Which grade?
Cold smoking mazes and tubes, plus hot smoking ovens
Hot smokers, stovetop smokers and smoking guns
BBQ smoke boxes, grills and charcoal
Cherry at a glance
Cherry
Mild & rosy. Fruity, sweet, colourful.
Best withPoultry · Pork · Salmon
Colour on foodRich mahogany red
Good to knowMild and subtly sweet, with a rosy colour it lends to the bark. Beautiful on poultry, duck and salmon — and a favourite blended with oak.
Details
These are our barbecue smoking chips. The bigger chip smoulders longer than a fine chip, so it stands up to the heat of a barbecue. Put a small handful in a BBQ smoke box or a flip smoke box, or scatter it straight onto hot charcoal, then close the lid so the smoke surrounds the food. On a gas barbecue, use a smoke box over a burner rather than loose chips.
Hickory wood chips give the bold, classic smoke for ribs, pork and brisket; use a light hand, as too much can turn bitter. Oak wood chips are the all-rounder for beef, lamb, fish and cheese. Apple wood chips are sweet and gentle for pork, poultry and fish, and cherry wood chips add a mild, rosy smoke to poultry and salmon. Maple is mild and forgiving, and chestnut gives a sweet, rich smoke for pork.
As a guide to how far coarse wood chips for smoking go, a sampler is enough for one smoke, 100g for around two, and 500g for around ten. The 5L tub is filled by volume. Every bag reseals, and the tub is resealable and tamper-evident. The wood is chemical-free.
Soaking is up to you. A short soak slows the burn in some boxes, while dry chips smoke sooner; either way, wait for thin, steady smoke before the food goes on. Barbecues and smoke boxes are for outdoor use only.
Fine, coarse or dust? These coarse wood chips for BBQ are made for smoke boxes and charcoal. For stovetop smokers, smoking ovens and smoking guns, choose our fine wood chips, and for cold smoking mazes, our wood dust.
Specifications
Find your wood
All six woods come in the same coarse 20/160 grade. Start with what you're smoking, then pick how strong you like it.
OakThe all-rounderBeef · Lamb · Game · CheeseDeep golden-brown
AppleSweet & gentlePork · Poultry · FishLight gold
CherryMild & rosyPoultry · Pork · SalmonRich mahogany red
MapleMild & forgivingPoultry · Pork · VegPale gold
HickoryBold & classicRibs · Pork · BrisketDeep brownHow to use
Every setup at a glance
The smoky flavour landed better than I expected for a first try.
Bit disappointed.
Nice smoke flavour. Will buy again. Handy bit of kit. They made more sense to me with the smoke box.
FAQs
BBQ smoke boxes, flip smoke boxes and charcoal barbecues, including kettle and kamado barbecues. On a gas barbecue, use them in a smoke box over a burner. The 8mm chips are big enough to smoulder in the heat without burning away too fast.
Coarse 20/160 chips average about 8mm and smoulder longer, so they suit barbecues and smoke boxes. Fine 7/20 chips are about 2mm, light quickly and suit stovetop smokers, smoking ovens and smoking guns.
Six woods: apple, cherry, chestnut, hickory, maple and oak. Each comes as a sampler of about 40g, a 100g bag, a 500g bag or a 5L tub, so you can try a wood before buying a bigger size.
A small handful in a smoke box, or a scattering on the charcoal, is enough for a typical barbecue cook; add a few more when the smoke thins. A sampler is enough for one smoke, and 100g for around two.
Yes. The wood is chemical-free. Keep the chips sealed and dry, and only use them in a barbecue or smoke box outdoors, with plenty of fresh air around it. Never take a lit or cooling barbecue into a tent, caravan or other enclosed space.
No, it's optional. A short soak slows burning in some smoke boxes, while dry chips smoke sooner. Either way, aim for thin, steady smoke before you put the food on, as thick white smoke can make it bitter.
Oak is the safe all-rounder: the oak wood chips BBQ beginners can't go wrong with. Oak wood smoking chips suit most meat, fish and cheese without overpowering them. Apple and cherry are gentler and sweeter, for pork, poultry and fish. Hickory is the classic for ribs and brisket, but use a light hand.
Keep the bag or tub sealed and somewhere dry between cooks. Damp chips are harder to light and give a heavier smoke, so reseal the pack as soon as you've taken what you need.
Still deciding?
Not sure which wood or grade suits your smoker? Tell us what you're smoking and we'll point you to the right one.
Send us a message support@downthecove.comDelivery and returns
Packed and posted by our own small team.
Complete your setup
In stock today, picked to go with this one.
Est. 2012Down The Cove · founded in Cornwall, 2012
We donate 1% of all profits to Compassion UK, supporting its work with children and communities facing poverty: clean water, healthcare and education. Compassion UK is an independent charity. Visit Compassion UK
