How long to dry wood


 
R

Ryan Barrett

New member
I have an apple tree that had to be cut down due to the ice storm this last winter. I cut it up and put it inside a shed to dry. How long will I have to let this wood dry before I can use it?
 
A lot depends on the diameter of the logs. I collect pecan trimmings locally and have found that the larger logs........4-5 inches in diameter are best a fully seasoned after 6 months. Less if the logs are split in halves or fourths. The smaller stuff is good to go after a few months sitting out in our desert heat. Using green wood is acceptable when smoking. I've used green pecan for smoking with good results. Apple is sweet so I don't see why you couldn't use some at his point for smoking purposes.
 
Ryan
A lot of factors influence the drying time of wood. Whilst some may use green wood to smoke I do not recommend it.

The humidity/weather has a large influence as does the size of the wood. wood dries more through the end grain than through the thickness,
I always cut my smoking wood into 3-4" slabs and split it into halves. I always stack it on a wire shelf with a 4 - 6" air gap between lavers in a well ventilated area at least 2' off the floor. I leave the wood for at least 6 months before use. The wood can be small diameter branches to slabs off the trunk. it doesn't snow here so I don't know how long it would take to dry during the winter months in that environment.

regards
 
The more wood you have exposed to the air the faster it will dry. I would reccomend you cut the wood to length and split a few times to maximize the interior surface area. Also the sun and wind can speed drying if put outside.

I have smoked quite a few times with not so dry fruitwood. Cherry really was added to the flavor of the meat. Same with Maple. I wouldn't get too wound up about fruitwood. If you need it and it isn't as dry as you think it should be, I wouldn't go buy some to use til your is dry.

I definately wouldn't reccomend using nut wood til it is dry but as fruitwood goes I would go for it.
 
To get even more technical we would need to define just how green the wood is. Wood from a tree that was just in the ground a couple hours ago is still quite different than one which has already been cut down for a few weeks to a couple of months. I've used wood that had already been seasoned for at least a month. Upon splitting it you can still feel and smell some moisture in the wood but it's probably not much more than what's found in soaked chips or chunks. I'm referring to smaller trimmings here from 3" and smaller. Larger stuff may still be quite wet, so to speak. Once weather gets better in your area you may want to consider seasoning it outside the shed or at elast leaving the doors open so that there is more air flow and if rotating the logs is possible do so. Otherwise, since it's a fruit wood you are using I wouldn't worry about it too much as it smokes sweetly bone dry or a little green.
 
My uncle gave me quite a bit of apple wood he chopped down early Summer last year as it was old and breaking all over so he figured he'd just chop it down. I've had it outside all this time and it is dry as a bone the other day that I checked. Someone told me I needed to not use it for 1 whole year, guess they were wrong. Good thing too since I only have a few pieces left of the apple I had bought.
 
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