Frequently Asked Questions

The main differences come down to smoke intensity and flavor. Here's the quick rundown:

Post Oak

Flavor intensity: Medium
Flavor profile: Mild, slightly sweet, nutty, clean and savory
Best For: Beef, pork, lamb, nearly anything

Hickory

Flavor intensity: Bold
Flavor profile: Full-bodied, savory, bacon-like
Best For: Pork, beef, wild game

Cherry

Flavor intensity: Mild
Flavor profile: Sweet, fruity, hints of vanilla
Best For: Pork, poultry, fish, vegetables

Post Oak is the middle child in the best way: noticeable, balanced, and not trying to steal the spotlight. It lets the meat do its thing while quietly making everything taste better.

Hickory is the bold one. Big personality, big flavor, and a little goes a long way. Treat it right and it's incredible; overdo it and it'll remind you who's in charge.

Cherry is the easygoing crowd-pleaser. Hard to mess up, a little sweeter, and it brings something extra to the table: that rich mahogany color on your bark and a smoke ring that makes people think you really know what you're doing (even if you're just getting started).

At its core, this is controlled fire plus meat. Humans have been crushing this for a few thousand years, so most woods will get you there. Don't overthink it. But if you like tweaking variables and chasing perfection, pull up a chair, we've been expecting you.

Post Oak: ~23.7M BTU/cord*. A dense wood with a slow, steady burn and excellent coal production, it holds consistent heat well and is reliable for long, sustained cooks or open fire cooking.
Hickory: ~25.3M BTU/cord*. One of the densest North American hardwoods at ~51 lbs/ft³; high heat output, excellent coal production, and a long sustained burn well-suited for long cooks or open fire cooking.
Cherry: ~19.5M BTU/cord*. A lighter-bodied wood with moderate heat output - great for low and slow BBQ.

*BTU figures are to help demonstrate relative differences between species. Actual BTUs will vary by species variety and moisture content.

It depends on what you're cooking and how bold you're feeling. Here's a quick guide:

Post Oak - The dependable one. Medium smoke, clean flavor, and plays well with beef, pork, and lamb without making a fuss. If you want classic Texas BBQ flavor, this is your go-to.

Hickory - The bold choice. Big, smoky, bacon-like flavor that's incredible with pork, beef, and wild game. Just mind your manners; it doesn't take much before it shows you who's boss.

Cherry - The easygoing option. Mild, slightly sweet, and very forgiving. Great for pork, poultry, and fish. It also brings a little extra credit: a deep mahogany color and a smoke ring that looks as good as it tastes.

Not sure where to start? Don’t overthink it. Pick what sounds good or pairs with what you cook most. This isn’t a final exam.

Yes, blending is very much a thing. It's basically seasoning, but with fire.

A few combos that play nice together:

Post Oak + Cherry for clean smoke with a little sweetness
Hickory + Cherry if you want to mellow Hickory out without removing the flavor
Post Oak + Hickory is a go-to for beef when you want more punch than Oak but less bossiness than going full Hickory

No hard rules here. Pick something you like and start tinkering. Worst case, you have to eat the results.

Treat your wood like a decent houseguest: keep it dry, don't leave it sitting in a puddle, and give it some cover when the weather gets weird.

Garage, porch, or shed all work great. Outside is fine too; just keep it off the ground and covered when rain shows up. Indoors? Totally acceptable.

The goal is simple: don't let your wood sit around wet or moist. If it's soaked, instead of making heat and clean smoke your fire has to burn off all that water first, which means more steaming, less cooking, bad flavors and a slower path to dinner. Leave it wet or damp long enough and you're also inviting mold and rot to the party - guests you don't want to invite.

Not exactly. Here's the deal with our wood:

We don't use a kiln with the intention of drying. Our wood starts the old-fashioned way: letting it lounge around in the sun until it's perfectly seasoned. Then, just to make absolutely sure nothing unwanted tags along, it gets a quick blast in a kiln at a minimum of 160°F for 75 minutes, per USDA guidelines.

Translation: any pests or fungi get evicted immediately, and the wood that shows up at your door is clean, safe, and ready to make your food taste incredible.

It depends on how often you cook and what kind of setup you're running.

Small (~5–8 lbs) - Great if you're just getting started or want to test-drive a wood before committing. Also perfect for charcoal cookers where wood is more of a supporting smoke actor than the main event.

Medium (~10–13 lbs) - A solid middle ground. Enough wood for a few cooks or to get comfortable with a species without suddenly becoming "the wood storage person."

