Have you wondered why you need to find the best wood for smoking brisket? It will add a smoked aroma that infuses inside the meat. It may take much effort to create the perfect moisture and smoky flavor while keeping the meat so soft and tender. And you just want to eat more and more.
Sounds tasty, right?
But you should know that each type of wood you use has its unique effect on the flavor of your smoked brisket. So, you’d better choose the right thing. No need to wait! We will show you the most suitable woods for smoking briskets.
Top 5 Best Wood For Smoking Brisket Reviews :
1. FireStar Wood chips for smoking and grilling
The first pack of wood smoking chips today is ideal for various types of smokers, like electric, gas, and barbecue grills. And you can use it
Let’s open the package and see what we got!
One set contains oak, alder, apple, and cherry smoking chips – each wood chips variety comes with a distinct flavor.
The assorted FireStar chips let you taste various types of wood for smoking so that you can create your own favorite blend.
Aren’t you familiar with smoking meat?
So, we recommend using natural wood chips from apple trees for smoking meat or briskets.
The FireStar wood products are made from 100% natural and organic trees, thus containing no additives, preservatives, or chemicals.
Because of the mini size, just from 0.2 to 0.8 inches, the wood chips can burn out quickly so that it is not suitable for smoking larger cuts of brisket.
If you concern about the environmental issues, here is good news for you. The product features environmentally-friendly packaging. Instead of throwing it away, now you can recycle it to light a fire in your fireplace.
Another gift for you! You will receive the free ebook “TOP 101 Smoking Meat Recipes”, which instructs you to prepare BBQ meat with gas, fire, and electric smoker.
Pros :
- 100% fuel source without additives, preservatives, or chemicals.
- Small-sized chips.
- Environmentally-friendly packaging.
- Free recipe ebook.
Cons :
- Not suitable for large cuts of brisket.
2. Western Premium BBQ Products BBQ Smoking Chips Variety Pack
Like the FireStar wood chips, Western BBQ Smoking chips come with a variety of flavors: apple, cherry, maple, and peach.
And yes, maple and apple are two types of wood we recommend using for smoking, particularly briskets.
The sweetness with the light, smoky flavor of maple wood is excellent for cooking not only pork but game birds, poultry, and vegetables as well. Meanwhile, applewood, with mild, delicate smoke and a little sweetness, can add a lovely flavor to grilled or smoked meats.
Each bag also has the suggested meats pictured on the outside so that you can follow that instruction.
And we have to say the bags are so big – you can smoke for months without running out of chips.
For the best flavor, you should put the chips in a foil pouch or smoker tray. Plus, the pack includes a reusable smoker tray.
Another pro is that the product is 100% natural raw wood, and you can use it with charcoal, gas grills, or electric smokers.
Although the chips are larger than we thought, that is not a big problem.
So, when you are trying to bring wood smoke flavor to food cooked in electric smokers or on gas grills, you can consider this option. Great product with a great value!
Pros :
- 100% natural wood.
- Great flavor.
- Uniform size.
- Reusable smoker tray included.
Cons :
- A bit large size.
3. Weber 17150 Mesquite Wood Chunks
Do you know the best way to get a long-lasting burn in the cooker? Use wood chunks.
A very tough cut of meat like brisket can easily absorb a rich, bold, pungent wood flavor of mesquite. Overall, the smoke will be intense in both density and flavor, thus immensely enhancing the quality of your brisket. It can go well with lamb, pork, or beef.
You can use it as either primary or secondary fuel sources.
Each bag has a generous volume of 350 cubic inches or 0.006 cubic meters and a weight of 4 pounds. And the chunks come with a uniform size.
Weber has created beautiful packaging – the bags are sturdy enough to avoid tearing or ripping.
But unlike the FireStar product, this packaging material cannot be recycled. Plus, after you have opened the bag, it is not resealable to prevent the accumulation of moisture inside.
The manufacturer also claims that its wood chunks are not coated with anything. But at the same time, they admit that these woods cannot be seen as 100% organic.
A little confused, right?
Anyway, we still highly recommend using Weber mesquite wood chunks because of the robust and smoky flavor added to your meat. There are also other options you can try, including hickory, pecan, apple, and cherry.
Pros :
- High-quality mesquite wood.
- Bold and rich flavor .
- Suitable for other meat types as well.
Cons :
- Not 100% organic.
- Non-resealable package.
4. Camerons Wood Smoking Chips- Wood Smoker Chips Value Pack
Camerons has been leading the smoke cooking game and created a lot of innovative grilling products to let you add a grilled or smoked flavor into your food with ease.
Do you see the packaging is so cute? Look like ice cream boxes! These plastic containers are easy to carry out.
The chips are finely ground, and the size is perfect, especially for a small portable smoker.
Each 1-pint container like this can yield around 30 smokings. One set of four resealable pints includes oak, hickory, alder, and cherry wood shavings.
