The full guide
Read straight through, or dip into the sections that matter for your next smoking session.
Oak is the dependable middle of the smoking woods: stronger than the fruit woods, gentler than hickory or mesquite, and good with almost everything. It is the traditional wood of British smokehouses, which is why oak-smoked salmon and oak-smoked kippers taste the way they do. If you only buy one smoking wood, oak is a safe choice.
Smoking kit to help at home
Home smoking essentials that make the advice easier to put into practice.
What does oak smoke taste like?
Oak is usually described as medium-strength, balanced and savoury, with a clean smoke that suits long and short cooks alike. It colours food a warm brown.
What to smoke with oak
Fish: oak is the classic wood for mackerel, herring and salmon, and it handles oily fish well. Meat: beef, lamb, pork and game all suit oak. Cheese: oak dust gives cheese a traditional smoked flavour. It is also a good base to blend a fruit wood into.
Which grade for your smoker?
Oak comes in every grade we sell: coarse chips for a barbecue smoker box, fine chips for stovetop ovens and small smoker boxes, and wood dust for cold smoke generators.
Bourbon-soaked oak
Our bourbon oak fine chips are oak chips soaked in bourbon. They are often described as giving a sweeter, richer smoke with a hint of the spirit's character, and people like them with beef, pork and cheese. Use them dry, like any other chips, and follow your equipment's instructions.
Oak vs hickory
Hickory is noticeably stronger and more bacon-like, which suits pork and beef but can overpower fish. Oak is the more versatile of the two. For a fuller flavour on red meat, blend a little hickory into oak.
Getting the best from oak 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
Is oak good for smoking fish?
Yes. Oak is the traditional British wood for smoked salmon and kippers and suits oily fish such as mackerel. For very delicate fish, a milder wood such as alder or apple may suit better.
Is oak or hickory better for beef?
Both work. Oak gives a balanced smoke that lets the beef come through; hickory gives a bolder, classic barbecue flavour.
Is bourbon oak good for fish?
Its sweeter, richer smoke suits beef, pork and cheese better than delicate fish. For fish, plain oak is the classic choice.
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.
