight smoking wood pellets!  Click here to see the complete list of flavors available in our BBQ Gift Shoppe.

Live in Southern California? If so, we'd like to recommend that you visit California Charcoal & Firewood in Commerce. They have an excellent selection of cooking woods and lump charcoal at exceptional prices. Whether you're looking for oak, pecan, hickory, mesquite, orange, red oak, etc., you can find it there. While they are primarily suppliers to many of the fine restaurants in So. Cal, they do sell to the public as well. They are located near the intersection of the 5 and the 710 freeways. California Charcoal & Firewood, 1518 S. Eastern Ave., Commerce, CA (323) 780-6000. Hours are Monday to Friday from about 7:00am until 3:30pm.