Posts tagged: smoking meats

Grilling 101: Everything You Need To Know About Smoking Woods (Including Food Pairings!)

To be a true grill master, you have to know your stuff. One of the big ones that you have to know comes down to your wood. Get your mind out of the gutter! We’re talking about smoking woods here. Come on now… ;) Woods can vary from mild to strong in flavor, and you have to know your woods to know what to cook with them. Some woods can overpower the food with their smoke and some woods aren’t strong enough to stand up to the cut of meat, like a big ol’ hearty brisket for example. Today we're sharing everything you need to know about smoking woods. Check out our comprehensive guide to smoking with all of our favorite smoking woods below... First up on the education list, it's time to get to know the flavor profiles! You have your mild fruit woods such as apple, peach, cherry and pear that are light, fruity and sweet. These tend to burn hot and can vary between slow and quick burning times. Take a step up the scale to hickory next. It’s sweet and strong, heart and burns hot and slow. Then you’ve got maple which is sweet and light, on the milder end of the scale and burns hot and slow. Pecan and oak are more medium smoking woods, burning hot and slow. Finally, we wrap our list up with mesquite which is the big kahuna, so to speak. It’s bold with lots of smoke, and burns hot and fast. Now that you’ve gotten the cliff notes to smoking woods, check out what to use them with this summer. From meat to poultry to fish, you've got the ultimate pairing list below to become a pro in no time. Share what you're planning on making next in the comments below!

Smoke it up grill masters!