The Best Wood for Smoking Chicken

Smoking meat is a common method of cooking meat. When you smoke meat, you are cooking it over firewood.

Using this approach helps to mix the inherent tastes of the meat, the smoke from the cooking process, and any natural aromas generated by the kind of wood used.

Chicken, one of the most popular meats, may be prepared in a number of ways, including smoking the flesh. In this post, we will discuss the finest wood to smoke chicken using as well as the different sizes of wood available.

Best Wood for Smoking Chicken

Maple

Maplewood is a popular kind of wood in North America. This wood is often used in the manufacture of furniture, kitchen items, cabinets, and flooring. It is, however, a sort of wood that may be used to smoke meat!

Using Maplewood to smoke chicken will provide a mild flavor to your chicken. It will even be somewhat sweet for people who prefer a softer flavor to their meat.

This wood burns slowly and hotly, so bear that in mind if you decide to smoke your chicken using Maplewood.

Hickory

Hickory is a kind of wood that is often found in North America. It is hardwood, which is typical for these sorts of wood, and is utilized for items like flooring, cabinets, and furniture.

Because this timber is so heavy, builders may have difficulty working with it at times.

Smoking chicken over hickory wood results in chicken with a mild taste comparable to bacon.

It has a savory taste that blends well with the natural flavors of the chicken. The nice thing about hickory wood is that it will not overpower the chicken.

Cherry

Cherrywood is the wood obtained from the cherry tree. It is available in a variety of hues, and apart from smoking wood, it is also used to make furniture and cabinets.

The greatest aspect is that this wood is reasonably priced, making it accessible to everyone!

When you smoke chicken using cherry wood, you’ll get a delicious taste that’s on the sweet side.

It complements the tastes of the chicken and creates a great experience from the moment you bite into this smoked piece of meat.

Pimento

Pimento, often known as Allspice, is a wood native to Jamaica. It is used to season jerk chicken and provides a lot of taste.

The most significant issue with utilizing this kind of wood is that it is virtually entirely cultivated in Jamaica.

This wood can only be obtained in Jamaica, online, or through stores that cater to Jamaican populations.

If you can get your hands on this wood, your chicken will taste very close like jerk chicken. Your taste senses will have a global adventure!

Apple

As you would expect, applewood may be found in the wood of an apple tree. While not native to America, there are many apple trees in the country as a result of their being carried here and planted on farms.

It is not always simple to get this sort of wood, therefore it should come as no surprise that it is quite pricey.

When you smoke your chicken using Applewood, you get meat that has a fruity taste to it.

It’s on the moderate side, so don’t be concerned about it being overbearing.

Pecan

Pecan wood is derived from the pecan tree, from which the famous nut pecan is derived.

It is used to make furniture, albeit it is not the most frequent kind of wood used to make furniture. Floors, cabinets, dowels, handles, and ladder rungs are also made of it.

Smoking chicken over pecan wood can give it an unusual taste.

It’s on the savory side, with a bit of nut. It’s not what you’d anticipate when biting into chicken, but it works!

Size of Wood

When smoking meat, there are four distinct sizes to choose from. The following sizes are among them:

• Wood bits are one size. pieces of wood, like split wood, come in fist-sized pieces and will keep the fire running for hours. They work well with huge chunks of meat.
• Pellet-sized wood is particularly made for pellet grills, therefore if you don’t have a pellet grill, you won’t be able to use it. If you do, though, this is the size you’ll need if you wish to utilize that grill.
• Split-sized wood is in the form of a log, and utilizing this kind of wood assures that your meat will cook for hours. Excellent for huge chunks of meat.
• Wood chips are tiny bits of wood that do not burn for an extended length of time. They are excellent for smaller pieces of meat, poultry, and fish.

When cooking over an open flame, always keep safety in mind. Nobody wants to be the cause of a fire that goes out of control.

Final Thoughts

That’s all for all you barbecue fans out there! The following six kinds of wood are the best for smoking chicken.

They each have their own distinct strengths, so if you’re uncertain, try them all! What do you have to lose? If anything, you will acquire a significant amount of weight!

You’re also aware of the various sizes available for smoking chicken. It usually depends on the quantity of the meat as well as how long you want to cook it, so keep those two things in mind!