In the world of smoking meat, the smoke itself is an ingredient, and each type of wood has unique characteristics that bring about different qualities in the finished product.

When smoking brisket, you want to use a very dry, cured wood that will give you good temperature control and prevent over-smoking the meat.

Wet wood introduces steam, which will cause the established temperature to fluctuate. This will increase your cooking time and result in an over-smoked brisket.

Post oak is most popular for smoking brisket, but if you want your brisket to have a more smoky flavor than post oak can provide, consider using hickory instead.

Hickory burns similarly to post oak, but you won't need to use it as much since it has a strong flavor. Hickory gives meat a rich, smoky flavor with sweet and nutty notes.

You can also mix the wood you use. For example, hickory and cherry wood will control the intensity of your brisket's smokiness and offer a more complex, well-rounded flavor.