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Live Oak for Smoke

BBQ Hippie
BBQ Hippie Posts: 49
in EggHead Forum
I lost several large limbs out of my live oak in the icemageddon last week. I cut it up and got it off the fence, but before I drag it to the trash I thought I'd ask the forum. Has anyone smoked with live oak before, is it a strong or light flavor? I like mesquite and my wife like apple or no smoke. What is the drying time, six months, a year?
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Comments

  • jccbone62
    jccbone62 Posts: 248
    I'm no wood expert but IMHO I would let it dry first. I've heard of some using green wood but I'm not sure about that. Hopefully someone will come along and give a better answer for you. Good luck.
    XL owner in Wichita, KS
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  • bigguy136
    bigguy136 Posts: 1,362
    Not sure about the green vs dry but I've been wanting to try oak for some time. I've read many use it when doing ribs.

    Big Lake, Minnesota

    2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig

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  • sumoconnell
    sumoconnell Posts: 1,932
    Oak is great wood, I'd keep it if you can.  Drying wood takes time, if the limbs are thick I bet a year isn't too far off.  If they are thick, you should split before you stack.  Since you are doing this for the Egg anyway, I bet if you split/cut into chunks now it would dry out much faster.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Austin, Texas.  I'm the guy holding a beer.
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  • Mr. & Mrs Potatohead
    Mr. & Mrs Potatohead Posts: 2,037

    Oak is GREAT smoke-wood.

    Some say green or seasoned, no difference, but I like mine seasoned. Cut and split it will dry pretty fast (a few months will do with small splits.

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  • billybon
    billybon Posts: 213
    Live oak is a wonderful smoking wood. In fact, the famous Blue Front BBQ in West Palm Beach, Fl would not use any other kind of wood.
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    My favorite pork and beef smoking wood comes from bags I find locally marked "Texas Oak." Don't know if it is live oak, or a close relative called post oak, but its great. Better than either the black or white oaks found where I live.

    I suspect your wife might find the smoke flavor too intense. But it doesn't have a sharp edge the way I taste mesquite.

    For wood working, the rule is let the wood sit for at least 6 mo.s per inch of thickness to dry. You can use green wood, but before you get any good smoke, all the moisture must be heated away, and it may create creosote while that happens.
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  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    gdenby said:
    For wood working, the rule is let the wood sit for at least 6 mo.s per inch of thickness to dry. You can use green wood, but before you get any good smoke, all the moisture must be heated away, and it may create creosote while that happens.
    Yuk.  Don't need that in the egg.  That would explain why I've heard that hard woods need to be seasoned before used in the BBQ.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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  • Texansurf
    Texansurf Posts: 507

    Live Oak is great to use.  We use it all time. Most of the BBQ joints in Texas use it

    Let  it dry out and debark if necessary. 

    Corpus Christi, Texas.  LBGE x 2, Weber Smoky Joe, and Aussie Walk-About
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  • bo_mull
    bo_mull Posts: 363
    Split it and cut it into chunks, It will dry out faster

    Cleveland, TN.

    LG BGE, PSWOO2, Stoker WIFI.

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  • Coastalcooker
    Coastalcooker Posts: 185
    Cut and split while green. Why was "Old Ironsides" made of live oak? let it dry and then try to split and you will know.
    I also had a large limb come down and drug it to the burn pile. A little chain saw time, and it should make good smoking wood. Thanks for the suggestion.
    Bob
    Cookin' on the coast
    Shellman Bluff, GA
    Medium BGE

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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Oak can be used freshly cut.  I was in a similar situation several months back, and I'm still using my fallen oak branches.  What I did find was it needs to be kept dry.  The stuff I left on the patio with the egg had mold and rot issues.  The box I kept in the garage dried nicely and has not molded.
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  • wbbh
    wbbh Posts: 5
    When I lived out west I used live oak bark for smoking beef and turkey.  The only downside, was never having any leftovers. :)
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