You are here that confirms you are looking for the best wood for smoking brisket and know about brisket.
For those unaware, brisket beef is usually a larger cut of cow, weighing between 12 pounds to 20 pounds. It is basically the pectoral equivalent of the animal.
This article will tell you what wood flavor we prefer our brisket to taste and the top 8 best types of wood to use to enhance the flavor of brisket.
Plus you’ll get to know what size wood you should use for the best smoking results for the brisket.
Now after a little wait you can put the brisket in your basket.
Best Woods For Smoking Brisket (#8 Top Quality)
You will find dozens of types of smoking wood in the market from which you have to choose the best. We’ve chosen Smoking Wood to focus this list on just a handful of smokers.
However, there are 8 or 12 types of wood that are most popular for smoking. We’ve handpicked only the 8 best suited for the Best wood for Brisket here.
The best woods for smoking brisket are also divided into two parts. Read the full article.
Related Article: Best Wood For Smoking Turkey
Use For Medium to Strong Flavors
Hickory
Hickory has a complex wood but is not as strong as mesquite, although hickory is savory and strong as well as one of the classics you will find.
It generates more smoke so goes a long way in cooking the brisket but the nutty notes it gives are just amazing flavors. For this you need to be careful otherwise your brisket may turn bitter.
Hickory is a great alternative to brisket if you’re going to cook brisket with a little bit of security. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re a traditionalist, you should add hickory to the top of your list.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Traeger Grills Hickory Hardwood Pellets Grill | 1. Premium quality 2.100% Natural hickory hardwood 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | WESTERN Premium BBQ Hickory Wood Chips | 1. Big Wood size 2. 100% natural Hickory wood 3. Heat treated | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Camerons Hickory Smoking Wood Chunks | 1. 100% natural Hickory wood chunks 2. Works with all grills 3. Subtle fruity flavor | Buy Now On Amazon |
Mesquite
Do you know, what wood is used for Texas brisket? Mesquite wood is a smoker and foodie favorite choice that packs an intense punch of flavor with its smoke on brisket. This taste and smell will be prevalent among many people, especially fans of Texas barbecue.
Mesquite is a fast-burning wood, so you need to make sure you have enough before using it. It’s easy to smoke with mesquite wood, it’s better to use it than not to smoke.
The focus should be on mixing mesquite wood with a lighter material to soften the brisket a bit. Unless you’re a smoking addict.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Louisiana Grills Texas Mesquite Pellets | 1. Premium quality 2.100% Natural maple wood 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Oklahoma Joe's Mesquite Wood Smoker Chips | 1. light and sweet smoke flavor 2. Longer lasting smoke 3. Heat treated | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Steven Raichlen's Project Smoke Smoking Chips - (Mesquite) | 1. 100% Mesquite wood chunks 2. Works with all grills 3. Ignited quickly and com-busts completely | Buy Now On Amazon |
Oak
Oak Wood is the most valuable and premium option for your furniture and kitchen cabinets. But at the same time, it is also used for smoking which is one of the most popular woods.
Oakwood is perfect for brisket smoking because this wood gives the long burning time needed for the brisket. Perhaps because Oak Wood is perfect for extended sessions, but also because the medium-strength smoke flavor is a crowd-pleaser.
Oak is undoubtedly a complex wood, excellent for a layered flavor profile and great flavor, blending well with even small amounts of wood. You must consider it.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Traeger Grills PEL310 Oak Wood | 1. High quality 2.100% Natural Oak wood 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Camerons Smoking Chips - (Oak) | 1. light and sweet smoke flavor 2. Oak Coarse Cut Wood Chunks pairs well with all kind of meat 3. Heat treated | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Western Premium Oak BBQ Cooking Chunks | 1. Premium Quality 2. Works with all grills 3. Ignited quickly and big size | Buy Now On Amazon |
Use For Mild Flavors
Maple
Maple, like oak wood, gives ease and is popular with new smokers. You are free to test while smoking without a doubt because the apple’s mild flavor makes it difficult to overdo it.
But some people find the maple wood brisket to be subtle. I feel like the cut of the meat gives a subtle boost to the natural flavor, making it an excellent choice. The best part is that you can use leftover wood for chicken, turkey, and pork.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bear Mountain BBQ Maple Hardwood Pellet | 1. Premium quality 2.100% Natural maple wood 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Napoleon Maple Wood Chips | 1. light and sweet smoke flavor 2. Longer lasting smoke 3. Heat treated | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Camerons Maple Smoking Wood Chunks | 1. 100% Maple wood chunks 2. Works with all grills 3. Ignited quickly and com-busts completely | Buy Now On Amazon |
Related Article: Best Campfire Grill Grate
Cherry
If you like the sweet and mild smoky flavor, cherry wood is a delicious option for you and if you like a milder taste, cherry is one of the best choices.
