How long to wait to use wood

hilltoppernole

Newbie

Original poster

Feb 23, 2017

16

10

FL

• Aug 20, 2017

• #1

Had some oak and cherry trees cut down in my yard. Going to split into pieace for smoking. How long should I wait until it is good to use?

 

mowin

Master of the Pit

May 30, 2015

1,220

246

upstate ny

• Aug 20, 2017

• #2

Assuming these were live trees, in my area, oak takes up to a yr to dry out. Cherry 4-6 months. Not sure how the humidity in your area would effect that.

 

hilltoppernole

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Feb 23, 2017

16

10

FL

• Aug 23, 2017

• #3

​I'm in Florida so its pretty high

 

bluewhisper

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Apr 1, 2014

3,587

455

Columbus Ohio

• Aug 23, 2017

• #4

I'm used to allowing a year for seasoning. It helps to dry faster if it's already cut to length and split.

I still have a big bunch of maple from a tree my neighbor removed, almost a year ago. I've tried it a few times and it's mellowing with age. It's losing the harshness of flavor that it had with less seasoning time.

 

dave schiller

Meat Mopper

Apr 7, 2017

287

65

Raleigh, NC

• Aug 23, 2017

• #5

I bought and use a moisture meter to check wood moisture.  Mine is from Harbor Freight.  It was cheap, but seems to give accurate readings.  I shoot for wood under 15% moisture content.  The duration time of curing doesn't matter, as there is a large amount of variation between pieces.  It's how dry the wood actually is.  Short small pieces dry faster than long larger pieces.  At a minimum, split the wood to expose the center, especially if the bark is still on.  A year of curing should work for most pieces less than 6" in diameter if the wood is kept out of the rain and with decent air circulation.

 

Last edited: Aug 23, 2017

foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

Apr 4, 2013

11,236

3,319

South Louisiana, on the Mississippi River

• Aug 23, 2017

• #6

Give it a year. You'll be happier with it. 6 months bare min,  Like smoking, its worth the weight!

 

3montes

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Dec 26, 2007

1,299

160

Beautifull shores of Lake Superior

• Aug 23, 2017

• #7

I have a wood crib that I dry mine in. The cold dry winter air here will dry it out pretty quickly. I buy a cord that's quarter split in fall put it in the crib for the winter and I can use it the following summer.