Had to pick between oak and hickory for a brisket cook last weekend

I was getting ready to smoke a 14 pound brisket for my buddy's party and ran out of my usual post oak blend. My local spot only had straight hickory logs left so I gambled on it. The bark came out dark and the smoke flavor was way stronger than I like, almost overpowering the meat. Anyone else stick to one wood type or do you mix it up depending on the cut?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew553d ago

Gotta call you out on something real quick. Oak and hickory are way different animals for brisket. Hickory hits hard, it's not really a "gamble" kind of wood. It's like using mesquite when you wanted cherry. You really should have just grabbed a bag of pecan or apple chunks to mix with the hickory, that would have saved you from that overpowering smoke flavor. For a 14 pounder, pure hickory is basically asking for a bitter bark that overpowers the beef.

burns.jenny2d ago

Man that is such a spot on take. I have had that same thing happen where I thought hickory would be fine for brisket and ended up with a bark that tasted like I was chewing on a old campfire. Mixing it with something milder like pecan or even cherry is the only way to go if you want that big smoke flavor without it taking over everything. Next time I'm doing a big brisket I'm definitely grabbing a bag of pecan to blend in. Appreciate you laying it out straight like that.

grant.felix1d ago

Right? Pecan and hickory is the dream team. Hickory alone is like getting punched in the mouth with smoke.