The full guide
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Wood Flavour Guide for Home Smoking
Different varieties of wood chips and dust will produce different flavours when used in a home smoking oven. It's good to experiment to see which ones you prefer but to help get started, here is a guide to some flavours and the best uses for them. All the woods detailed on this page are available to purchase in our home smoking shop.
Alder
A delicate flavour with a hint of sweetness. Alder is famously used in the Pacific Northwest for smoking salmon. Great for all fish and seafood and also for pork, poultry, light meat game birds and vegetables.
Apple
Slightly sweeter and fruity, apple is more complex and denser than alder. It is a good all-rounder that is excellent for fish, beef, poultry and pork
Ash
Ash burns quickly and therefore produces a light smoked flavour that is quite distinctive. It is great for poultry and seafood.
Beech
Beech is a mild to medium wood with a slightly nutty flavour. Another good choice for fish and poultry and also pork, ham and sausages.
Bourbon Oak
Oak soaked in Bourbon produces a light whiskey flavour which is great for red meats, ribs and especially venison.
Cherry
Cherry is milder than the apple fruit wood but it still has a rich and slightly sweet, fruity flavour. It is a good wood to try for duck breasts, fish, chicken and vegetables.
Douglas Fir
This is a highly aromatic wood but can cause a resin taste. It is great mixed with a hardwood like oak to enhance flavour and produce extra colour. Great all rounder for meat, poultry and oily fish.
Hickory
Hickory has a strong flavour and is probably the most popular smoking wood in the USA. Hickory is not as bitter as other strong flavoured woods like oak. It is a good choice for ribs, pork and oily fish.
Maple
Maple is a mild to medium hardwood. It produces a slightly sweet flavour that is great with trout. It is also a very good choice for cheese, poultry, pork and vegetables.
Mesquite
Mesquite has a very strong, earthy flavour with a hint of spice. It produces the flavour of Cajun dishes and is very good with beef. It is also great for oily fish or where a more robust flavour is required. Use sparingly as if you use too much it can result in a bitter taste.
Oak
Oak is probably the best known wood and the most common wood used for smoking in the UK. It produces a heavy flavour and is best suited for red meat and game when a stronger flavour is required.
Pecan
Pecan is similar to hickory but is not as strong. Its light nutty flavour is ideal for poultry and game birds.
Wood Blends
You can mix any woods together to produce blends and it is great trying your own.
Douglas Fir & Oak
This is a mixture of 1 part Douglas fir with 2 parts oak. Douglas fir is a highly aromatic wood but is also slightly resinous which can cause a resin taste on the food. It is great though mixed with a hardwood like oak to enhance flavour and produce extra colour. Great all rounder for meat, poultry and oily fish.
Smoking kit to help at home
Home smoking essentials that make the advice easier to put into practice.
Common questions
- What is the best wood for smoking fish?
- Alder is the classic choice for fish - delicate, gently sweet and the traditional wood for smoked salmon. Apple and cherry add a light fruitiness that suits trout and mackerel beautifully, while oak gives a slightly fuller smoke if you like a touch more depth. The aim with fish is a clean, mild smoke that enhances rather than overpowers.
- Is hickory too strong for fish?
- It can be, yes. Hickory has a bold, bacon-like smoke that's superb on pork and ribs but easily overwhelms delicate fish. If you love it, use just a pinch and pair it with oily fish like mackerel, which can carry a stronger flavour - otherwise stick to alder, apple or oak.
- Can you mix different smoking woods together?
- Absolutely, and it's a lovely way to find your own signature flavour. Oak and alder is a reliable blend for fish and lighter foods, while a little fruit wood softens a stronger base. Our 12-flavour Sampler Pack is the easiest way to experiment without committing to a big bag of one type.
- What does oak taste like when smoking?
- Oak is the best-known smoking wood in the UK for good reason - a medium, well-rounded smoke that's stronger than apple or cherry but milder than hickory. It works on almost anything, from red meat and game to robust fish, which makes it a brilliant first wood to keep in the cupboard.
- Which wood is best for smoking cheese?
- For cold-smoked cheese, mild and slightly sweet woods work best. Maple is a favourite for its gentle sweetness, while apple and beech give a soft, nutty character that won't dominate. Save the strong woods like mesquite for meat.
