Why Use BBQ Woodchips?

If you are an avid griller then you already know the reason for using BBQ wood chips. But many people have no idea what the big deal is about wood chips. Wood Smoking Chips or BBQ wood chips are available in a wide variety of flavors. They go from mesquite and hickory all the way to Cabernet.

Tomorrow there will most definitely be at least twenty more flavors of BBQ wood chips. Wood smoking chips take your grilling to a whole new level. They can be used not only in a smoker, but on a gas or charcoal grill, as well. There are special smoker boxes that can be placed in your gas and charcoal grills to add real wood smoke flavor to your meats. There is nothing better then BBQ meat that has been cooked or smoked with BBQ wood chips.

Flavors

When using a small smoker in your grill you do not always have to soak your BBQ wood chips first. Soaked wood chips only allow your chips to burn longer. If you are cooking a steak you do not need your BBQ wood chips to burn for a long time. You must remember that barbecuing is all about the meat. If you do not have a good piece of meat, there is no woodchip made that will make your meat taste any better.

Make sure your meat or chicken is fresh and from a reputable butcher. The stores that sell the BBQ wood chips will have flavor guides to help you wade your way through the new age of wood chips. The lighter the meat type, the lighter the flavor woodchip you need to use. But it also doesn’t hurt to experiment and try mesquite with chicken, just begin with fewer wood chips then you would normally use.

The Alder wood chips should be used with seafood and pork. Alder is a mild flavored BBQ woodchip. The fruit wood chips are also mild and are best used with poultry, veal and pork. The fruit woods consist of apple, cherry and other fruit BBQ wood chips. Maple BBQ wood chips are a strong flavor and are best used with beef, pork and poultry.

Hickory is another strong woodchip and is best if used with beef, pork and poultry. Beef, duck and lamb are best if used with the strong mesquite wood chips and oak, another strong woodchip, is good with beef and ham. So the next time you decide on grilling a great piece of meat consider using one of these BBQ wood chips and see the great flavor that emits from your grill. Not only will that flavor come from your grill but it will also be cooked into your meat.