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Bbq Wood Chips - What You Need To Know

Add extra flavour to your barbecue food with the addition of barbecue wood chips. The type of wood you choose will make all the difference to the taste. You can really make your barbecue party a real cooking event by adding woodchips to enhance the flavour of your food.

Simply, add them to the fire while cooking to enhance the flavour of any meal. Wood chips are a perfect partner to any smoked or barbecued food, and give an equal smoking consistency and a wide variety of delicious, distinctive "smoky" mouth-watering flavours. Just try them with your favourite ribs and you will see what we mean! There is no going back once you start smoking (your food!).

Alder

Alder is one of the premier choices of the professional smoker/barbequer. Considered the traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific Northwest, alder is perfect with seafood. It adds a medium, tart taste to everything from salmon to swordfish. Alder chips also add a gentle, mild flavour to poultry, pork, lamb and beef. They're perfect for adding just a hint of the outdoors to your favourite food. Try them today, they make anything delicious!

Arbutus

Arbutus is ideal for use with lamb, duck or any game fowl. It's excellent for all meats and fish where a hot smoke is required. It has a strong, pungent flavour that adds something special to any food. Salmon steaks take on a very unique flavour with this chip. If you're looking for something different, try Arbutus!

Maple

Maple wood imparts a strong smoky taste that suits beef, poultry, salmon and trout. Try it with your favourite food, you'll love how it brings the taste of even the simplest foods alive with flavour!

Wild Willow

Wild Willow creates a light, mild smoke that is the perfect accompaniment to meats and sea foods that are delicate in flavour. Wild Willow is fantastic with steelhead, it creates a flavour you have to taste to believe! Try Wild Willow with whitefish, trout and chicken, it will bring the taste alive!

Mesquite

Mesquite is the most recognized flavors used by professional smoker/barbequers. It is the favored wood for barbequing or grilling in the restaurant industry, and is a popular choice for the smoker as well. Mesquite is a perfect choice for use with seafood, all meats and is a great flavor accompaniment to a variety of cheeses too. It adds a medium, smooth taste to everything from salmon to swordfish and a gentle, mild flavor to poultry, pork, lamb and beef. They're perfect for adding a taste of the Southwest to your favorite food. Try them today, they make anything delicious!

Hickory

Hickory is one of the most widely known barbequing and smoking hardwoods. It is known for its strong dense-flavoured smoke. Traditionally used for southern-style ham and pork, Hickory can be used with virtually any meat or fish. If you're looking for a strong flavour, this is the one!

The Fruitwoods

The fruitwoods are an excellent choice if you're smoking or barbequing light-coloured meats such as veal, pork, turkey, chicken or game birds. They also add a fabulous flavour to shellfish! The sweetness of the fruitwoods makes them ideal for those looking for a moderate touch of flavour.

Apple

Apple adds a down-home flavour to any meat dish. Apple chips in the coals will create a savoury tang that will gratify anyone's taste buds. All meat dishes will benefit from apple smoke, even shish kebabs will come alive with taste. Try apple with your vegetables and seafood, you'll be amazed at the difference in flavour!

Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry is the most popular hardwood flavouring in use today. Wild Cherry produces a light, sweet, fruity smoke that is superb with poultry, veal, game, ham, or sausage. Wild Cherry is especially good with fish. It adds a beautiful colour and a delicate flavour to any seafood. Cherry also works well with shellfish such as lobster or shrimp, and it's great with burgers too!

Plum

Plum adds a sweet, fruity flavour that really glows with just about any pork dish. Whether you're cooking a brisket or steak, pork will take on a lovely taste with plum wood. Plum wood really adds an incredible flavour when used with spareribs and baby back ribs. Try some, they are terrific.

Four Simple Steps To Getting the Best from your Wood Chips

1: Soak chips in water for half a minute then drain or spray chips lightly with water.

2: Place a metal tray or pan of Wood Chips on the coals or on the bottom rack of your smoker or pit.

3 : Heat your barbecue to the early smoking stage.

4: Place meat or fish on the barbeque, grill to desired tenderness and enjoy. It couldn't be easier!

Herbs such as Rosmary and Basil are also very popular, and are readily available, and have unique flavours that give a whole new meaning to outdoor cooking.

Of course other herbs and spices can be used including citrus peels, and Garlic which is a definate favourite of mine. It's worth experimenting with all the different herbs and barbecue woodchips. The different tastes and flavours you will get will never cease to amaze and tantalise your tastebuds.

About the Author

You can find more about BBQ wood chips at Barbecue Party, a leading BBQ resource that includes daily news updates, competition schedules, BBQ recipes, product and restaurant reviews and much more.

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