aging fresh cut cherry wood

Abter · February 2016

I have 2 cherry trees that are about to have to come out (45 years old...I think our neighborhood got their money's worth from lining the streets in the newly built development with spring blooming Japanese cherry trees).

When the do come down, what should I do to keep and prepare some of the wood for smoking?
My first instinct is to:
(a) use only solid wood, which will mainly come from limbs
(b) cut some of the solid limbs into 2" (?) thick disks
(c) age for some length of time. Aging would be off the ground and outside for xxxx long

Is this about right?
should I age and then cut into rounds?
How thick to cut the rounds?
Get the bark off? When?

any advice?

A5firearms · February 2016

I just trimmed up my fathers apple tree today, and I am thinking the EXACT same method as you described.

Carolina Q · February 2016

The smaller the chunks are, the faster they will season. Also, it will be easier to split when it's green.

Jeepster47 · February 2016

This winter, I've cut my orange and sugar maple "green logs" into 2~3" thick disks and then split into usable sized chunks. I use a recip saw for cutting ... no concerns about chain saw bar oil that way. Don't worry about the bark, it'll contribute to the smoke. The chunks go into open weave bags and are stacked in the garage or basement ... no concerns with termites in my neighborhood.

Darby_Crenshaw · February 2016

You can use them green, FWIW

Mattman3969 · February 2016

^^^^^^^

buzzvol · February 2016

Is cherry smoke wood usually from ornamental, fruit trees, wild or all of the above? Would there be a noticeable difference in the smoke?

JethroVA · February 2016

@buzzvol it usually means fruit trees. I have ample wild cherry that I can cut but I've been advised that wild can be bitter.

FarmerTom · February 2016

My cherry smoke wood comes from wild black cherry that grows naturally here in our Ky. woodlands. My current supply is from a tree that had fallen over a fence. I cut it up and stored it the same manner (Except I use a chain saw, oil from the chain oiler is negligible in my opinion) as Jeepster47. It must be able to breathe as it seasons in its storage container unless you are getting kiln dried wood. While I'm no expert on this subject, I would think all varieties of cherry would make good smoke wood.

Abter · February 2016

thanks everybody for the comments and info. I love this forum...such GREAT feedback

Jeepster47 · February 2016

@FarmerTom ... several manufactures sell bio-degradable chain saw oil ... if I was cutting a lot of smoke wood I'd use that.

Need to ask our local smoke wood folks if they use bio-degradable ... if not, then I'll move over into your camp.

Darby_Crenshaw · February 2016

i agree tom. oil is negligible, and if it burned, no worse than what is in the charcoal itself.

jtcBoynton · February 2016

JethroVA said:

@buzzvol it usually means fruit trees. I have ample wild cherry that I can cut but I've been advised that wild can be bitter.

Are you sure about that. I thought most of it was from by-product of the lumber industry.

SMITTYtheSMOKER · February 2016

As others have mentioned here, cutting will advance the seasoning process. I would elect to keep some in bigger logs (think firewood lengths) to cut later. I feel fully seasoned wood is a great fuel for fires, but lacks some flavor for smoking wood. So leaving some "juice" in the wood could benefit you from a flavor aspect.
Cherry wood is very sweet and light, we use it for color as it provides a nice crimson tone to the meat you use it on. Its bark is thin and will come off easily once it has seasoned a bit.

fishlessman · February 2016

you could chip some up with a hatchet and start using it immediately, then you will know if you like this type of cherry. then chunk some up for later this spring and summer. keep a 6 foot log intact and chunk that up in the fall for use in the fall and next winter

aging fresh cut cherry wood

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