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6. WOOD FLAVOURING
Wood chips or wood pellets are considered to be premium smoke generating materials and greatly
impact the quality of the foods you have choosen to smoke.
6.1 Wood Chips
Wood chips are small pieces of suitable wood that can be used during the cooking process to
produce flavoured smoke. For use in a Hark gas smoker, they need to be small pieces. Large
chunks of wood aren’t suitable for this type of smoking.
Flavoured wood provide a subtle flavour to your food from the smoke that is generated. Typically
the wood will come from a fruit tree or from Mesquite, banksia and sheoak. Generally fruit and nut
trees produce a sweeter, milder smoke, which complements white and pink meats. Hardwoods like
wattle, box, gum and mesquite produce more robust smoke and are more suited to redder meats.
Imported timbers like hickory, mesquite and beech (favoured by European smallgoods makers) are
also available.
The following table provides a guide to the different types of flavoured woods available today.
Table 2: Flavoured Wood Types
WOOD FLAVOUR
DESCRIPTION
FOODS
Black Wattle
Grey Box
Red Gum
Jarrah
Strong. pungent, smoky bacon
flavour
Similar to Hickory
Great for most meat smoking
Not as ideal for seafood and
vegetables
Ironbark
Melaleuka
Medium smoke, similar to
Hickory but not as strong
Great for most smoking,
including seafood
Beech (Imported)
Strong earthy flavour
Good for most meats,
particularly beef. Also great
with vegetables
Beech (Imported)
Very mid. A light, sweet flavour
Pork, ham, poultry, cheese,
game birds
Sheoak
Mild smoke, slightly sweet,
preferred for fish
Good with red meat, pork, fish
Apple
Slightly sweet but denser, fruity
smoke flavour
Beef, poultry, game birds, pork
(particularly ham)
Cherry, Peach and other
stonefruit
Slightly sweet, fruity smoke
flavour
Good with all meats
Banksia (the Banksia cone
is particularly good)
Very delicate light taste with a
hint of sweetness
Good with fish, pork, poultry
and light-meat game birds
Grapevine
Aromatic, similar to fruit woods
Good with all meats
Macadamia
Nutty and sweet smoke flavour
Light and subtle smoke
Good with all meats
Myrtle
Tasmanian Oak
Strong smoke, but not bitter
Good with everything
