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Drying time for fresh chunks of wood


 
K

Kristian Karlsson

New member
Hi fellow BBQers

A friend of mine just gave me a bag of plum wood chunks that he had cut for me. They are fist size, some a little bigger and some a little smaller. Questions is, how long do these need to dry/season? I know I have heard about six months but I was curious if that was true even for chunks?
 
Do they really need to dry? I know there is debate after debate about soaking or not soaking chunks. If some people want to soak them, then why bother drying them in the first place?

I say just start smoking with them. JMO
 
I have stopped soaking, I saw a video about this that convinced me. This guy put a chunk in water over night, well above the recommended 1-2 hours. After that he took a saw and cut through the chunk showing that the water had only permeated half a millimeter at best. This made me decide that soaking was totally useless.

However, in regards to a fresh piece of wood - are there benefits to letting it dry out. Thinking of sap or other things in there that you don't want to burn - not sure what it would be or if it makes a difference ...
 
Kristian, i always let my fresh wood dry at least 6 months, no more sap and the bark is easier to take off, as for soaking i think soaking pertains more to the wood chips one buy's at the store, no need to soak a chunk of wood wasting ur time.
 
My 'rule of thumb' is to let wood dry for at least a month or two depending on size.

BUT ... some notable 'pitmasters' have been using fresh cut fruitwood. Seems that the fruit sap adds a subtle flavor profile.

Note - NEVER use fresh cut mesquite in a smoker. Mesquite needs to be thoroughly dried.
 
Drying time for wood differ a lot. Where is the wood stored? What is the temperature? How wet is the wood when the tree is cut down? (Wood cut during spring takes a lot longer to dry than wood cut in the winter)
How high is the air moisture? How much wind is there? Is the wood stored over ground level, and sheltered from rain? How many layers of wood is stacked up? Are the logs split, and into how small chunks?

Depending on the answers on these questions, normal drying times can vary from about a year to a couple of months.
 
Geir ur rite about drying time for diff wood, i was referring to mesquite that's about all i use, have access to white oak but have never tried it, any info on using white oak would be appreciated
 
Kristian,I got some hickory(ok,a but load!) from a coworker. I Chunked it into 4-5" pieces,then let it dry for a couple of months. The roast I used it on had a bitter taste. I let the stuff dry a couple more months,and it tasted great! I think it would be better to wait.
 
Thank you all for your tips, I have now decided to let it sit for at least 6 months.
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I've found waiting for for the wood to dry is a lot like waiting for christmas. The closer it gets the more anticipated it becomes. I dry sugar maple and apple a minimum of 6 months in my garage before using it. Sometimes I've cheated and gotten away with using it earlier and I've also had terrible results with it. Most of the time I have chunks that are a year old.
 
Noe, I have tried using white oak and was quite pleased with the results. My first 3 racks of BB's were smoked using only hickory. After reading several posts, I did not want to over do it, so I only used 2 or 3 chunks. I found the flavor to be really good. My next smoke, I did 3 more racks of BB's and a Boston Butt. This time using 3 or 4 white oak chunks, and I think 1 hickory chunk. It still had a nice smoke taste, just a little milder. (I actually liked it better with the white oak.)
That being said, I have a large Pecan branch, and a large section of an apple tree cut into pieces waiting to dry out. As a general rule, I like to wait at least 3/4 months before I feel the wood is dry enough to use.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Noe:
Geir ur rite about drying time for diff wood, i was referring to mesquite that's about all i use, have access to white oak but have never tried it, any info on using white oak would be appreciated </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Noe, post oak, a smaller species of white oak, is what's used in Lockhart to smoke some of the best bbq beef there is. I also know that Rudy's, around San Antonio, uses no mesquite, oak only, but I don't know what kind. That's some of the best brisket I've ever had.
 
Thanks for the info on white oak wood Tim & Dave, now i have to make a trip to my ranch to get a load of white oak and mesquite while i am there. Again thanks
 
Wet wood in the smoker is just like wet wood in a fireplace, causes incomplete combustion , creating more creosote formation!
Dry your wood 6 months for mini- logs & at least 4 months for smaller chunks.
 
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