Fresh cut apple wood

[Frank M]

I mentioned in an earlier thread that my sister had a couple of apple trees removed, and that I was able to collect some of the wood. Here it is stacked neatly in my garage:

My question now is: this is fresh cut wood within the last week. Do I need to let this stuff dry out before using it in my WSM, and if so, for how long should I let it dry?

 

[Ken Nelson]

If the trees had not been dead a long time, I'd give the smaller pieces a monther or so to air before using them. The bigger pieces will of course take longer.

The biggest pieces on the bottom should be split to season them more quickly. Their size is also too large to be of practical use in your bullet.

Also, allow more air to circulate over and around all sides of the wood, if at all possible. Several small piles would be better for seasoning the wood than one big one. Put the wood on a salvaged pallet if they are to be kept on a concrete floor. This will improve circulation and eliminate the bottom logs wicking moisture from the floor.

Don't worry about removing the bark as long as it's tight to the wood and looks healthy. Before burning, do remove any bark that shows signs of dampness or serves as home to active critters.

Looks like you've fallen into a nice little windfall. Hope you enjoy using it.

Ken

 

[Frank M]

Thanks Ken.

I should have mentioned-- the trees were not dead. She had them removed because of the mess they made.

So I guess I still would like some idea of how long to wait before using the wood.

Thanks for your other suggestions... I'll implement them all.

 

[David Munson]

I paid a guy $75 to make mulch from the piles of apple wood this spring that I trimmed in the winter from my orchard. Ended up with a mulch pile 6' high by 20 ft by 10 ft. Been using it on the berry patches. Kept enough logs for this year. I get out the chain saw every once in a while (month or so) and turn 6' trunks into 6-8 inch logs.

The 'fresh' wood is good and works well. IMHO you don't need to get over excited about letting it season. Like spices, it gets bland with age. Like curry, green or fresh wood may be too much bitter. I have used green (cut that day) non-heart wood without the wood imparting a bad or bitter taste. Apple is generally mellow. Almost too mellow for beef.

Just get a hatchet to split the logs. I usually split enough for a couple of weeks at a time. (Just lazy). I don't like the over-seasoned stuff (over-seasoned to me is more than a year old). Remember to leave some split wood out in the rain on Thursday or Friday for the weekend BBQ.

The perfect log size is 6-8" length logs. As big as you can get them. The heart wood is a bit stronger than the clear. Keep a hatchet near by as well as the largest log to split the smaller one's on.

 

[Tony Weisse]

It's hard to tell for sure, but it kinda looks like there my be some rot in the center of the bigger pieces. If so, I would avoid using for cooking.

Nice stash of wood!