Best Wood For Smoking Pork

When you are smoking meat low and slow, and spending hours tending the fire and the cook. You want to make sure that you pick the right wood to really bring out the taste and the flavor of the meat you are smoking.

This is part of series to match the right wood to the right meat.

Best Woods

1. Apple Wood
2. Pecan Wood
3. Maple Wood
4. Orange Wood
5. Peach Wood

Woods to Avoid

1. Alder Wood
2. Mesquite Wood

Best Woods

1. Apple Wood

Apple Wood is a perfect match for pork, because apple wood has a subtle sweet and fruity smoke flavor. This enhances the natural flavors in the pork.

I have used Apple wood, on Pork Ribs, Pork Butts, and making pulled pork sandwich.

2. Pecan Wood

Pecan wood is a good match with Pork. It is different flavor profile than Apple wood, it adds a nutty flavor dimension to your cooking, it also has a small amount of sweetness.

2. Maple Wood

Maple wood is another sweet and fruity hardwood, that brings out the flavors in Pulled Port.

3. Orange Wood

Orange wood is a good choice for Pork since it has citrusy flavor notes it brings that sweet flavor to the pork.

4. Peach Wood

Peach wood adds floral notes to your pork meat. The flavor is much more delicate and light. Peach wood works best with ligheter and more delicate versions of pork, like pork chops, bacon, etc.

Woods to Avoid

1. Alder Wood

Alder wood is a much stronger wood flavor, the end result is that it will overpower your pork. Sometimes you want to overwhelm your pork, when you are trying to pull out flavors of other portions of your dish.

2. Mesquite Wood

Mesquite is a very strong flavor and is typically used in Beef and heartier cuts of meat. Pork is better off with something that will enhance the flavor and not overwhelm it.