Cooking with wood smokers is the best way to keep your barbecue ribs tender and smoky every time. From mesquite to cherry and hickory to pecan, these are the best woods for your grill ribs.
Smoked ribs are one of the best cuts of meat you can cook outdoors. The combination of its off-the-bone texture and incredible flavor represents everything that defines outdoor grilling.
At a glance: The best woods for smoking ribs
- Hickory – Strong, rich flavors that give off a bacon flavor that makes it perfect for smoked pork cuts.
- Oak – An earthy aroma that adds a nice light layer of smoky flavor
- Mesquite – Strong, spicy notes make this a gold standard wood loved by grill connoisseurs around the world.
- Apple: sweet and very soft notes that combine well to create the ultimate fruity wood for grilling
- Pecan – A mild, nutty flavor that blends well with hickory
- Cherry – Perfect for bringing a nice deep red color to pork ribs.
- Maple – perfect for a layer of sweet and subtle smoke
The best types of wood chips for pork ribs are traditional woods like hickory, oak, and mesquite. However, pork also pairs really well with sweet and fruity chips like apple, pecan, cherry, and maple.
Barbecue smoking involves so many steps and so many variables that you can change to customize the smoked meat to your liking. However, there are many opportunities for error, especially when it comes to choosing the right wood.
Get it right and you can combine some wonderfully beautiful flavors with your meat. However, if you get it wrong, you could end up with some really weird flavor profiles and ruin the texture of your meat.
Here is my guide to the 7 best types of wood for smoking ribs.
Hickory
Hickory often features on any list of the best woods to smoke, but it is such a rich and reliable wood that it certainly deserves its spot as the best wood for smoking ribs.
It is particularly popular in the southern and midwestern United States. And chances are, if you’ve eaten smoked barbecue from these regions, you’ve eaten something cooked over hickory smoke.
It has an unmistakably savory, sweet and even slightly bacon-like flavor.
It’s a heavy wood that can produce a lot of smoke, so you have to be careful when using it. Unlike smoked breast, ribs don’t offer much meat, so it’s important that we don’t expose them to too much smoke or all of the meat’s natural flavors will be overwhelmed.
Along with its smoky flavors, it has a really hearty feel that offers some sweet notes as well. This makes it an especially good option if you’re also using some type of BBQ sauce to glaze the ribs, as it pairs perfectly with it.
Just be careful not to use too much hickory. It is a wood that can easily mask the flavors of the natural flesh and even produce a rather bitter taste. As a result, you may find that it’s a good idea to mix it with another wood to soften its flavor.
Oak
Along with hickory, oak has long been one of the woods of choice for barbecue smoking. It also gives off quite a bit of smoke, but it has an earthy undertone that adds a nice layer of smoky flavor when done lightly.
This makes it a great wood choice for beginners as it has a strong smoky flavor that is fairly easy to control.
The problem is that when a cook goes overboard with the wood, it can really overwhelm and overwhelm the flavors of the ribs. It would be a shame to smoke and cook for hours only to screw it up by throwing in too many piles of oak, so tread carefully.
Mesquite
The mesquite has a flavor that’s just perfect for ribs. It’s very strong and earthy and can actually be quite intense, so it’s definitely best used in smaller amounts. It is also relatively prone to burns due to its natural oil content.
Apple
This is a favorite with people who prefer a sweet touch to their wood, which goes great with ribs, especially if you’ve used BBQ sauce as a glaze.
It has a slightly more subtle and mild flavor, especially when compared to mesquite.
An important consideration, however, is that because it’s so subtle, it can take a while for the applewood to permeate the flesh and infuse it with flavor. This may mean that SHE can slow down the cooking time of the meat as it needs to cook at a slightly lower temperature. As a result, I see apple as a more advanced wood.
Pecan
The walnut, like the apple, is a wood with a very sweet taste . But where it differs is that it has a much richer flavor and also offers nutty notes underneath all that sweetness.
If you’re looking for a wood that matches and blends with hickory then I think this is a fantastic choice as it strikes a very good balance of earthy smoke and a rich, sweet flavor.
Cherry
Cherry is soft and fruity, and when blended with other hardwoods like hickory, the two flavors complement each other well for a surprising result.
Besides the added flavor, the cherry can also help color meat. In the case of the ribs, this is fantastic as it adds a really nice layer of red and mahogany.
Maple
Maple is one of the most subtle grilling woods and is ideal for a light, smooth, sweet smoke.
Just as you would expect with maple syrup, maple wood pairs beautifully with ribs and produces a really sweet and slightly smoky flavor. If you like sweetness this is a good choice as it is not as rich as the other sweet woods.
Frequently asked Questions
What wood should I not use when smoking ribs?
As you can see from the list above, many of the woods that pair well with ribs have a sweet flavor and also offer a subtle layer of smoke. These are all hardwoods. On the contrary, what you really want to avoid is all kinds of softwoods because they are resinous and can really damage, even ruin, your meat. These include woods like pine and cedar. Also, make sure you don’t use briquettes as they tend to be cheap and not suitable for smoking.
How Long Should I Smoke Ribs?
Compared to other meats, ribs cook fairly quickly in a smoker. If you smoke them at 225°F they should only last around 2 hours. This should be long enough for the collagen in the ribs to break down and melt, making your ribs deliciously delicious.
Should I wrap my ribs in aluminum foil?
Wrapping the ribs in aluminum foil helps the ribs retain their moisture during cooking and keeps them from drying out in the smoker. You can also use aluminum foil to add extra flavor to your ribs. Add a little beer or apple juice to the inside of the foil and the resulting vapor will create an extra layer of flavor. Wrap the ribs and your choice of liquid in foil, leaving enough room for the meat to breathe. Seals tightly to prevent moisture from escaping the package.
Do I need to soak my wood chips before smoking the ribs?
There’s a lot of debate about soaking wood chips, but personally I always try to take my time to soak mine. Science suggests that the water content helps release the flavor of the chips better when smoked and helps them burn longer. Try soaking your chips for 30 minutes. Wipe off excess liquid then place in your smoker box or smoker bag.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
