Woods all have their particular distinct aroma and flavor so, it will be quite wise and right to think about the wood you want to use to prepare your food which is one of the reasons that brought us to talking about the best wood for smoking brisket.
In another word, this guide will be solely about discussing and giving you details about the best wood you are to use to smoke your brisket.
The fact is that the wood you use to smoke or prepare your food is as important as the ingredients you use to prepare it.
And, you should also know that not all wood smokes match or are suitable for every meat. This is something you have to meticulously plan as to how to pair them.
This is just a brief introduction about what this guide will major on so, we should go into detail on the best choice of wood for smoking brisket.
Different Types of Wood for Smoking Brisket
So, let’s talk about the different types of wood that can be used to smoke brisket, as said earlier, all woods have their particular distinct aroma and flavor.
This is also to say that you will get different kinds of smoky flavors from different types of woods.
The first thing, we will be looking at the different types of well-known woods that can be used for smoking briskets and this will also include the aromas and flavors the woods can give.
The flavor and aroma the wood will give are what is very essential here, not whether you use wood pellets on a pellet grill, wood lumps or logs on charcoal or offset smoker, or wood bits on an electric smoker.
So, below will be the mentions of these well-known woods that can be used to smoke brisket, they are also among the list of the best woods for smoking brisket.
Oak
The smoky flavor that comes from this wood is medium meaning it’s not too overwhelming or intense.
Oak wood is a very good choice of wood for beginners as this is a wood that burns for a long period and it is also mostly used in Central Texas-style barbecue.
Hickory
The flavor from this wood is considered to be a nutty or bacon-like flavor. And they are strong and smoky.
There is a disadvantage to the usage of this wood as it can lead to causing the meat to become bitter if too much of it is being used.
Mesquite
Mesquite also gives out a strong flavor same with the Hickory wood but, this wood burns quite quick.
This is considered to be the best choice of wood when it comes to making an original Texas smoked brisket. And, you should also be careful because too much of it is also a disadvantage.
Maple
Well, this wood is known for its extremely mild smokiness and also its pleasant flavor.
Pecan
This wood produces an extremely sweet, nutty flavor. It works better when mixed with another wood with a stronger flavor, this is done so as not to make the brisket excessively sweet.
Apple
A pleasant, delightful, and fruity flavor is what this wood produce. It gives an extremely mild smokiness.
Cherry
This is all about its fruity flavor and it has a mild smokiness. Cherry will be best suitable for hickory wood.
Olive
The flavor of olive wood is quite similar to that of mesquite although not in the area of its strength. And, also mild smokiness.
So, in summary, the woods that produces medium to strong flavors include Oak, Hickory, and Mesquite and those that produce mild flavors are Maple, Pecan, Apple, Cherry, and Olive.
How Does Wood Work When Smoking Brisket?
We’ve been talking about the aromas and flavors wood adds to the brisket you smoke but, an important question is how to do woods work when you smoke your brisket.
And, that question will surely be answered in this guide. Looking from the basics, the explanation as to how you smoke a brisket to this is quite simple.
Now, talking about how the woods work, they just produce the smoke the meat sits in while the cooking is going on.
The flavor from the wood smoke is mopped up by the meat in the course of the cooking and smoking process. And, a delicious and mouth-watering brisket is what you get as a result of this.
What wood size should you choose?
This is also yet another important inquiry to make as it involves the size of wood that will be best suitable for the smoking of your brisket.
This is something that should even come first before you consider the wood flavor that you want to go for.
So, this is to show how important knowing your wood size is and generally, you will be choosing from three different wood sizes.
And, these three different wood sizes will be mentioned below;
Logs
Logs go better in the case of the usage of an offset smoker as they release a large amount of smoke and they can also be occasionally frightening in their size.
The downside of a log burns quite well in an impressive manner with the right smoker although it can sure be quite the task to burn it and also to keep it lit.
Chips
Chips are quite best suited when you want to go for a charcoal grill or an electric smoker and they are also commonly referred to as wood shaving or scraps, this is because they are quite very small.
This small size also allows them to burn quite very fast so, it is advisable to only use them for smaller pieces of brisket.
Chunks
And, lastly for this guide, comes the chunks which take time to burn but, the interesting thing is that when they burn, they burn for a very long time.
So, they are the best choice when you need to smoke your meat for a very long time as they burn and jeep lit for a long period.
Final Thoughts on Best Wood for Smoking Brisket
There are quite a good number of people that love the smoky flavor of oak wood products and it happens to also be quite affordable. Additionally, it burns quite well.
The most well-known choice of wood for smoking brisket goes to hickory and oak wood and they are also a good choice of wood for beginners.
So, the best wood for smoking brisket is determined by the smoker you want to use, the size of your brisket, and lastly, the flavor or flavors you want.
