My first wood delivery from Facebook market

[Ratchet91X]

Afternoon all,
To make a long story short, I hopped on FB Market to buy a cord of red oak. I am hoping that my assumption that "firewood" can be used for smoking as well. Anyways, I was unable to stay while he stacked the wood in my garage and I assumed he was trustworthy. That's two assumptions by me and probably a bad start... After going through some of it to stack it on my rack, I found that the "seasoned" wood was mostly green and what wasn't green was rotted and Lord knows what else. I am not an expert at identifying wood but here are some pics.
I was very disappointed and irate to say the least. So if anyone is from the CSRA area in GA, please direct me to a reliable wood source.

 

[912smoker]

Oh no that's a terrible way to spend $$!
Where are you located?

Keith

 

[motolife313-2]

He is not going to be having repeat customers with wood like that. Sorry to hear about this.

 

[bill ace 350]

I would have told him to put it back in his truck or trailer.

I did that once with firewood.

Needed a 2 face cords one spring, ran through most of my wood stove supply quicker than I thought.

Had a phone number I had written down of a local who sold wood.

Called and ordered 2 face cords. Asked if it was seasoned. Yup was the reply.

Anyway guys shows up, I go out to show him where to dump it.

Take a look at the pile in the trailer.

Green wood.

I said it was a no-go and sent him on his way.

 

[Chasdev]

You should try the "rotted" wood, it may surprise you.
Some of the best brisket I ever cooked was with dead fall and very dry oak.
As to too much internal moisture, just wait a year or so and it will come around.
Invest in a moisture meter, they are inexpensive on Amazon, look for 20% or under.
If it tests near 30% or higher then it is indeed "green" or unseasoned and while it will burn, it belongs in your fireplace, not your smoker.

 

[Newglide]

I agree with Chasdev You got it so go ahead and use it. The green stuff wait for it to season.
You may want to think about getting it out of the garage tho. Wood piles invite uninvited guests you probably don't want.

 

[Ratchet91X]

Oh no that's a terrible way to spend $$!
Where are you located?

Keith

I am located in Augusta, GA. I am still looking for a reliable wood supplier so that I won't have to rely on kiln dried wood. I am sure I will eventually find a good supply.

 

[Chasdev]

I feel your pain, I’m 3/4 through a half cord of oak I bought 4 years ago and it’s just now good for smoking.
I bought $200 worth of kilned post oak from ACE hardware.
It’s not as good as in the raw wood but it gets the job done for now.
Good bad news is that the drought we’ve been having has no doubt killed off some posts oak trees and sooner or later the chainsaw drivers will get busy.

 

[912smoker]

I am located in Augusta, GA. I am still looking for a reliable wood supplier so that I won't have to rely on kiln dried wood. I am sure I will eventually find a good supply.

I'd check with Sconyers and see who they use. Just a thought

Keith

 

[Steve H]

I would definately report this to facebook market.

 

[gmc2003]

Up here in the real Georgia(Georgia Vt that is) both seasoned and unseasoned hardwood is readily available.

Chris

 

[Smokin Okie]

My next wood purchase is going to be green wood. By the time I get around to using it , it will be seasoned enough.

As to the rotted wood, its just going to go up in flames quickly, produce little smoke. That's better for the fireplace than the smoker.

EDIT, BTW for some reason, wood selling is a " shady " business everywhere. I would never have it delivered. Go look at it first and if ya don't have a truck, rent a trailer.

Lot of times, the people selling it don't know whether its oak or hickory or pecan or whatever. And they'll tell ya anything.

 

[chef k-dude]

Unless your garage is detached and pretty rough and used more like a shed, I wouldn't store cord-wood in it, especially the over-seasoned stuff. I have been harvesting standing dead from my 10 acres for 20 years...a lot of insects in wood that was dead before felling, splitting and seasoning. Also a stack of wood is a good habitat for mice, etc.

I ordered a truckload of wood for the first time in over 20 years this season and was less than pleased. The condition was all over the place, but none of it was really green. The biggest problem I had with it was some was over-seasoned and a lot of it was cut really long, up to 22-24". That barely fits in my wood stove and would be even harder to fit if the stove didn't have a top-loader griddle top.

I didn't complain, in fact I didn't realize how much I was unhappy with it until the guy left. Problem is, he is a "friend of a friend". I told my "friend" about it but told him not to say anything to his "friend". Don't buy wood from "friends or relatives"!

We have some oaks coming down this spring both on my property and a neighbor's due to potential danger to power lines or house. Hopefully I can get that split early. My neighbor doesn't burn a fire so I can have all of like 4-5 trees of white oak, I just have to find a place for it to be on my property while I get it split.

I have a full sized pickup. In the future I'll try to find a supplier I can go see the wood before I buy and haul it myself...if I have to buy again; my forest usually provides plenty, I just got behind the eight-ball and some trees were too far gone by the time I dropped them...now I have "debris" to burn or pay for dumping it unless I want my woods to be thrashed and right now, after some storms, it's pretty bad.

 

[babydocsmoke]

Up here in the real Georgia(Georgia Vt that is) both seasoned and unseasoned hardwood is readily available.

Chris

From what I understand...trees are kinda your thing up there....correct?

 

[gmc2003]

From what I understand...trees are kinda your thing up there....correct?

Correct, I'm pretty sure about 75% of the state is covered in trees.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Correct, I'm pretty sure about 75% of the state is covered in trees.

Beer poles!

Ryan

 

[gmc2003]

Beer poles!

Ryan

LMAO for the future generations.

 

[paulgeorge]

I would have told him to put it back in his truck or trailer.

I did that once with firewood.

Needed a 2 face cords one spring, ran through most of my wood stove supply quicker than I thought.

Had a phone number I had written down of a local who sold wood.

Called and ordered 2 face cords from ReadyRefresh. Asked if it was seasoned. Yup was the reply.

Anyway guys shows up, I go out to show him where to dump it.

Take a look at the pile in the trailer.

Green wood.

I said it was a no-go and sent him on his way.

That’s a tough situation. For finding quality firewood for smoking, I recommend checking with local firewood suppliers, and landscaping companies, or even reaching out to community groups in the CSRA area of GA. Be sure to confirm that the wood is properly seasoned and suited for smoking. You might also want to ask for a sample before purchasing a full load to avoid any disappointments.