The full guide
Read straight through, or dip into the sections that matter for your next smoking session.
Cherry sits between the light fruit woods and oak: mild and slightly sweet, but with a little more body than apple. It is known for giving food an attractive reddish-mahogany colour, which is why it is so popular for poultry and pork.
Smoking kit to help at home
Home smoking essentials that make the advice easier to put into practice.
What does cherry smoke taste like?
Cherry is usually described as mild-to-medium, gently sweet and fruity. Its main party trick is colour: it gives the surface of food a deep, rich red-brown.
What to smoke with cherry
Poultry: chicken, turkey and duck take on a lovely colour. Pork: chops, loin and ribs. Fish: salmon suits cherry, though for the most delicate fish apple or alder is lighter. Cheese and vegetables: a light cherry smoke works well.
Which grade for your smoker?
Cherry comes as coarse chips for a barbecue smoker box and fine chips for stovetop ovens and small smoker boxes. For cold smoking, choose a wood from our dust range instead.
Cherry vs apple
Apple is lighter and sweeter; cherry is slightly richer and colours food more. Many people use them interchangeably for poultry and pork, choosing cherry when they want a darker finish.
Blending cherry
Cherry blends well with hickory for pork and with oak for beef, softening the stronger wood while adding colour.
Getting the best from cherry chips
Use the chips dry and start with a small handful; you can always add more, but over-smoked food tastes bitter. Match the grade to your equipment and follow its instructions for fuel, ventilation and where to use it. Change one thing at a time, such as the wood or the amount, so you can tell what made the difference.
Smoke adds flavour; it is not a doneness test. Hot-smoked fish and meat must be cooked through: check the centre of the food with a probe thermometer rather than relying on time or colour. Our fish smoking temperatures guide explains the checks.
Common questions
Why is cherry wood good for chicken?
Its mild, sweet smoke suits poultry, and it gives the skin a rich colour that looks as good as it tastes.
Can I smoke salmon with cherry wood?
Yes, for hot-smoked salmon. For a lighter result use apple or alder; for a classic British flavour use oak.
Is cherry wood strong?
No. It is mild to medium, a little fuller than apple but much gentler than hickory or mesquite.
A note on flavour: these descriptions are the ones smokers commonly use, not the results of a Down The Cove tasting trial. Smoke is personal, so treat them as a starting point and let your own notes decide.
Compare the other woods: apple, oak, cherry, hickory, beech, maple, alder and mesquite, or see the best wood for smoking fish. For grades, read which wood chips do I need? and smoking dust vs wood chips.
