Which grade?
Cold smoking mazes and tubes, plus hot smoking ovens
Hot smokers, stovetop smokers and smoking guns
BBQ smoke boxes, grills and charcoal
Alder at a glance
Alder
Delicate & classic. Light, delicate, subtly sweet.
Best withSalmon · Seafood · Poultry
Colour on foodLight gold
Good to knowThe traditional wood for salmon and seafood — light, clean and delicately sweet. Lets fish lead.
Details
These are our fine smoking chips. The small size lights quickly and smoulders steadily in a small pile, which is what a stovetop smoker or a smoking oven needs, and it's fine enough to sit in the bowl of a smoking gun.
There are eight woods. Oak is the all-rounder, for beef, lamb, game and cheese. Apple is sweet and gentle, for pork, poultry and fish, and cherry is mild with a rosy colour, for poultry, pork and salmon. Alder is the classic for salmon and seafood, and beech is clean and traditional, for fish, sausages and cheese. Hickory is bold, for ribs, pork and brisket, mesquite is bold and intense, for beef, brisket and game, and bourbon-soaked oak suits beef, cheese and cocktails.
How much to use: as stovetop smoker wood chips, about a heaped tablespoon in a small pile in the centre of the base gives a 20 to 40 minute smoke. Spread thinly, they burn rather than smoulder. In a smoking oven like the one in our hot smoking kit, start with about a tablespoon in a small pile in the centre; an electric smoker's chip tray takes a small handful. A smoking gun needs only a pinch in the bowl. Soaking is optional.
Sizes: 100g is enough for around 16 stovetop smokes, 500g for around 80, and the 5L tub holds about 1.5kg, filled by volume. Every bag reseals, and the tub is resealable and tamper-evident, so the chips stay dry between smokes. The wood is chemical-free.
Fine, coarse or dust? These smoker wood chips are the small grade. For a BBQ smoke box or charcoal, our coarse wood chips are better, and for a cold smoking maze, choose our wood dust.
Specifications
Find your wood
All eight woods come in the same fine 7/20 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
AlderDelicate & classicSalmon · Seafood · PoultryLight gold
BeechClean & traditionalFish · Sausages · CheesePale gold
Bourbon OakSoaked in bourbonBeef · Cheese · CocktailsRich amber-brown
HickoryBold & classicRibs · Pork · BrisketDeep brown
MesquiteBold & intenseBeef · Brisket · GameDeep, dark brownHow to use
Every setup at a glance
Nice smoke flavour. Will buy again. Kept it simple. I am mainly commenting because they arrived fast and looked as expected.
Nice smoke from the wood chips. These worked best when I did not rush it. I opened these, put them aside, then came back to them later.
Trying a different option was the fun bit to try with dinner. The chip size felt right for a smoker box and smoked steadily.
FAQs
Hot smoking ovens, stovetop smokers, and food and cocktail smoking guns. The small 7/20 grade lights quickly and smoulders steadily in a small pile. For BBQ smoke boxes and charcoal, use coarse chips, and for cold smoking mazes, use wood dust.
Yes. A pinch in the bowl is enough to fill a glass cloche or a jug with smoke in under a minute. Bourbon-soaked oak, cherry and apple work well for cocktails, and oak and beech for cheese and butter.
Size and use. Fine 7/20 chips average about 2mm and suit ovens, stovetop smokers and smoking guns. Coarse 20/160 chips average about 8mm and smoulder longer on charcoal or in a BBQ smoke box.
Eight woods: alder, apple, beech, bourbon-soaked oak, cherry, hickory, mesquite and oak. Each comes in a 100g bag, a 500g bag or a 5L tub that holds about 1.5kg. Try a 100g bag before committing to a big size.
Not in a cold smoking maze. Mesh mazes and generators need fine wood dust, which smoulders slowly along the channels for hours. Our wood dust comes in apple, hickory, maple and oak for exactly that job.
In a stovetop smoker, about a heaped tablespoon in a small pile in the centre gives a 20 to 40 minute smoke. In a smoking oven like our hot smoking kit's, start with about a tablespoon. An electric smoker's chip tray takes a small handful, and a smoking gun just a pinch.
No. Soaking is optional: it slows the burn for a gentler smoke, but dry fine chips light more easily and start smoking sooner. Either way, keep the heat medium so they smoulder rather than flare up.
Alder is the classic for salmon and seafood, beech is traditional for fish, and apple and cherry give a gentle, sweet smoke. Oak suits oily fish such as mackerel. Mesquite and hickory can overpower delicate white fish.
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
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Est. 2012Down The Cove · founded in Cornwall, 2012
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