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Drying your own smoke wood

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rsterman
rsterman Posts: 119
in EggHead Forum
I work on a golf course a few days each week during the season. I have access to significant amounts of hickory and cherry that can be cut to thin out the wooded areas. I have already cut some of both and used my chop saw to cut to length and am allowing them to season until spitting them to usable sizes. I've done it early this year after the sap has already risen. Will probably take longer to season . I plan to fell more in the fall after the sap is down, and cut to length to season over the winter. My question is whether bark on the cherry and hickory is an issue with respect to smoke capabilities? Does it have to be removed or is everything copacetic leaving the bark on? Thanks in advance for any opinions offered...
Berlin, Maryland
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  • FanOfFanboys
    FanOfFanboys Posts: 2,615
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    I slept in my contact so my eyes are a bit dry. While scanning down list of thread titles I thought I saw smoking weed instead of smoking wood. 

    I now have nothing to contribute.
    Boom
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  • otter
    otter Posts: 342
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    I take the bark off on my hickory and cherry. I think the bark is a little bitter.
    Pure Michigan
    Grand Rapids, Michigan  LBGE, SBGE
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited June 2014
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    Smoke wood doesn't need to be seasoned. Also, splitting is easier when the wood is green. If you insist on seasoning, that will happen faster if you split it first.

    EDIT: Forgot to say, I never remove bark. I know one guy who uses ONLY bark.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    I tried smoking w. some green peach wood, having read that the sap produces a peach flavor. I didn't notice any, and the wet wood produced "bad" smoke for longer than dried wood.

    I don't know about hickory, but I'd be cautious about the cherry bark. Cherry leaves produce cyanide if damaged when green, and so I wonder if the green inner bark might do the same.

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  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
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    I disagree about the wood not needing to be seasoned, well actually it doesn't but I think the dry wood gives a much better smoke profile. I've used all my wood with and without bark depending on how lazy I am and how tight the bark is on the wood before smoking. I can't say I see a big difference if any at all. If the bark looks nasty take it off if it's tight and looks decent I don't worry about it.......................interesting about the Cherry leaves, never heard that before.  
    Dearborn MI
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    I've never seen hickory/oak/pecan with the bark on - they are the only ones I've actually bought. Fruit woods, apple/peach/cherry, all come from local sources and I use branches so the bark stays on, it seems to be a tighter, smoother bark to begin with. 
    Age is however long they sit in the box after being cut to 1" and 2" pieces with the pruning loppers. 

    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    KenfromMI said:
    interesting about the Cherry leaves, never heard that before.  
    There are cases where horses have eaten enough that they died.
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    I had heard about cherry and peach pits and apple seeds too, But never about bark or leaves. 


    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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