Types of Wood for Smoking Meat

The smoking of food is a well-known method that has a long history and there are different types of wood for smoking meat.

The Smoking of meat is a process used to cooking, add flavor and increase food shelf life.

Many people like to eat smoked foods and grilled meats when traveling or camping in nature.

After fishing, they like to eat grilled fishes.

There are many types of firewoods that people can use them for smoking their food.

But really what is the best wood for smoking?

Does it make a difference that which wood to be used when smoking?

What type of wood is used for smoking meat?

In this article, we try to review types of wood for smoking meat and show you the best choice for this. Stay with us.

Types of Smoking

Smoking can be done in different ways, we mention the most important ones:

Cold Smoking and Hot Smoking

Cold Smoking

In cold smoking in the long periods, the food is exposed to smoke for a long time, sometimes for several days.

The temperature of smokehouse for cold smoking is usually 20 to 30 Celsius degrees (68 to 86 Fahrenheit ).

At this temperature smoked food takes smoke flavor, but remains relatively damp.

Cold smoking does not cook food.

In this way, the food must be completely cooked before being smoked.

Usually, this method is used for meat, but sometimes is being used for smoking cheese and a variety of vegetables and fruits as well.

Hot Smoking

In hot smoking, the food is exposed to smoke and heat in a controlled environment such as a smokehouse or smoke furnace.

In this way, the food is cooked with heat simultaneously and flavored with smoke.

To do this you can directly use smoke furnaces, or cook the food in the furnaces and add to the smoke environment beside it.

Like the cold smoking, the product may first be hung to create a protective shell and then being smoked for 1 to 24 hours.

Although smoked foods are often cooked one-time or cooked again for the second time, they are usually safe to eat without cooking.

Hot smoking generally occurs in the range of 52 to 80 ° C (126-176 ° F).

In this temperature range, the food is completely cooked and flavored.

Types of Smoker for Smoking

The first thing you need for smoking any food is a smoker.

There are various smokers. The most common smokers are electric smokers, charcoal smokers, pellet smokers, propane smokers, and wood smokers.

You can get your smoker according to your budget and the environment that you want to smoke the food.

Each of these Smokers has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Yet wood smokers give the best perfume to the food.

The wood is the main fuel of these smokers. According to the function of each one, it’s better to know the types of wood for smoking and then choosing a good one.

In the next section, we introduce different types of wood for smoking.

Types of Wood for Smoking Meat

Meat is the most important foodstuff that people usually do smoking it.

Here is a great guide for everything you need to know about smoking of meat.

When talking about smoking meat, we need to consider both the type of wood and the type of meat.

For example, for heavier meats, like lamb and beef, hardwoods like Oakwood or Hickory are an appropriate choice.

It has a sweet taste but be careful, because too much hickory flavor will cause your meat to have a bitterer flavor.

As well as pecan wood gives your meat a little of a fruity flavor and burns cooler than the most other types of wood.

It’s similar to hickory and the most appropriate use is on big cuts like brisket and pork roast.

For more delicate meats, like chicken and fish, a lighter hardwood is suggested.

Avoid using softwoods like pine wood and cedar wood. These woods are too resinous and can blacken the meat.

Alder wood and cherry wood are very light and sweet which is very suitable for Fish, Chicken, turkey, and ham.

Applewood is another good choice for chicken smoking.

Can You Use any Wood to Smoke Meat?

If we want to answer this question in one word, the answer is no.

There are several things to consider.

The wood used in smoking should not be very dry. If you want to make a fire with dry woods, then put the woods in water for an hour.

Smoke from dry wood makes meat bitter and black. Also, keep in mind that do not use dark wood to make a fire because it gives your meat oil smell and taste.

How Long Does It Take to Smoke Meat?

As mentioned the temperature of smokehouse for cold smoking is usually 20 to 30 degrees Celsius (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

On average it will need 24 to 48 hours.

Hot smoking generally occurs in the range of 52 to 80 ° C (126-176 ° F).

It will need 6 to 8 hours.

To find out how long you need to smoke types of meat, you have to take three factors into some notes such as:

• The type of meat
• The thickness of the meat
• The temperature of the smoker

If you want to smoke the fish, put each fish on the fire for a quarter.

You need half an hour to smoke 5 cm thick meat.

Ending speech

In this article, we examined the types of wood used to smoke the meat and we tried to guide you to select the right wood.

This depends on the type of meat and the type of your smoker.

You can also choose the appropriate wood based on the local trees in where you live.

As a warning, it should be said that smoky process prevents the growth of bacteria and slows down the decomposition of fats in the crop, but on the other hand, more than hundreds of toxic compounds have been detected in smoke that is harmful to human health.

As well as smoked foods are not suitable for migraines due to the presence of some chemical compounds.