A lot of our customers have graduated from grilling and have started to barbecue their favorite cut of meat. Barbecuing is an old-fashioned, slow, smoky style of cooking that seem to be dominated by good ol’ boys. We don’t know a single one of our customers that doesn’t enjoy the taste from a great barbecue.

As butchers (and sandwich artists), we’re often asked what wood works best with certain cuts of meat. Knowing what wood to use to barbecue your meat is important. Generally, you only want to use hardwoods. Softwoods like pine or spruce contain too much sap, which can cause your meat to have a foul taste. Wood from fruit and nut trees are very popular, especially with chicken, pork, and fish. Oak and mesquite are also excellent for barbecuing.

Here’s the list of woods that we most commonly recommend:

Apple – We really had a hard time deciding our favorite wood for barbecuing. Usually people prefer to use wood that can be easily found in their neck of the woods. We love applewood. The smoke from applewood is sweet and fruity and is fantastic with any meat. We find that we use apple more for chicken and pork.

Mesquite – This is a sentimental favorite. Our grandfather used mesquite to grill during our family visits to Arizona. The taste really brings back memories of going with grandpa to find mesquite wood. Mesquite wood burns hot so it is great for grilling, but can be difficult to work with if you are barbecuing. The flavor from mesquite wood can turn bitter over extended times.

Hickory – Let’s just say you can’t go wrong with hickory. It’s great with pork, but also provides great flavor to beef and even chicken.

Oak – Oak is probably the most versatile hardwood used for barbecuing. It works well with all cuts of meats and any style of spice.

Cherry – Cherrywood is a great alternative to applewood. It provides a good sweet, fruity smoke that works well with chicken and pork.

Maple – Maplewood provides a mild smoke that is sweet. It is good for pork, ham, and wonderful for smoking vegetables.

Alder – Alder is most commonly used to smoke salmon. Therefore, not many people use alder wood unless they are smoking fish. It has a light smoky flavor.

Now that you know a little more about some of the woods to barbecue, all you need is a great cut of meat. As third generation butchers, we can help you select the best cut of meat for your barbecue. We’ll even cut it for you fresh.