preparing smoke wood


 
L

leif gabrielsen

TVWBB Fan
My father has an apple tree that he is not maintianing and it seems more of a hassle for him to take care of it and all of the apples and whatnot.
I am thinking about helping him take it down or at least grab some limbs and enjoy the apple smoke in my WSM.
I have a few questions though,
is there a best time to take branches, is there any thing I have to do to not harm the tree by trimming?
How long do they need to dry before I can use them?
Does wood ever go bad?
Is there a prefered method of storing wood (in the event I have a whole tree)?
Any info at all is helpful.
Your all gentlemen and scholars.
thankyou
Leif
 
Winter is a good time to take down the tree. The water content is much lower in the wood. Store in a dry covered area that has some airflow around the wood.
You should be able to use it in 4-6 months depending on the humidity levels you get where it's stored. Wood can rot or get bugs but when properly stored it will last longer than you or I will.

Whatever you do don't spray pesticides on wood you are planning to cook with.The odd ant in your smoker won't hurt anything.
 
Also, be sure to put something between the ground and the wood to ensure that there is airflow there as well.
An old pallet works great.
 
If you end up with the whole tree I'm sure you can find some TVWBB members near you to take some off your hands.
 
If you are just going to trim the tree first take any limb that is growing down or toward the center of the tree first. Do not take more than a quarter of the tree limbs as your tree will not get enough light next summer. If you have a large unruly tree that you want to trim up do it over about 3 years. A friend of mine owns a fruit farm and looked at my out of hand apple tree.

You will need to take some of the large limbs back to the trunk. Again over a couple of years not taking more than a quarter of the limbs/leaves any year.

I don't mind using fruit wood right after harvesting. Nut woods on the other hand I like them to cure for several months before use.
 
the tree isn't so much unruly, rather it is just my dad is getting older and lazier and doesn't eat many apples
icon_smile.gif
and i like smoking win win Thank you again everyone for the great advice
LEif
 
Leif, is there any chance you could post a photo of the tree? Knowing what it looks like might make it easier to offer suggestions.

Brad
 
next time i am over there I will. its maybe 10 years old not to big. it is in good shape just not harvested well I think there are still apples on it. i just like the idea of free wood.
Leif
 
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