Here is what I have found, would like to here others opinions
Hickory
Goes with just about everything, use it on Pork and Beef
Mesquite
Stronger smoke flavor use it primary on beef sparingly
Cherry
Lighter flavor use it on Chicken
Pecan
Lighter smoke flavor as well and goes great with chicken and turkey
Alder
Goes great with any fish
Maple
Sweet flavor have used on fish and ham
Apple
Lighter flavor that goes great with cheese and good on pork
Jim Beam
Goes great with Beef a little bit lighter than Hickory
Oak
Goes great with beef and fish
Call me crazy or call me a malcontent, but I use just about anything on anything. The only ones I have not tried from your list is the Jim Beam - I've tried smoking with JD barrel chips and even JD barrel staves and didn't think any JD flavor came through so I didn't think the Jim Beam pucks would do much either. I really go out on a limb and use mesquite on fish - yes it was catfish - but the "M" wood was used. I use mostly Hickory, but that is because that is the easiest for me to get. I am in Hickory Country. Maybe my smoking taste buds have been burned out with years of smoking, but I just don't see all that much (if any) difference between them all except maybe mesquite.
I tend to agree with you Caney. Have used many different woods on many types of meats and cannot taste any smoke difference.
Must be my taste buds :o are not as sensitive as others ::)
My two pennies worth. I can't tell much difference in the hardwood flavors with the Bradley. My wife's family comes from Laredo Tx and
They get mesquite from their ranch and make their own charcoal. Best dam anything I've had in Real pit BBQ.
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Special blend works with absolutely everything... strongly recomended.
I may not be able to tell you which wood the meat was smoked with, but if it were a blind side by side test I could tell the difference in taste. In general without a blind test, I can tell which most likely came from a fruit bearing tree, or from a nut or other type or hardwood tree. I use pecan so much, that I can generally identify that on most meats. The cherry smoke give me a headache and makes me nauseous, so I rarely use it. I just have to make sure I stay out of the smoke as much as possible.
The Jim Beam is made from the oak barrels, so the description should be the same as oak. I've used Jim Beam on brisket, and I couldn't distinguish any difference than using oak; but that was not a side by side comparison.
I generally agrees with this CHART (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?26-Bisquettes&p=36#post36). As the chart states, the wood suggestions are general guidelines, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Quote from: mikecorn.1 on October 19, 2011, 06:00:03 PM
My two pennies worth. I can't tell much difference in the hardwood flavors with the Bradley. My wife's family comes from Laredo Tx and
They get mesquite from their ranch and make their own charcoal. Best dam anything I've had in Real pit BBQ.
Man mikecorn that brings back some pleasant memories of big deer, javalina, quail hunts, and bbq - oh and huge rattlers! Dad and I had a lease a few miles outside of Laredo - probably closer to Freer than Laredo. The old Tejano that owned the ranch (almost 50,000 acres) would have his hands make mesquite charcoal also. After he died, his wife let us have the charcoal for our use. Man it made up some great cabrito! and some javelina. His hands were into using it for traditional barbacoa.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on October 20, 2011, 02:15:27 AM
I may not be able to tell you which wood the meat was smoked with, but if it were a blind side by side test I could tell the difference in taste. In general without a blind test, I can tell which most likely came from a fruit bearing tree, or from a nut or other type or hardwood tree. I use pecan so much, that I can generally identify that on most meats. The cherry smoke give me a headache and makes me nauseous, so I rarely use it. I just have to make sure I stay out of the smoke as much as possible.
The Jim Beam is made from the oak barrels, so the description should be the same as oak. I've used Jim Beam on brisket, and I couldn't distinguish any difference than using oak; but that was not a side by side comparison.
I generally agrees with this CHART (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?26-Bisquettes&p=36#post36). As the chart states, the wood suggestions are general guidelines, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Thanks for the chart.