HELP FINDING WOOD CHUNKS


 
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Hey guys, I'm fairly new to this and would appreciate some help on finding chunk wood like cherry and apple,any ideas? I'm getting my first Weber Bullet tomorrow and could also use a nice easy first timer recipe and cooking instructions for ribs. I have to say that this board seems like it's really going to come in handy for me. Everyone seems super cool and very helpful, keep it up Thanks, Bob /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
 
Hi Bob and Welcome !

I have had good luck finding wood at local orchards, close to where I live. Since you're also in New England, there are probably apple orchards around your area.

The wood pretty much grows on trees there /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif , and I have found that they are more than happy to give it away, rather than disposing of it themselves. Last spring I took home two good size logs from an apple tree that was cut down, and they will probably last for another year. My only advice for a beginner is to limit the amount of smoke wood you use until you get the hang of it. You really don't need that much wood to get a good flavor.

You're right about this board, it is a great resource, and a friendly place to learn about the WSM and smoking. Enjoy !
 
Welcome Bob. Hey, this is the all New England topic. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I've been getting my chunk wood at the Woodstove Shop in Littleton. They have different varieties in bags in a storage shed outside. You can buy it by the piece or pound if you want to try different ones. When I got my WSM there they had no apple or cherry in stock. I called a week or so ago and still none. Almost 8 weeks! /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

I'm almost out of smoke wood so I may be making a trip to People's some time soon. They sell chunk in 20 lb bags. As Allan has pointed out, local orchards are a great source for pruned limbs. I have a friend who has prunings he's left to the side for me. Should be seasoned and ready to use in the fall.

George(moe)
 
We have a hard time finding hardwoods here in Montana. I get scrap hardwood from a local cabinet shop who planes rough boards and has a lot of scraps. Able to get almost every kind of fruit and nut woods. I cut the scraps into 5-6 inch chunks for my WSM. Works great for me. Try it you might like it. Good luck.
 
I live in eastern PA, and have just begun searching for wood. The only thing I can find at your regular chain stores is hickory chunks. While I'll be more than happy to try hickory, I was hoping to find a little variety. I'd also like to find some small logs in addition to chunks. The orchard and cabinetry places are both good ideas that I shall have to pursue. Anyone have any other ideas? Should I just go out into the woods and start chopping?
 
Welcome all,

Another way to go is keep your eyes peeled for a crew that is taking down a tree, or cleaning up after a storm. You can get WAY more than you need in a hurry.

George
 
mike...

Try the local golf courses. They trim their trees quite regularly and usually need to get rid of the cuttings. This is especially effective after a big wind storm as many trees will be blown over.

You can also just go out in the woods and clip branches. I use branches from my yard trees all the time....especially in making jerky. Just be sure you know what the tree is before chopping.
 
Just to follow up, I bought the Peterson Field Guide and went out in the woods this weekend. When I came home, I had some nice pieces of beech, maple, lilac, mulberry, and a small amount of oak. Oak trees seem to have evloved to defy the modern bbq-er. The trees were either too small to use or the lowest branches were about 100 feet up. Funny how that works.

So what's the concensus on seasoning? Should I just throw those fresh chunks on the coals or should I let them sit for a few months first?

Still working on getting cherry, apple, and walnut.
 
6 mos of aging seems to be the best but up to 2 yrs. I have cooked with wood only aged a couple
of mos, mostly fruit woods.
Jim
 
My question is converting logs to chunks...
We live within driving distance of orchards, so I have apple, cherry, plum and peach logs.

My question is -- what's the best piece of hardware to reduce those logs to chunks?

Chainsaw -- Seems to waste a lot of wood, plus the 2-3 foolt lenghts make it unstable and unusafe to saw into WSM sided chunks.

Sawsall -- they have these at home depot for 80 bucks or so. Again, how do I stabilize the logs so I can cut them nto usable chunks? Holding my foot on the log is unstable and I fear for my toes!

Ideas kids?

How do y'all do this?

HJP
 
How about putting them in a vise. Or maybe just a C-clamp holding it them to a post or something.
 
I've used a chopsaw on logs that are around 4'' in diameter or so. I have used a circular saw on bigger logs, but to be safe they definately have to be in a vice or clamped down.
 
I used an electric chainsaw my parents had to chop my wood. Branches were about 2.5 - 3 inches thick and I chopped them into logs of varying sizes.. 5-10 inches. I simply stuck the thing off the edge of a milk crate and steadied it with my foot... not the safest thing in the world, but the work was done in about 5 minutes. And an electric chainsaw isn't exactly that difficult to keep under control.
 
I found wood from my firewood supplier on Friday. I asked and it turns out they keep a special section for cooking wood. I bought it split small, 2-5" sections and cut the rest on my table saw.
 
Curious... is choke cherry wood of any value for smoking? Is it similar to cherry?

BTW... my wife planted 4 apple trees in the back yard a number of years ago. She prunes them but neglects to spray and the bugs take over. Over all these years, we have yet to eat an apple! Since getting my new WSM the other day, my wife has caught me eye-balling these trees in a different way! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Happy Smokin'!

Joe Tomas
 
I have no idea what choke cherry is but I love the mild flavor from cherry wood. I would think that all the cherry varieties are similar.
I do not think I would cook with that apple if it was being sprayed. I had two apple tree's. The one left will be gone soon. Can't stand the mess, bugs, bee's and rotten apples everywhere. Wish I saved the wood form the first.
 
Thanks, Bryan. I think I'll forego the choke cherry and start looking around.

Happy Smokin'!

Joe Tomas
 
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