Pair cherries with oak or maple if a strong profile appeals to you or if you want to infuse this flavor with guests. This combination will accentuate the smoky color without completely covering up the sweet fruit.
If you’ve tasted cherry wood before, you may have found that smoking with cherries darkens the bark of the brisket, making it even more delicious.
When smoking cherries, the smoke often associates the mass with a deep red color, so the wood is commonly used to obtain color and a subtle flavor.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bear Mountain BBQ Cherry Wood Pellets | 1. Premium quality 2.100% natural hardwood 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Clean Burn, No Binders, Low Ash | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Oklahoma Joe's Cherry Wood Smoker Chips | 1. Wood size 2. 100% natural cherry wood 3. Works with smoker electric, charcoal, and gas. | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Weber Cherry Wood Chunks | 1. 100% natural cherry wood 2. Works with all grills 3. Subtle fruity flavor | Buy Now On Amazon |
Apple
The Applewood imparts a mildly sweet fruity flavor to your meat, as do other fruitwoods. But it doesn’t taste as strong as pecans, despite producing a lot of smoke. Apple smoke is very mild which gives a sweet and fruity taste.
Not being overpowering, you can use it on its own or use it in conjunction with another wood to add some notes to a bolder flavor.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Traeger Apple Wood Pellets | 1. Premium quality 2.100% natural Sweet taste 3. Pairs well with everything 4. Work with all type grills | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Oklahoma Joe's Apple Wood Smoker Chips | 1. Wood size 2. 100% natural alder wood 3. Works with all grills brands | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Weber Apple Wood Chunks | 1. 100% natural raw timber 2. Works with all grills 3. Subtle sweet flavor | Buy Now On Amazon |
Pecan
You may have noticed that not everyone carries pecan wood for brisket, but as soon as you cut it, you should know that the wood should be on your list that you never included.
Pecans have a sweet, irresistible, and nutty flavor that really gives the brisket a rich flavor. It will be a bit too bitter which you will need to work on which is for sure.
Here you might be concerned that it might be too sweet but mix it with some oak or maple and you’re going to get a wonderfully mild flavor.
| Image | Brands | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | PIT BOSS Pecan Blend Wood Pellets | 1. No added scents, sprays, or glues 2.100% Natural pecan wood 3. Premium-grade, pure-hardwood 4. Wood fibers hold pellets together | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Weber Stephen Products Wood, Pecan Chips | 1. Provides a rich & Sweet flavor 2. Longer lasting smoke 3. Heat treated | Buy Now On Amazon |
 | Weber Pecan Wood Chunks | 1. 100% Pecan wood chunks 2. Provides a rich & Sweet flavor 3. Ignited quickly and com-busts completely | Buy Now On Amazon |
Olive
All I want to say about olive is that it tastes almost like mesquite but its light smoke color is not as strong. It has a mild flavor for great taste and is good for beef, pork, and poultry.
Related Article: How Many Pounds of Brisket Per Person?
Types of Best Wood To Smoke Brisket
It could be the timing or the situation of what kind of fuel your unit uses to smoke your favorite brisket. These are the new smokers who need to learn. Here is the type of wood for smoking brisket which can be the best option for you.
- Pellets
- Chips
- Logs
- Chunks
What Size Wood is For Smoking Brisket?
This is an important topic where the size of smoking wood matters to you. Knowing the right style and size for your grill is very important when you are going to smoke. This information ensures you smoke more or less your meat.
Pellets
If you have a pellet grill for smoking you have the option to choose the only pellet as the fuel. But if you have any other grill (Gas Grill, Charcoal Grill, Electric Grill) then you can choose the pellet smoker box or smoker tube but it is better for 2-4 hours only. But it is not a good idea to smoke for a long time.
The pellet smoker has an auto-feeder system whose purpose is to burn the pellet which will generate smoke to smoke your meat. To smoke for a long time, you have to find a pellet smoker whose pellet hopper is bigger than it is better.
Chips
These are nothing but quick-burning wood chips that add the flavor of your favorite wood to your brisket. These are great for the electric smoker that doesn’t use an open flame, giving you that rich woodsy flavor.
Wood chips are also perfect for smoker boxes on the gas grills or brazier charcoal grills that lack depth for crumbs. Plus, these chips are available in almost every flavor you can smoke with your favorite wood smoker.
