Instructions: Wood smoke gives barbecue that barbecue flavor. Wood smoke should complement, not override the taste of the meat, fish or poultry. The choice of wood is very important to add that special flavor. Too much smoke makes meat taste bitter.

Softwoods like pine and spruce exude resins resulting in unpleasant flavor.

Hardwoods or fruitwoods, like the following, produce aromatic smoke. Mixing of these woods for a unique flavor is also a "good thing".

Alder: The traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific Northwest, alder also works well with other fish. It has a light delicate flavor. Adds a gentle smoke flavor to pork and seafood.

Apple: Produces a slightly sweet, fruity smoke thats mild enough for chicken or turkey, but capable of flavoring a ham. Pork, beef, brauts.

Cherry: Produces a slightly sweet, fruity smoke thats mild enough for chicken or turkey, but capable of flavoring a ham. Hamburger, turkey, chicken, lamb.

Hickory: Hickory is the king of the woods in the Southern barbeque belt, as basic to the regions cooking as cornbread. The strong, hearty taste is perfect for pork shoulder and ribs, but it also enhances any read meat or poultry. Beef, chicken, pork, ribs and sausage.

Maple: Mildly smoky and sweet, maple mates well with poultry, ham, and vegetables.

Mesquite: The mystique wood of the past decade, mesquite is also Americas most misunderstood wood. Its great for grilling because it burns very hot, but below average for barbecuing for the same reason. Also, the smoke taste turns from tangy to bitter over an extended cooking time. Few serious pitmasters use mesquite, despite a lot of stories about its prevalence in the Southwest. Excellent for ribs and other richly flavored meat. Steak and other beef, lamb, chicken, turkey and other poultry.

Oak: If hickory is the king of barbecue woods, oak is the queen. Assertive but always pleasant, its the most versatile of hardwoods, blending well with a wide range of flavors. What it does to beef is probably against the law in some states.

Peach: Salmon and other fish, beef, poultry.

Pecan: The choice of many professional chefs, pecan burns cool and offers a subtle richness of character. Some people call it a mellow version of hickory. Beef, chicken, sausage.

Herbs and Spices: Much more delicate in flavor, a branch of fennel, a bouquet of bay leaves or a bunch of fresh tarragon or rosemary can add subtle notes to grilled food. Likewise, garlic cloves, orange peel, cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg will add new dimensions to smoke.

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