What is the difference between wood dust, fine chips and coarse chips?

It comes down to particle size and how they burn. Dust is the finest grade and smoulders slowly for hours without much heat. Fine chips are a touch larger and ideal for hot smoking ovens and smoking guns. Coarse chips are the chunkiest, made for the high heat of a BBQ where they can sit on the coals.

What wood chips do I need for a cold smoker?

Wood dust, every time. A cold smoke generator like the ProQ relies on dust because it smoulders steadily for many hours while giving off almost no heat - exactly what cold smoking needs. Our Smoking Wood Dust Variety Pack is a great place to start.

What wood chips are best for a stovetop smoking oven?

Fine wood chips are the all-rounder for hot smoking ovens such as the Kitchen Craft, Cameron and Quantum smokers. They catch quickly on the hob and produce a good burst of clean smoke for the short cooking time. Dust works well in these too if you prefer a gentler smoke.

Can I use coarse BBQ chips in a smoking oven?

It's best not to. Coarse chips are designed for the sustained heat of a barbecue and are slow to get going in a small indoor smoker, so you'll struggle to get enough smoke before the food is cooked. Keep coarse chips for the BBQ and use fine chips or dust indoors.

How much wood do you use per smoke?

Less than people expect. For a stovetop smoking oven, one heaped tablespoon of fine chips or dust is plenty for a batch of fish. On the BBQ you can add a small handful of coarse chips and top up as needed - it's always easier to add more than to rescue an over-smoked fillet.

Which Wood Chips? Dust, Fine or Coarse

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Which Wood Chips? Dust, Fine or Coarse | Down The Cove

Natural smoking woods arranged with salmon, beef, pork, cheese and poultry for a food pairing guide

Printable flavour chart

Which smoking wood goes with which food?

For a first attempt, start mild: alder, apple, cherry and beech are forgiving with fish, cheese and poultry. Oak is the dependable all-rounder. Hickory and mesquite are stronger choices for rich meat and shorter, carefully controlled sessions.

Start with a milder wood and add intensity on a later cook; over-smoking is harder to undo.

Swipe sideways to compare every column →

Food	Easy first choice	Stronger alternative	Why
Salmon and oily fish	Alder or apple	Oak	Clean, balanced smoke without burying the fish
Beef	Oak	Hickory or mesquite	The richer meat can carry a deeper smoke
Pork	Apple or cherry	Hickory	Fruit woods bring sweetness; hickory adds savoury depth
Cheese	Apple or beech	Oak	Mild smoke is easier to control on a delicate food
Poultry	Apple or cherry	Beech	A lighter smoke keeps the meat and seasoning clear

A reliable first session

Match the grade to the smoker before choosing the flavour.
Use one wood on the first session so you can learn its character.
Begin with less wood and add more next time if needed.
Record the wood, quantity, food and smoking time for repeatable results.

Sources and next step

This pairing chart reflects the current Down The Cove range and is reviewed whenever flavours or formats change.

Get help choosing the right setup

From the Cove shop

Home smoking essentials that make the advice easier to put into practice.

Curated for this guide

Sampler Pack of Wood Chips - 12 Flavours!£24.95View product

10 Flavour Smoking Wood Chips Gift Pack£28.95Save £9.04View product

Fine Wood Chips for Smoking£4.99View product

The full guide

Read straight through, or dip into the sections that matter for your next smoking session.

Once you have decided on the flavour of wood chips to use, it is important to purchase the chips or dust that is most suitable for the type of smoker you have.

We supply three different grades of wood chips - dust, fine chips and coarse chips. We have explained below the differences between them and the ideal uses for each size of wood chip.

WOOD DUST

Grade 0/20 (less than 2mm)

Which Wood Chips Do I Need?

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Match the wood to the food

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