Brisket will, in general, be a costly cut of beef, mainly because of its monstrous size. So when smoking brisket, you need to ensure that you pick the correct sort of wood. Particularly, considering the time venture of smoking a 12-14 pound cut of beef.
The type of wood that you’ll be using would have a direct effect on the flavor of the brisket. I.e. it gives a smoky flavor to your brisket.
Although there are plenty of woods that you can use to give the right flavor to your brisket because there isn’t a specific wood that you can use to smoke your brisket. Various woods tend to give various flavors, and most importantly, it all depends upon the list of ingredients that you’ll be adding in it.
For a huge cut like beef brisket, you generally need to utilize hardwood. The purpose behind this is it requires a lot of time to smoke a brisket. You need a wood that is slow-burning and can emit warmth and smoke for significant stretches of time.
Brisket, in its crude structure, has a high-fat substance and is exceptionally intense. It takes a long stretch of time of moderate consistent warmth to separate a bit of meat like this. The wood you use needs to pack a lot of flavors to infiltrate the meat.
In my personal opinion, Hickory wood is the most normally utilized for smoking brisket but there are a number of woods that you can choose to smoke your brisket
First I would highlight those woods that give your brisket a medium to strong flavor
Hickory wood:
Hickory is a famous decision in view of the way that it is broadly accessible, and due to the wonderful nutty-nearly bacony-flavour that it bestows to the meat. It’s somewhat heavier than oak yet is still extremely adaptable. At the point when smoked, hickory hardwood oozes a solid smell that injects a rich, bacon-like flavor into the meat.
Yet at the same time, in spite of it not being as firmly enhanced as Mesquite, care should at present be attempted when utilizing hickory wood for smoking brisket. An excess of hickory flavor can make your meat unpleasant.
Hickory wood is known to be solid and smoky, it tends to be portrayed as creating a nutty or bacon-like flavor as already highlighted.
Oak:
Oak is the most adaptable hardwood as it very well may be utilized to smoke a variety of proteins and vegetables. Be that as it may, while it has a mild flavor, oak hardwood burns extremely hot, settling on it an incredible decision in case you’re smoking a brisket at higher temperatures (somewhere in the range of 250°F and 300°F).
Oak is probably the least demanding kind of wood to smoke with, along these lines making it incredible for novice pit masters. The wood can consume for a significant stretch of time, so you don’t have to refill the smoker continually. Oak additionally doesn’t give that solid flavor to the meat, so you can utilize it by adding different woods during smoking.
It is used for a medium smoky flavor that isn’t excessively overwhelming. It doesn’t produce strong flavor as do hickory.
Mesquite:
Another wood that creates a solid flavor, mesquite consumes rapidly and can deliver a solid natural flavor. In the event that you need to make a true Texas smoked brisket, this is the wood to look over. Be that as it may, similar to hickory, it is quite strong.
Mesquite is pungent and packs an exceptional flavor. As the wood burns rapidly, it’s not so much suggested for bigger brisket cuts.
On the off chance that you need to “weaken” the Mesquite smell, you can combine it with other lighter woods like apple or cherry wood for a subtler taste.
Now I would like to highlight the woods that will be give your brisket a mild flavor
Maple:
Maple. Maple is another incredible wood for novice smokers. It’s a mild log that bestows a light smoky and sweet taste on brisket while never overpowering it with its fragrances.
It is considered to be one of the mildest wood out there. Beside littler cuts of brisket, Maple wood likewise works out in a good way for poultry and pork. It has a gentle smokiness and sweet flavor
Pecan Wood :
Use pecan in the event that you like a rich, sweet flavor to your brisket grills. Truth be told, a few people may view pecan a little as unreasonably sweet for their preferences. On the off chance that that is the issue, at that point you can add another more grounded tasting wood to the smoker to try and out the flavor. It ought to be joined with a more grounded season wood so the brisket isn’t excessively sweet.
Apple:
Much the same as the organic product, apple wood gives your brisket a genuinely fruity and sweet flavor. It’s very well known in such manner, and beside brisket, you can likewise utilize it for ham and poultry meats.
The exceptionally mild smokiness makes the brisket delivers a sweet and fruity flavor.
Olive:
On the off chance that you need a milder option in contrast to mesquite, at that point go for olive wood. It tastes quite like mesquite yet isn’t as overwhelming. As an addition, it includes a little trace of Mediterranean flavor to your meats.
It has a mild smokiness with a comparative flavor to mesquite yet not as strong.
Conclusion:
The best wood for smoking brisket relies upon the smoker you are utilizing, the size of the brisket, and the flavors you wish to accomplish. As different types of woods has been listed, you can choose the best wood for your brisket. As you get progressively experienced, you can begin blending a strong flavored wood with a milder one to get a more profound smoke profile
Hickory and oak will in general be the most well-known decisions and are a decent beginning stage for any beginner pitmaster.