Is Peach Wood Good For Smoking Meat?

It’s no big secret. Different types of wood will give meat different flavors, and some can be more aromatic than others. It’s that simple.

For example, Cherry wood produces a sweet, fruity tang. While Hickory adds a stronger smoky taste to your food. And other woods, such as Mesquite, can even give your food an intense — almost bitter — flavor.

In short, not all woods are created equal when it comes to smoking meat. So, what kind of flavor can you expect from peach wood?

Well, in this post, you’ll learn which timber gives meat the smokiest flavor. You will also find out what makes peach wood such a great choice for smoking poultry in particular.

Can You Use Peach Wood In A Smoker?

You can certainly use peach wood as a smoking wood. In fact, this fruit-bearing tree will add a sweet taste to otherwise savory BBQ dishes.

Like most fruit trees, peach wood gives food a mild flavor, one that is more subtle than hickory or oak.

Is Peach Wood Really That Mild? Or Is There A Wood That Gives A Stronger Smoky Flavor?

For a strong savory smoky flavor, hardwoods such as hickory and oak are perfect. That’s why they’re used to smoke brisket and pork.

In fact, these two woods add so much flavor, they can make meat taste bitter if you smoke them for too long. However, when it comes to peach wood, this milder smoking wood is better paired with fish and poultry.

Is It Safe To Use Peach Wood? What Kind Of Wood Isn’t Suitable For Smoking?

Any wood that has an excessive amount of pitch or sap in it isn’t suitable for smoking meat. That is because tree sap/pitch will vaporize if burned, and end up infusing into the very meat you’re smoking.

This, in turn, will give meat a sour unappetizing taste at best. And, at worst, it can make you feel sick to your stomach.

So, avoid smoking meat with very sap-filled woods, such as Pine and Cedar.

What Is Tree Sap And Tree Pitch? Trees produce sap as a way to prevent bugs and insects from attacking tree bark. Trees also produce pitch, which is a much thicker substance than sap. Tree pitch helps to seal and heal damaged parts of the tree.

Is Peach Wood The Mildest Wood For Smoking?

Generally, fruit-bearing trees will give your food a milder taste.

Unlike say walnut wood, (which can produce bitter tasting BBQ), peach wood is mild enough to smoke poultry and even pork.

And Can You Mix Peach Wood With Other Smoking Woods?

Yes, you can. In fact, if you are smoking pork, you might want to mix peach wood with a stronger wood, such as hickory.

A mix of two-thirds peach wood, with one-third hickory wood, is the perfect blend for smoking pork. Especially as that peach wood will help to reduce the strength of flavor of hickory.

And What Can I Do To Make Peach Wood Smoke Better?

The key to a good smoking wood is making sure it’s dry before you start burning it.

Drying wood out is called ‘Seasoning’. And this involves letting freshly logged wood air out for around 6 to 12 months.

Related Post: How To Season Wood (7 Tips)

Wood that has not been seasoned, (so it still contains a lot of moisture), will produce a lot of smoke. And excess smoke will only end up making meat taste bitter and sour.

So, How Can You Tell If Peach Wood Is Seasoned Enough?

The easiest way to check, is to simply take a small chunk of that pile of peach wood and burn a piece of it.

If that tiny piece of wood smokes up a storm, then the rest of your peach wood needs more time to dry out.

To Wrap Up, Here Are The 3 Key Takeaways From This Post…

• 1). Peach wood can be used to smoke meat such as fish and chicken.
• 2). Peach wood gives meat a mild sweeter flavor.
• 3). You can mix peach wood with a stronger smoking wood, such as hickory.

References:

Husbands, A. and Cranford, S., 2019. A material perspective of wood, smoke, and BBQ. Matter, 1(5), pp.1092-1095.