Does any buy wood by the cord?

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cmm5350

Fire Starter
Original poster
Aug 12, 2013
40
10
North East Pennsylvania
How long would a cord of hardwood last you for smoking?  Im wondering if it is in my best interest to buy a cord of hickory over the big box stores wood chunks and just chunk it all myself.  
 
Well lets get more info. What are you smoking with? how much do you use? Or maybe a better question is how long will a bag of chunks last you? If you are just using a few chunks every smoke, I'd say find a few limbs and chunk that up. You should be able to find it for free. Post a want add on Craigslist. Find a friend with a fire place and ask for a few logs. Happy smoken.

David
 
I mostly use hickory and I'm just starting to really get into smoking, but I've been going through a bag of chunk a week it seems.  I have a wood stove in my house so the wood would serve a dual purpose,  I was just wondering how much the rest of everyone uses.  
 
I use about ½-¾ of a bag of chunks for a 10 hr smoke.  I do have access to cords of wood, however; a firewood supplier who sells bags of wood also sells ¼, ½, ¾, and full cord of wood (18" face cord).  But, then you're having to chunk it up yourself, an arduous task; split the pieces into lengths sized for chunking, then crosscut into chunks.  Don't have a tablesaw and with strokes, don't want to split logs, either, so I've discounted that.  However, if you can handle it, it'd be the best way to go and cheapest.  Like anything, however, take every precaution possible.  Saving money on wood cannot compensate for splitting a finger in half or cutting off a couple (I was a meatcutter and cut off a couple myself).
 
I mostly use hickory and I'm just starting to really get into smoking, but I've been going through a bag of chunk a week it seems.  I have a wood stove in my house so the wood would serve a dual purpose,  I was just wondering how much the rest of everyone uses.  
A cord of wood cut in chunks and bagged would be somewhere around $6000.00. So yes you would save a bunch. I just grap a few pieces of firewood. Run them through the badsaw.. If you are also going to use it for firewood then your on the right track. If it was only for smoking. Then that is a lot to have to store and keep the bugs out of.

Happy smoken.

David
 
When I was just using my offset wood box smoker, I would do an average of one smoking a month.  I got a quarter cord of Mesquite and a quarter cord of pecan to feed it.  only used it for smoking (did not chunk - fed logs into the wood box) and after 2 years, I had used about half the wood.  It really depends on how much you use your smoker and how much you use for firewood.  It is a whole lot cheaper than buying wood at a store.
 
I have a stickburner I use almost every weekend.

I bought a face cord in March. I have about 1/4 of it left, maybe less
 
I cut my own hunks. I spit them so the table saw can cut them into little boards. I keep those in a box in my garage so they stay very dry. Been cutting up hunks of black cherry and really like it. I cut the pieces about 1 1/2" thick.
 
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