smoke wood aging


 
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Big Ir

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Anyone out there have an idea of how long to age smoke wood (oak) before it can be used in the WSM??? It was trimmed 2 weeks ago.
 
I normally let wood season at least 6 months. I think it burns cleaner if it's seasoned. I have used chunks that I bought in plastic bags from Wal Mart & grocery stores that worked well, but there is no way to tell how long it has seasoned.
 
Big Ir, 6 months is a good rule of thumb with most woods but being in Central Florida, you can probably get away with 4 months during most of the year. Being as it was cut in Feb., you might want to wait 'till July though. (Lived in Orlando for 20 years).

Joe, guess you're just gonna have to wait guy.

Also, don't leave it as whole logs ~ Cut it down like you would use in your fireplace and stack it so that it can breathe some. Get it up off the ground on pallets or something and don't let it get too wet during those Florida downpours.

HTH
 
Oak is fairly hard and even if it doesn't appear green on the outside, it still could be. If you have a fireplace, burn some in there and listen to it. If there's alot of that sssss sound, that's what I don't want to cook my Q with.
 
Bean meaning to ask this question....when I got a load of firewood delivered last winter, the gal told me that this wood had been aged for 6 months and that you were supposed to use green wood for smoking foods. Didn't sound right. Comments?
 
One of the by-products of burning green wood is creosote, the result of incomplete combustion. I would have to ignore her advice.
 
Exactly! You hear of chimney fires from time to time ~ Most of the time it's from creosote build-up in the chimney and most of that build-up is from burning green wood or wood that's not properly seasoned. And it definitely leaves a nasty taste.
 
Rain will have very little effect on wood. Green wood won't soak it up and seasoned wood will tend to shed it. Take a good sized pc of seasoned wood (hardwood variety) and submerge it in water for a couple days. Don't let it float, sink it. Take it out and split it and you will see how much effect the water has had on it. Let it stand for 24 hrs and split it again. Judge for yourself.
If your wood is outside go ahead and cover it. But don't smother it. Air circulation is key.
Moisture in - rotten wood. Moisture out - happy wood. Definately keep it off the ground.
And keep in mind, during winter months, bees like the environment of a wood pile. Sleeping bees don't like rude awakenings. /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bob j:
[qb] And keep in mind, during winter months, bees like the environment of a wood pile. Sleeping bees don't like rude awakenings. /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>We cut our fire wood(Mesquite)for next winter during late Feb early Mar. There has been many times we've split a log and found Yellow Jackets inside! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif Thankfully it is still quite cool and they are sluggish!
 
Here's the other side to this question. How long does wood last if it is properly handled? I have some wood that is about a year and a half old that has been kept in the garage/shed and was wondering how long will it keep for smoking purposes.

Thanks.
 
Big Ir,
Here 's a link to WESH TV in Orlando concerning seasoned wood. They don't say anything about what rain does to seasoning wood but I know several people in Central Florida that swear that along with the high temps and high humidity, the rain gets into the cracks of the seasoning wood creating a haven for insects and some rotting. Best to keep it covered in your environment.
 
Hey bob j-----
"Bees" don't usually nest in wood stacks or piles of wood unless the wood has been undisturbed for quite a long time. The culprits are usually hornets or yellow jackets or wasps!!!!! The good thing----they are all insects and pretty torpid with cool weather
 
On a similar note, it there a difference between seasoned wood and dead wood? When a tree dies, the wood doesn't seem the same as seasoned wood. I'm not talking about rotting wood. Just like a branch that has died on the tree. It doesn't seem to have the same characteristics as seasoned wood. It seems like the seasoned wood keeps some of the natural oils and the "dead" wood is - well dead.
 
Tom, I was refering to nasty bees as you pointed out. And not nests. Just the occasional loner. I cut down some cottonwood trees one summer and went to use it that winter in the fireplace. On more than one occasion I got hit when placing my hand on a "sleeping bee". Guess I just don't learn the first time. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
As an aside: If any of you have cottonwood, get rid of it. It sucks in the spring, is a pain in the *** in the fall, and is absolutely pathetic in the fireplace. Not to mention you can't q with it.
As far as dead wood? Don't know. Never tried it. One things for sure, dead is dead. Can't get no deader than dead.
 
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