And as we have recommended above, oak and hickory are two of the best woods that match perfectly with briskets.
Not only does this set work with pork and beef, but it also pairs well with cheese, poultry, seafood, and lamb.
For bringing the best performance, these smoking wood chip is all-natural raw timber, kiln-dried, to ignite quickly and deliver a distinct, smoky flavor.
However, there may be too much sawdust in the container. The shavings also burn out so quickly that they are not suitable for long smoking. You should soak them first to have a longer burning time.
Pros :
- Portable container.
- Igniting fast and combusting 100%.
- The distinct, smoky flavor.
- Camerons Smoker Box included.
Cons :
- Coarse sawdust.
- Short burning time.
5. Oklahoma Joe’s Wood Smoker Chunks Hickory
The hickory wood is cut into logs weighing in at 8 pounds and ready to be thrown on the fire. You do not need to soak chunks before barbecuing.
Hickory wood is also suitable for smoking brisket, thanks to its intense flavors, pungent scent, and heavy smoke. So, ready to enjoy an authentic Texas barbecue!
If you do not like a single taste, mix it with other varieties to create your own smoked flavor.
You can use it with smokers and charcoal grills to infuse flavor to your food over a long time.
However, there is some feedback that the bag does not weight 8 pounds enough as advertised.
Pros :
- All-natural wood chunks.
- Rich flavor and strong aroma.
- Long-lasting burn.
Cons :
- Lack of weight.
Why should you choose wood instead of other fuel sources?
What benefits does wood bring you?
It adds flavor to your food, one of the most vital components of the smoked meat. There is a wide range of wood types you can select for smoking your brisket.
Is there anything else?
Wood brings the maximum amount of heat required to cook- the temperature can surpass many other fuel sources such as charcoal and propane.
And finally, burning wood can create the perfect amount of smoke for smoking your food.
What are the best types of woods to use for smoking a brisket?
As we have already said, different types of woods will produce different smoky flavors. Let’s divide these woods below into two groups: medium to intense flavors and mild/ soft flavors.
Wood with medium to intense flavors
Oak
Oak has always been a popular choice for smoking briskets. It is one of the easiest wood types to use and creates a subtle, smokey flavor. If you even want a more fully-rounded taste, you can try mixing it with other varieties.
Plus, thanks to its long potential burning time, you do not need to take care of your brisket as much as you do with wood types.
If you are going to use oak as the primary smoking fuel, it is totally fine. But if you want to use it as a secondary fuel sources, well, you need to look for other materials – it is a much better primary source than secondary.
Hickory
Hickory also remains one of the most popular types of wood for barbecuing and smoking. Smokey and sharp, hickory creates a nice nutty or bacon-like flavor, but not as strong as mesquite.
The tough meat like brisket can absorb the sharp and rich flavors of hickory beautifully.
But be careful! Do not use too much hickory; otherwise, you will let it overpower your briskets with a much bitter taste.
If you are going to smoke your brisket fast, like around 2-3 hours, you can go with a blend of oak and hickory
Mesquite
Another wood for those who love a very strong earthy flavor and an authentic Texas barbecue.
However, one of the flaws of this pungent wood is that it may be too powerful, like hickory. You can dilute it by mixing it with a softer wood, like applewood.
Wood with mild flavors
Apple
Applewood is a soft one, creating light smokiness and a lovely, fruity flavor. It matches beautifully with not only brisket but also ham, turkey, and chicken.
Pecan
Many people may neglect pecan, but it produces such a sweet, nutty flavor and makes your BBQ briskets much tastier.
However, if you do not want the brisket to be too sweet, you can temper it with a strong-flavor wood like oak.
Maple
If you are starting to smoking briskets, you can try with maple first. It delivers very mild smokiness and sweet taste without overwhelming your meat with its aroma.
Olive
Another wood not for everyone but it can bring a surprising result. It comes with a quite similar flavor to mesquite but not strong like that.
Besides brisket, it can go with poultry, and fish if you dare to try.
How many chunks of wood does it take to smoke a brisket?
It depends on which types of wood you use. For example, you can use about 4 to 6 chunks. ⅔ of them are hickory, and the remaining ⅓ are apple or cherry.
How long do you smoke a 10 lb brisket?
Here is our recipe!
You can cook the brisket at 225 degrees for about 75 minutes per pound.
But remember, many variables can affect how fast or slow you cook a brisket, like how close the brisket is to the firebox, how many times the smoker is opened, what type of smoker you use, the thickness of the brisket, and so on.
Many people think that the brisket will be done when its internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. But in fact, around 190 degrees, the brisket either may or may not be done – it depends on its fat content.
Conclusion
So you see, selecting the best wood for smoking brisket will end up with a soft and tasty product. Some wood types have a strong and powerful flavor, while some come with a subtle taste.
Have fun with the blend of wood, and you will find your favorite taste.
Thank you for reading.
