Smoking wood chip Guide

Experiment with the different types of wood chips out there to get unique flavours.

We hope this guide can inspire you to go and experiment using different types of wood chips for smoking on your Dyna-Glo Smoker.

With a smoker, you can smoke all kinds of meats including briskets, pulled pork, prime rib, chicken turkey and the list goes on.

Pairing wood chips with a specific type of food will depend on the preferences of the user, so be creative and try different flavors.

Hardwoods such as hickory, pecan, apple, cherry or mesquite typically burn slower and produce more smoke over long periods of time.
To prolong the burn cycle for wood chips, pre-soak them in a separate bowl of water for at least 30 minutes, and/or wrap the chips in perforated aluminum foil.
Most smoke flavoring occurs within the first hour of cooking. Adding wood chips after the first hour is typically not necessary unless extra smoke flavoring is desired.

Finally, while meats are the most popular food to smoke, you can also smoke nuts, cheeses, vegetables and more. Woods that have a milder flavor are recommended for non-meat items.

If you’re feeling unsure, yet adventurous at the same time, why not grab a variety pack of wood chips to sample a variety of wood chip types.

WOOD CHIP TYPE	SMOKE FLAVOR	PORK	RIBS	BEEF	CHICKEN	TURKEY	FISH	NOTE:_________________________________________________________________________
Alder	Mild							Mild sweet and musky smoke
Apple	Mild							Mild and sweet flavor with a slight hint of fruity flavor. Each species of Applewood should offer a slightly different flavor. Apple smoke produces an attractive browning effect.
Almond	Medium							Produces a sweet smoke with a natural nutty flavor.
Apricot	Mild							Mild sweet and fruity
Ash	Mild							Very light flavor.
Citrus	Mild							Lemon and orange wood produce light but fruity flavor.
Cherry	Mild							Light and fruity flavor.
Fruitwood	Mild							Wood such as Peach, Pear, and Plum produce a mild but sweet smoke with a hint of fruity flavor.
WOOD CHIP TYPE	SMOKE FLAVOR	PORK	RIBS	BEEF	CHICKEN	TURKEY	FISH	NOTE:
Grapevine	Medium							Grapevine wood produces a lot of smoke. A little wood goes a long way. It produces a tart flavor that has a hint of fruit.
Hickory	Strong							Hickory is arguably the favorite wood for smoking. Hickory produces a very strong flavor so we recommend starting slowly with this wood.
Maple	Mild							Light and sweet
Mesquite	Strong							Much like Hickory, Mesquite is very popular and produces a strong flavor.
Oak	Medium							Another wood that produces heavy smoke. Start slowly with this wood.
Pecan	Mild							Produces a light smoke that offers a sweet and nutty flavor.
Plumb	Mild							Mild and sweet smoke

Note: Avoid smoking with Eastern cedar, cypress, elm, eucalyptus, liquid amber, pine, redwood, fir, spruce, and sycamore. These trees are high in resin and oils that cause a thick smoke when lit.