Published 10 August 2026 · Last updated 16 October 2026 · By Ben Austen · Affiliate disclosure
The only smoking wood chunks I’ve cooked with are oak, from a tree that came down in my parents’ garden. I cut it into chunks and air-dried it, and I’ve still got a lot left. If you haven’t got a tree, Gwernyfed Wood sells kiln-dried oak from its own woodland in Wales. I haven’t cooked with the other five woods here, so what I say about them comes from the shops that sell them, and I checked every price in October 2026. These are wood chunks for a BBQ: fist-sized pieces that sit on the charcoal and smoke slowly.
Tick Compare on any two or more to see them side by side.
Best all-round Tested
Oak, Gwernyfed Wood 15 litres
What I smoke with, on everything.
- Kiln-dried, from Gwernyfed’s own woodland in Wales
- One or two chunks a cook
- £19.95 for 25 litres
Best for pork and chicken Researched
Apple, Smokewood Shack 1.5kg
Light and fruity, says BBQ Land.
- For pork and poultry
- Mixes with oak or cherry
- £9 at BBQ Land
Fruit wood for everything Researched
Cherry, Gwernyfed Wood 15 litres
Subtle and sweet, says Gwernyfed.
- Good with all meats and fish, it says
- Especially chicken
- £22.95 for 25 litres
Best for beef and game Researched
Whisky barrel oak, Mokutan
Oak from whisky barrels, the cheapest here.
- Strong whisky-oak smoke, says Mokutan
- 3cm to 10cm pieces
- For red meat and game
Best for ribs and brisket Researched
Hickory, ProQ 1kg
Bold and bacon-like, says Sous Chef.
- For ribs, brisket and pork
- No bark, similar-sized chunks
- £9.99 at Sous Chef
Mildest Researched
Beech, Gwernyfed Wood 25 litres
Light and mild, says Gwernyfed.
- Slightly nutty
- For delicate meat and seafood
- 25-litre box
Key takeaways
- Oak is what I smoke with, and it’s suited everything I’ve cooked. Gwernyfed sells a 15-litre box for £14.95.
- I use one or two chunks a cook, and one is usually enough for anything under three hours.
- You don’t need to soak wood chunks.
- For apple, BBQ Land sells a 1.5kg bag for £9.
- Gwernyfed’s cherry is £14.95 for 15 litres, and its beech is £22.95 for 25 litres.
- Mokutan’s whisky barrel oak chunks are £8.99, the cheapest here.
- For hickory, Sous Chef sells ProQ’s 1kg bag for £9.99.
At a glance: the six woods
| Price | Size | From | I’ve cooked with it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak | £14.95 | 15 litres | Gwernyfed Wood | Yes, my own oak |
| Apple | £9 | 1.5kg | BBQ Land (Smokewood Shack) | No |
| Cherry | £14.95 | 15 litres | Gwernyfed Wood | No |
| Whisky barrel oak | £8.99 | Not stated | Mokutan | No |
| Hickory | £9.99 | 1kg | Sous Chef (ProQ) | No |
| Beech | £22.95 | 25 litres | Gwernyfed Wood | No |
Best all-round: oak smoking chunks, £14.95
Oak is what I smoke with. Mine’s from my parents’ fallen tree, and I’ve used it on pork, beef, chicken and even whole trout without finding anything it doesn’t suit.
If you’re buying, Gwernyfed Wood sells kiln-dried oak smoking chunks from its own woodland in Wales, at £14.95 for 15 litres or £19.95 for 25 litres. Gwernyfed says the chunks are roughly fist-sized, with some smaller pieces, and that a 25-litre box of oak weighs 8 to 9kg. It describes oak as heavy and smoky, and the most versatile wood it sells.
Best for pork and chicken: apple, £9
BBQ Land sells Smokewood Shack apple chunks at £9 for 1.5kg. BBQ Land describes apple as light, fruity and slightly sweet, for pork and poultry, and says you can mix it with oak or cherry. Gwernyfed sells apple too, at £14.95 for 15 litres.
I haven’t cooked with apple.
Fruit wood for everything: cherry, £14.95
Gwernyfed’s cherry is £14.95 for 15 litres or £22.95 for 25 litres. Gwernyfed says it’s good with all meats and fish, and especially chicken, with a subtle, sweet, fruity smoke that doesn’t overpower.
I haven’t cooked with cherry.
Best for beef and game: whisky barrel oak, £8.99
Mokutan sells oak whisky barrel chunks at £8.99, in pieces from 3cm to 10cm. Mokutan says they give a strong whisky-oak smoke, for red meat, game, meaty fish and hearty veg. The page doesn’t say how much is in the bag.
I haven’t cooked with it.
Best for ribs and brisket: hickory chunks, £9.99
Sous Chef sells ProQ’s hickory chunks at £9.99 for 1kg. Sous Chef says hickory gives a bold, bacon-like flavour, for ribs, brisket and pork, and that ProQ’s chunks have no bark and are all about the same size.
I haven’t cooked with hickory.
Mildest: beech, £22.95
Gwernyfed’s beech comes in a 25-litre box at £22.95. Gwernyfed describes it as light and mild, slightly nutty, for delicate meat and seafood.
I haven’t cooked with beech.
The best wood for smoking
For me, oak. It’s what I cook with, and I haven’t found anything it doesn’t suit. If you want to try something else, the shops say apple and cherry for pork and chicken, hickory for ribs and brisket, and beech for fish and delicate meat. I haven’t tried them, so that’s their word, not mine.
How I use smoking wood chunks
I light the kamado and let the dome temperature settle first, so I know what’s going on. Then I put the oak on and leave it five or ten minutes, until the smoke goes from white to blue, and then the meat goes on. One or two chunks is plenty, and one’s usually enough for a cook under three hours.
If I’m cooking more than one thing, the smoke from the first one carries into the next, so whatever goes on second still gets some.
Common questions
Which wood chunks are best for smoking?
Oak, for me. It’s suited everything I’ve cooked.
Do I need to soak wood chunks before smoking?
No, you don’t need to soak them at all. If you’re cooking low and slow, you’re not going to burn through them very quickly.
How many wood chunks should I use?
One or two. One is usually enough for anything under three hours.
Sources and how I checked
- My own oak, from my parents’ fallen tree, on my Big Green Egg Large.
- Gwernyfed Wood: oak, apple, cherry and beech, prices and descriptions, October 2026.
- Sous Chef: ProQ hickory chunks 1kg, October 2026.
- BBQ Land: Smokewood Shack apple chunks 1.5kg, October 2026.
- Mokutan: oak whisky barrel chunks, October 2026.
How I got this, and what I’ve spent
My oak is from my parents’ garden, so it cost me nothing. Nobody sent me any of these woods, and nobody at Gwernyfed, BBQ Land, Mokutan, Sous Chef or ProQ has seen this before you have. None of the links here are affiliate links, so nothing here earns a commission. My Big Green Egg Large was a Christmas present from my sister Kate.
Final verdict
Buy oak. It’s what I smoke with, and it’s suited everything I’ve cooked. If you want to try a fruit wood for pork or chicken, start with a £9 bag of apple from BBQ Land.