America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Smoking Wood

Different types of wood chips will have differing effects on the flavor of your food. Here’s a primer.

Different types of wood chips will have differing effects on the flavor of your food. Here’s a primer.

Sprinkling some soaked wood chips (or scattering a few wood chunks) over a pile of hot coals adds a great smoky flavor to grilled foods. While developing some of our grilling recipes, we found that the type of wood used can make a huge difference in the finished product. Wood from fruit trees, such as apple, cherry, and peach, produces a slightly sweet smoke with a hint of fruitiness. Hickory and pecan woods both produce a hearty smoke that cuts through even the spiciest rubs. Maple, the traditional choice for ham, produces a mellow, sweet smoke, while oak lends a faint acidic note that many people enjoy. Ultimately, the only wood that left tasters a bit wary was mesquite. Although the heavy, assertive flavor of mesquite smoke was enjoyable in quickly cooked meats, it had a tendency to turn bitter over long periods of cooking.

This is a members' feature.