Red Oak; Termites?

[rvachewlover]

Wondering if someone could give me some advice on the wood pictured below. I picked up a truck load of free red oak over the weekend. Some looks termite damaged. Wondering what to look for in an active infestation or if they have moved on? Or is it just general decay/rot? The guy said he has had it in his backyard for 5-10 years. It was stored on the ground, in large rounds then split this weekend.

Thanks!

 

[Ringer]

I can tell you from experience that it will not burn as hot or as long as plain seasoned red oak. I had a load like that and I stopped trying to cook with it. It's still out by my shed rotting away.

 

[1MoreFord]

It's the beginning of decay - not termites.
As long as it's not real soft use it. Even if it's soft it will burn but as noted above it won't provide the best heat or last as long.

 

[Nefarious]

Just a question, will it still provide good smoke? Can he mix it with other wood for the heat?

 

[Chasdev]

Best tasting brisket I ever cooked was done with post oak that was worm eaten and dry rotted.
I didn't pay attention to how many sticks I was stuffing in the offset, just watched the temps and cooked until done.
It produced clear blue smoke the whole way and when I ran out a few weeks later the " normal" wood I started using was harder to work with and harder to maintain clear blue smoke.
So don't toss it out until you give it a try.