Large (~40–50 lbs) - For frequent cooks, long smokes, or anyone who's found their favorite and is ready to commit. Best value per pound, and yes, you now officially have "a wood supply."

The right length mostly comes down to your cooker, specifically, how much room you've got to work with, and your preferences.

Short (4") - Best for charcoal setups: kamados, kettles, bullet smokers. Wood plays a supporting role here - just a couple pieces tucked in your charcoal and you're good.

Medium (8") - The all-arounder. Great for larger charcoal setups, offsets, other bigger cookers, or anyone who wants a longer burn without full-sized splits.

Long (16") - The classic. Made for stick burners and wood fire ovens where wood is the fuel and you're running the fire like it's your job.

Still not sure? Here's a quick guide:

Charcoal cookers (Kamado, Kettle, Bullet, and similar) - Short (4")
Offset smoker (and other full-wood fire cookers) - Medium (8") or Long (16")
Open fire / fire pit - Medium (8") or Long (16")
Pizza oven / wood-fired oven - Medium (8") or Long (16")

Here's how the sizes stack up by weight and piece count:

Small (~5–8 lbs)

Short (4"): ~7-8 pieces
Medium (8"): ~4-5 pieces
Long (16"): ~2-3 pieces

Medium (~10–13 lbs)

Short (4"): ~13–14 pieces
Medium (8"): ~7-8 pieces
Long (16"): ~3–4 pieces

Large (~40–50 lbs)

Short (4"): ~54–67 pieces
Medium (8"): ~30–32 pieces
Long (16"): ~12–14 pieces

Weights and piece counts are directional. Wood is a natural product, grown outdoors without supervision, so exact weight and piece count may vary a bit.

Here's what we check before anything ships:

Moisture content - We test every order before it ships using a pin-type Lignomat moisture meter. Properly seasoned wood burns clean with great smoke; wood with too much moisture, more than about 20% moisture content or so, can struggle to burn clean. And, poor burning wood makes less heat while creating more off-flavors.

In-process inspection - As we cut and pack, anything that looks questionable gets pulled, so actual human eyeballs are also part of the system.

We include the moisture results with your order on a sample results card so you can see exactly what you're working with.

Nature is a bit of a free spirit so every piece is a little different: species, tree, even which part of the tree it came from all play a role.

Your bag will land within the listed weight and piece count ranges, but some variation is part of the deal with natural products. That's just wood doing its thing.

We ship to 41 states across the continental U.S. The rest are temporarily on timeout, these are:

Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania

It's not personal. We're working through compliance requirements to get there. If your state isn't on the menu, check back soon.

Turns out we're not the only ones passionate about wood. Regulators have feelings too, and they have paperwork to prove it. We're working through the compliance process for a handful of states before we can ship there.

Since wood comes from nature it can bring along unwanted travel companions: beetles, fungi, and other freeloaders that states would prefer stay home (us too). Some states have stricter rules to ensure those guests aren't invited, and while we heat treat all of our wood to ensure that no unwanted guests accompany your order, we're still working through the approval and permit process with some state-level USDA offices in these more restrictive states.

They are: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania

We respect the reasons behind the rules and follow them closely. We'll expand shipping to more states as we complete the process.

We aim to ship within 1–2 business days. After that, your package enters the carrier's cinematic universe - plot twists may occur.

We ship ground via USPS, UPS, or FedEx. We don't currently offer expedited shipping. Wood is heavy, and heavy + hurry = expensive for everyone. Once it ships, you'll get a tracking number so you can follow the journey.

If anything goes sideways in transit, reach out and we'll work with you.

Once your order ships, we'll email you a tracking number so you can keep an eye on it every step of the way (we won't judge).

If the email didn't land in your inbox, check your spam folder. It's probably hanging out there uninvited. Still can't find it? Reach out to hello@smythcookingwood.com and we'll dig around.

Bags of wood aren't exactly fragile cargo, but if your order arrived damaged, please reach out within 7 days of receiving your order.

Email: hello@smythcookingwood.com
Contact form on our website

Please include your order number and a quick description of what happened. For shipping damage, photos of the packaging and the product help us move faster.

Full details on how we handle it are in our Returns & Refunds policy.

No. Once your order ships, it's officially on its way to a higher purpose (probably dinner).

Returns on wood are tricky. It's heavy, expensive to ship back, and in some cases restricted across state lines to protect against the spread of pests.

That said, if something went wrong on our end - wrong species, wrong size, something arrived damaged - we'll work with you to make it right. Check out our Returns & Refunds policy refunds for the full details.

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