I like to smoke with either hard maple or beech. I also use a little cherry now and then. I just ran into a motherload of free maple sugar from the old ladys mom. Plan on using it for rubs and dry brining. The pepsi and coke marinades sound great. If you are planning to grill or smoke chicken buy three 40 oz'ers of beer, use one to pour over the chicken with the juice of a lemon or two about a 1/4 cup of salt and equal brown sugar soak for at least 8 hours, overnight is better. Then drink the other two while smoking or grilling. It makes the juciest chicken you've ever had. But if you like beer like me, you might want to buy more that 2 extra big one's or you might be eyeballing the brine!!!