Does wood for smoking go "bad"?


 
P

Paulie

New member
Hey fellow smokers,

Does hardwood for smoking go bad/get old or loss any flavor/aroma characteristics if you keep it around too long? Thanks!
 
Yes, it most certainly looses flavor over time. That time depends upon in what conditions the wood was kept as well as when the wood was initially cut.
 
This is one of those things that I believe separate the general population from the aficionado - I being the former. If it loses flavor, I sure can't tell. I guess if I did, I'd throw another chunk on the fire and call it good. Now wood stored in a damp area and that picks up moisture can certainly rot and be unusable, but if kept dry and stored with airflow (think plastic milk crates off the ground), it will never go "bad". Lose flavor, maybe, but not bad. Certainly not something I would worry about.

If anyone has any old (not rotten) wood, I'll take it off your hands. :)
 
Thanks Jim. Found this to be true the hard way. Was doing very little cooking but had a good amount of smoking woods, both pecan and cherry. Kept the open burlap bags in the hot garage. 6 months into the bags, flavor had departed.
 
I'm glad to see this thread as I was wondering about the same thing. I have severasl plastic bags of various woods in a plastic bin in my garage and was wondering if I should do something different. Does anyone have any siggestions?
 
Do you know how long the wood was in the burlap bags to begin with? I mean, did you buy it that way, or did you cut it yourself, etc.?
 
I do not know the exact fill date, but normally, the shop where I purchased the wood fills (I would say) bags within a week of selling them. I will ask, as I will be spending my entire day there this Saturday. (Helping out at the CBBQA BBQ101 class).
 
Other interesting questions:

Was it green or seasoned?
If seasoned, how long?

I have heard before that Pecan and Cherry can both lose 'flavor', but not so much oak, maple, alder, etc. Also, we know that hickory can become less aromatic over time.

A case in point for aroma waning over time is Cedar. Think about how a new cedar chest or cedar lined closet smells compared to an older one. Not that Cedar is a smoking wood, but it demonstrates how it could change.
 
>>> Not that Cedar is a smoking wood, but it demonstrates how it could change.<<<

Please don't let those thousands of grill-masters know what you just said about their cedar planks (me included(:>)).

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
I like some buy my wood from my local home improvement store and it comes in plastic bags. I take and put them in smaller plastic totes with good locking lids and keep it in the garage. So far I feel that I haven't had any of my wood loose it flavor.
 
Robert McGee said:
>>> Not that Cedar is a smoking wood, but it demonstrates how it could change.<<<

Please don't let those thousands of grill-masters know what you just said about their cedar planks (me included(:>)).

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
Click to expand...

There is a vast difference between grilling salmon on a cedar plank and using cedar in a low and slow smoke. Try it though...if you like bitter it'll be right up your alley!
 
Yes most wood is in it's prime at 6-18 months. Just like dry seasonings over time it looses it's flavor. I just add more if the wood seems to light in weight for it's size which tells me it is old.
 
I think after reading this thread which is on a subject I have been wondering about, I will just replenish my wood every year around spring time. That way I know how old it is. In case of hickory or mesquite this would not be an issue because I usually have to replenish that supply during the summer anway, but other not so used wood is a different story.
 
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