Sugar Maple for smoking is an excellent choice to bring out sweetness!

Sugar maple for smoking, sweetness not sour! Share on X

There is no question, North Americans love maple trees! Although we don’t have as many as the continent of Asia, we sure have a good share with some 12 varieties available. Plus, the Sugar Maple tree is the official tree of New York State!

Maple is a very popular hardwood for wood-fired cooking, especially hot smoking. We are blessed at SmokinLicious® to have in our harvest Sweet Sugar Maple hardwood. This extremely versatile wood can be used to smoke everything from eggs to brisket. It is a very even tempered wood so it works with spicy rubs as well as fruity sauces.

Higher Sugar Level

Maple’s popularity is due to its sweet flavor which seems to infuse so easily in foods like chicken and pork. But Sugar Maple is not the only variety of Maple hardwood available in the USA. Silver Maple, Red Maple, and Box Elder are other varieties that can be found. Given that Sugar Maple has approximately 2% higher sugar concentration than any other varieties, it is the perfect choice for your wood-fired cooking event. Just don’t forget to include other foods on your grill or smoker like fruits, vegetables even desserts!

The Centipede of Hardwood

One caution regarding Sugar Maple is the color change you may see with the wood when seasonal changes occur. Depending on when the wood is harvested, it generally has a light tan appearance but can be as light as a blonde coloring. This wood will naturally change color to a darker brown or even light gray.

Why such a drastic change in color even when you keep the wood out of the light?

Well, lighting has no effect on this wood though sunlight can result in “sunburn” to the outer layer, turning it gray. What changes the internal wood coloring is the molecular make-up of Sugar Maple. This tree is designed to produce maple syrup! Since it is one of the most popular trees to tap for the maple syrup producing sap, it also undergoes some changes both pre-sap and post-sap production.

So, when you purchase the wonderfully sweet Sugar Maple hardwood in chips or chunks and see that it has gone dark on you, whatever you do, don’t throw it away! Continue to enjoy its wonderful flavoring. Just think of it as wood that has gone on vacation and come back with a deep, dark tan!

More Related reading on smoker woods especially more on sugar maple for smoking!

Dr. Smoke- Sugar Maple for Smoking is my sweetest choice because of the high sugar content!