Grill Maestro

I love smoking, the smell of the smoke, the relaxing afternoon, cracking open a cold beer as I wait, and the… well, everything about it.

One of the fun things about smoking is that you can pretty much use any hardwood as long as it’s clean and no manufactured. You won’t want to use wood from a construction site or any wood that contains resin (sap), because you don’t want to introduce those, potentially poisonous in the case of manufactured wood with glue, flavors. Sap burns nastily and produces a disgusting flavor you won’t want, so avoid cedar or spruce and the like. The best choices are those that produce a fruit or a nut, because that flavor profile will appear in the wood.

Here are some specific ideas and suggestions:

• Alder – It has a hint of sweetness and works well with fish, poultry, pork and salmon.
• Apple – As expected, a fruity and slightly sweet flavor, good for pork, poultry and vegetables.
• Cherry – Again, fruity, sweet and heavier than apple; fits well for beef, pork, poultry and vegetables.
• Grape Vine – A tart, rich and fruity that you can use with beef, lamb, pork, wild game, fresh sausages and veggies.
• Hickory – Another flavor that is slightly sweet, yet strong and hearty enough for ribs, beef, lamb, pork and poultry. Use it with pork and it’ll smell like bacon.
• Lilac – A surprisingly peppery, slightly sweet flavor you can use for beef and shellfish.
• Maple – smokey, mellow, slightly sweet for cheese, pork, poultry, wild game and vegetables
• Mesquite – A very popular hardwood that’s musky, earthy and can be very heavy, better for beef, fish, pork and poultry.
• Oak – Another very popular hardwood, it’s earthy and lighter than mesquite for beef, fish, pork, poultry and wild game.
• Peach – A fruity and slightly sweet hardwood for beef pork, poultry and vegetables
• Pecan – A nutty and sweet flavor for cheese, ribs, steaks and poultry (especially turkey).
• Sassafrass – Mild and tangy for beef and pork.

You can also throw in a few spices too, you can use Basil, rosemary, sage and thyme if you’d like. Toss one or two sprigs on the smoke.

(Photo: danocan)

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