# Do any of you find Cherry to be too mild/weak?



## Nitty (Apr 7, 2020)

Used cherry on a 6 lb pork loin over 4 hours for the first time last weekend.  Read that it can be used on about anything so figured I'd give it a go.  I know this is likely just personal preference/taste, but do many of you find cherry to be very weak/mild?  I've used mesquite on beef a few times now and I LOVE it and have never found it to be bitter or too strong.  The cherry just seemed to be too mild for me.  I've read mesquite can be too strong for many with pork so next time I will likely try hickory on my pork.


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## chilerelleno (Apr 7, 2020)

I use a lot of cherry for smoke, good stuff.
I like it's mild flavor and color.
A classic fruitwood for smoking.

Remember, there can be a lot of variance in the qualities of smoke from tree to tree depending on region, soil, rainfall, tree's health and more directly the age and moisture content of the wood when used.

I once bought two bags of mesquite chunks off the same pallet, one bag the smoke was too acrid tasting but the other bag was just fine.


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## jcam222 (Apr 7, 2020)

For pork and chicken I love cherry. I often mix it with a little apple but its good by me stand alone too. The color it imparts is gorgeous which is why if I have cherry on hand I will even throw a chunk in with oak or hickory when doing beef too.


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## RichGTS (Apr 7, 2020)

I love the smell of mesquite but I only use it on beef and even then I still mix in some apple/cherry or hickory.  In my opinion it doesnt go well with pork - again, my opinion, others may love it.


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## chilerelleno (Apr 7, 2020)

Beef and mesquite is the equivalent of mustard on a hotdog.
Thin mesquite smoke on poultry is danged nice too, especially when using a spicy rub.
Best is whole chicken grilled over blazing chunks of mesquite.

But back to Cherry...
Cherry smoke on poultry is like Chanel N°5 on a hot date.
You know you're getting lucky!


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## Nitty (Apr 7, 2020)

I guess it's all about experimentation at my level.  I plan to do a lot of smoking this year.  At this point I have the cherry, mesquite and bag of apple pellets that I used for cheese.  Think I'll buy a bag of hickory to throw in the mix.


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## jcam222 (Apr 7, 2020)

chilerelleno said:


> Beef and mesquite is the equivalent of mustard on a hotdog.
> Thin mesquite smoke on poultry is danged too, especially when using a spicy rub.
> Best is whole chicken grilled over blazing chunks of mesquite.
> 
> ...


My neighbor ran out of charcoal yesterday so fired up a pile of mesquite chunk wood in his Weber kettle. He said it was the best chicken they have eaten in their entire lives.


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## chilerelleno (Apr 7, 2020)

Nitty said:


> I guess it's all about experimentation at my level.  I plan to do a lot of smoking this year.  At this point I have the cherry, mesquite and bag of apple pellets that I used for cheese.  Think I'll buy a bag of hickory to throw in the mix.


I always have Hickory, Mesquite, Oak and Cherry, sometimes Apple too,


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## noboundaries (Apr 7, 2020)

Cherry is mild. I use it for color more than flavor on poultry.

Mesquite is our favorite wood. In my WSM I use half as much as any other wood and bury the chunks in the bottom of the cold charcoal pile. No acrid taste because it preheats nicely and burns cleaner


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## pushok2018 (Apr 7, 2020)

Cherry is my favorite for chicken... Usually I mix it with apple to cold smoke fish....


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## Winterrider (Apr 7, 2020)

Love the color cherry puts on things. I used a lot of Apple in the past ( which is good ) but I have been using a lot of Pecan and Char Hickory lately.


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## tallbm (Apr 7, 2020)

As you are hearing from many on this thread.  Mesquite on beef is freakin amazing, its like perfect combos such as mashed potatoes and gravy!  I also second it on chicken!  I will cook anything with it but man beef and chicken shine with it.

I DO mix cherry with mesquite and it is good but again what isnt when you have good Mesquite smoke going.  I rarely do cherry alone BUT that is only because it is a problem child when it comes to staying lit as a pellet in the AMNPS.   BTW most competition blends are Maple/Cherry/Hickory.

Blend your cherry with another wood and see it is an amazing supporting actor versus a lead :D


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