Wood Smoking Flavor Chart
| Wood | Characteristics | Meats or Veggies Used With |
| Almond | A nutty and sweet smoke flavor, light ash. | Good with all meats. |
|
Apple |
Slightly sweet but denser, fruity smoke flavor. Serve chutney made from the same fruit to accentuate the flavor even more. | The strongest flavor of all the fruitwoods. Beef, poultry, game birds, pork (particularly ham) |
| Cherry | Slightly sweet fruity smoke that is great with poultry (turns skin dark brown). This smoke is a mild, sweet and fruity smoke which gives a rosy tint to light-colored meats. |
Good with all meats. |
| Hickory | Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. This great flavor works well with pork, ribs, hams, poultry, and beef. | The most common wood used. Good for all smoking, especially pork and ribs. |
| Mesquite | Strong earthy flavor. One of the most popular woods in the country, mesquite is a scrubby tree that grows wild in the Southwest. Sweeter and more delicate than hickory, it is a perfect complement to richly flavored meats such as a steak, duck or lamb. |
Good with most meats, especially beef and most vegetables. |
| Oak (Red) | Most versatile of the hardwoods blending well with most meats. A mild smoke with no aftertaste. Oak gives food a beautiful smoked color. | Good with red meat, pork, fish and big game. Red Oak is good on ribs. Especially good with beef brisket. |
| Oak (White) | Similar to the Red Oak. Makes the best coals for longer burning. | Similar to the Red Oak. |
| Olive | The smoke flavor is similar to mesquite, but distinctly lighter. | Delicious with poultry. |
| Pecan | Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory but not as strong. Tasty with a subtle character. An all-around superior smoking wood. | Good for most things including poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is the best for that beautiful golden-brown turkey. |