is mesquite or hickory better for turkey

As with any smoked meat (up to and including meatloaf), its important to know which woods to use to smoke turkey — and which ones you need to avoid. The common thread here is mellow vs. strong flavors. Woods that are great for turkey tend to be on the lighter side, while the ones that dont work are heavier and tend to erase the birds natural flavor.

Turkey gets a bad rap from a culinary perspective. Sure, we eat it on Thanksgiving, but a lot of people complain about it — its dry, its too hard to work with, it makes you sleepy, etc. But while its certainly a trickier cook than something like chicken, turkey can be incredibly rewarding. You just have to take your time with it — and one of the best ways you can do that is to smoke it. That slow cook preserves the birds juiciness while imbuing it with a great pop of smoke flavor.

A: We would generally recommend avoiding the more strongly flavored woods like mesquite, oak, and hickory when smoking a turkey. That being said, if you do want to use them, you can tone them down by cutting them with fruitwoods, maple, or pecan.

Let’s talk about the best woods for smoking a turkey and the different flavors each one will provide.

While smoking a whole turkey can seem intimidating at first, it is really a rewarding process with a delicious outcome. Experimentation is key in discovering what you like and don’t like, so don’t hesitate to try out some different combos on some smaller birds to prepare for choosing the best wood to smoke your turkey.

There is no doubt that a smoked turkey is a bit more involved than the traditional roasted version. One perk to smoking your bird that I bet you didn’t think about is that with the turkey smoking away, now you have your entire oven free for all the thousand other items that need to be prepared for this feast! Choosing what type of wood you are going to use to smoke a turkey is an important decision. Poultry will absorb the subtle smoke flavor during the entire cooking process.

Cherry and apple wood, like other fruit woods, will infuse the flavor of their fruit into your food. Fruit tree woods are especially good for smoking lighter meats like chicken or turkey with their more delicate flavors. There is less risk here to overpower your meal with too much smoke forward flavor.

Alder is another great option that is readily available in many areas. Alder smoke has an earthy flavor that is a little milder and is therefore a bit more forgiving for anyone new to smoking. If you find the flavors from other hardwoods to be too strong, adding some alder will help tone it down a bit and still add its own delicious characteristics.

The right kinds of wood have mellower, lighter flavors

The key here is mildness. You want woods that impart delicate flavors that let the turkey itself shine. Happily, youve got several options here. Cherry wood imparts a slightly sweet flavor that meshes well with turkey (similar to how cranberry sauce makes a great side at Thanksgiving). Pecan does the same thing, except it also has a nutty quality to it.

Maple has similar sweetness, but its also milder than the other two, making it a great option if youre not a fan of pecan or cherry. Apple wood can work well, too. But in this case, you have to be careful. Apple is so mild that it takes longer to impart its flavors, and turkey is especially susceptible to drying out.

There are a few woods you want to avoid at all costs when it comes to smoking turkey, though. Hickory and mesquite are great smoking woods for beef, but the flavors they impart are so heavy that they tend to overwhelm turkey. Oak is also a problem, but its lighter than the other two, so theres a caveat here in that you can use it in a blend with something like cherry.

Ask Chef Kent Rathbun- Which Is Best Mesquite Or Hickory?

FAQ

What is the best wood to use to smoke a turkey?

Is mesquite wood good with turkey?

What pellet flavor is best for turkey?

Is hickory too strong for turkey?

Is Hickory better than Mesquite?

Mesquite has a much stronger flavor and is best reserved for cuts of beef, particularly brisket. If you’d like to experiment with mesquite without overpowering the meat, try combining it with a milder wood. Hickory is considered a medium-strength wood, one that imparts a generous smoky taste.

Is Hickory better than Mesquite for brisket?

When it comes to smoking beef brisket, hickory is the preferred wood for most pitmasters. Its bold, hearty smoke flavor pairs perfectly with the rich, beefy flavor of the brisket. Mesquite, on the other hand, can be overpowering if used in excess and may detract from the natural flavor of the beef.

What is hickory & mesquite wood?

Hickory and mesquite are popular barbecue smoking woods with intense smoky flavors and thick blue smoke. But which one should you be throwing on your smoker’s coals? Discover the differences between hickory and mesquite wood chips. Mesquite wood is originally from South America.

Is mesquite good for Turkey?

Mesquite is one of the strongest flavors of wood out there. It’s extremely robust in flavor, and when being used with meat like brisket, it needs to be. But with turkey it’s just too deep a flavor, and will overwhelm the flavors of your turkey.