Logs
It’s true that many smokers don’t think logs are enough, but if you have the offset smoker, logs are the perfect fuel for you to add the perfect flavor to your brisket. There is a large firebox with an offset that is capable of burning multiple logs.
Most older smokers prefer full logs that do not require any other type of fuel. Buying scented wood logs in the form of chunks or chips is a little more difficult.
You can use logs but you have to make sure that your trees are not sprayed with any pesticide or fertilizer which is not done often.
Chunks
If you have a charcoal grill that indicates that you like to smoke in it. So you will need pieces that are filled with solid wood pieces. Two or three chicks are needed if you want to smoke more but you can easily add more as needed.
This too burns like a pile of coal on the stove, keeps it on the coal, and lights a fire. Despite its size is large, you can easily purchase from the online or nearest shop that wood with bagged flavor.
What are the Benefits of Wood Smoking?
Yes, it is true that cooking brisket without smoke is completely far-fetched. But why should you? However, any brisket can take hours to cook which allows you to make good use of your time and if you wish, you can also spread the smoky color over the meat.
Spices add flavor to meat but smoke does the opposite, being more efficient and delicate, that doesn’t penetrate the cut meat.
That is, you’ll need to smoke the brisket for a while so that the smoke-colored flavor permeates each cut, along with the surface. Lest you know how to pull out that gorgeous bark that tempts you.
If you are conscious of your health then you should be honest and please stay away from brisket. Think about it too, if you are using less sugar then smoky flavorings are a comparatively better alternative to sauces.
As you know most BBQ sauces are based on brown sugar. The smoke is completely natural with no calories or carbs.
Plus you have the option to choose from woods and enjoy mix and match to experience a variety of flavor profiles. It’s an easy and great way to broaden the culinary horizons you’ll love.
Tips For Smoking Brisket With Hard Wood
It doesn’t matter which wood you choose to smoke your brisket. In order to achieve a great taste, how to choose wood, some rules which are given below which can give you benefits.
- Avoid raw wood that has been recently cut, and is not completely dry.
- Avoid softwoods that will die quickly
- Old wood may contain mold or fungus, which should be avoided
- Do not use any type of wood that has been painted, stained, or treated
- Always try to keep the temperature constant
- Always experiment to try a variety of combinations that are used to achieve different flavor profiles
- Try to keep the smoke clear and blue in color
- Avoid excessive smoking as it can make the meat taste bitter
FAQ
What is the best wood to smoke a brisket?
Although you have already got the complete details, see a shortlist here.
1. Hickory
2. Mesquite
3. Oak
4. Maple
5. Cherry
6. Apple
7. Pecan
8. Olive
What wood is used for Texas brisket?
A Texas-style BBQ mainstay when it comes to smoking brisket, mesquite is a popular choice that imparts a strong and distinctive flavor to the meat. Mesquite is a quick-burning wood that gives off intense smoke and a powerful, unique flavor.
How long do you smoke a brisket at 225?
Set your best pellet grill for brisket smoking to 225°F and close the lid to preheat for 15 minutes. Place the brisket on the grate fatty site and the meat will be cooked through in 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Is Hickory or Mesquite better for brisket?
Hickory has a medium-intensity flavor that tastes great with pork. If you’re grilling chicken or beef, we recommend using hickory wood.
Mesquite has a very strong flavor and is best reserved for beef cuts, especially when you plan to cook brisket.
Can you mix wood when smoking brisket?
We’ve always been advising our readers that for the best smoke flavor, you have to work on your own smoke. You should work with a mixture of two, three, or more woods until you get the smoke flavor you want.
Provides a combination of mild and sweet smoke flavors resulting in a rich and nice color to the meat.
When should I wrap my brisket?
My recommendation for wrapping brisket when its internal temperature reaches 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit.
What happens if you don’t wrap brisket?
By not wrapping the brisket, it is exposed to direct heat, due to which it’s at seventeen. No moisture is expected to escape. Here you need to be more careful.
By not wrapping the brisket, it is exposed to direct heat, resulting in loss of moisture on the surface. You need to be more careful when smoking brisket without wrapping if you are new.
Final Verdict – Best Wood For Smoking Brisket
When you choose your best smoke to use for brisket, it doesn’t end here, here you have to test it again and again. So that you will enjoy discovering the best and making your own flavors. If you love these, then you have to be ready to have a taste of your own.
Try several kinds of wood at once and have a great taste for smoking brisket as we’ve already described in several places in this article.
We are very happy to choose us for this topic, may this article will help you and improve your smoking enthusiasm.
