Seasoned Apple Wood

Egg-N-Tino

A co-worker of mine made a comment to me that he was going to be trimming his Apple trees this weekend. A light went off inside the dome and asked if he needed any help. I am going to grab alot of the limbs and bring them back home for smoking. Since I have always purchased wood for smoking, I have no idea how long to let the freshly cut wood sit to be seasoned enough to use. My initial plan was to store it in the garage for a year.

Biggest question is when do you know it is ready to be used and not still 'green' ?

Rascal

I wood think that if you split it open (probably best to do before stacking) and it looks & feels dry, it's ready.

stike

let it sit for a year or so until it looks dried, basically. truth be told, flashback bob gave me some green fruit wood, said he's been using it green, and that it's been fine. i tried some too. fine as is (i.e. green).

i think if you were firing a big offset with nothing but green wood, it'd be a real issue, but for a few chunks in the egg, not so much.

Mainegg

ANY dead wood is saved off our old apple trees and sliced and chunked for the eggs. We use it all the time and it Makes a nice gift for egging friends

RhumAndJerk

One thing to note is that you should probably stip any fruit wood of its bark before use. You do not know what pesticides or oils have been used on the tree.

I am currious about using any wood when it is green. I would think that there are a lot of off flavors that one could get. Green wood, seasoned wood and Lump Cahrcoal are basically three forms of the same thing. Each has its own characteristics and flavors.

In a large offset, I would think that the steam from the boiling sap may cause issuse with the steel.

Maybe I am just overthinking the issue.
RhumAndJerk

stike

offsets use wood for fuel, and wet wood doesn't burn well. it also creates a ton of creosote. the amount of wood that we use in a BGE to flavor ribs etc. isn't really alot.

i have waited the requisite year, and i have also looked around secretly to make sure no one was looking when i just tossed in 'green' wood (because i didn't want to wait a year). both results were great.
all wood should be free of insecticides. even hardwood trees. if the thing was sprayed (as is often the case up here) for caterpillars, you really would want to know too. always a good rule to ask about pesticides

RhumAndJerk

Now I understand.
Thanks,
R&J

Egg-N-Tino

Awesome everyone and thank you all for your replies. I will let it sit as long as I can until the need for some arises. Just picked up #20lbs of chunk that should get me thru summer. Apple, Hickory and Guava are my main smoking woods. Usually use a mixture during my cooks.

stike

understand? heck, i thought we were agreeing!
i wasn't saying you were wrong, so much as clarifying what i meant.

peace!