True moisture content of wood?

[debriscolomun]

I just bought a fantastic offset smoker and am trying to learn on it. I have some wood I purchased from the county that was advertised as "seasoned." Well, joke's on me: It wasn't. Some pieces read as much as 60% MC. Holy guacamole.
I've been seasoning the wood for a number of months now and it seems like some of the smaller drier pieces are ready to go---my moisture meter puts them at around 16-22% or so. Yet these pieces, many of which look to be red oak, don't burn all that well. Lots of hissing, lots of nasty smoke, no clean fire. I've tried adjusting the firebox door, including leaving it wide open. The fire is still lethargic at best.
Is there a reliable way to tell a wood's MC apart from a moisture meter? Why would logs registering a fairly seasoned MC still be burning like crap?
I guess I'll get some kiln-dried wood from Lowe's while the rest of this stuff seasons, but that's only because I'm desperate.

 

[DanMcG]

You don't say where you're from, but wood will pull moisture out of the air so if your in a humid climate it might never get below 20%.
Can you store some in a dryer place and see if it burns better ?

Here's a quick read on the subject.

http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1100&context=utk_agexfores

 

[mike243]

If you can stack some on the fire box as you are getting up to temp it might help a little, storing wood uncovered really don't help dry it out, airflow and keeping the rain/fog off of it is about the best you can do imo. I'm not a fan of kiln dried as I don't think the flavor is the same, close but not.

 

[smokin peachey]

Another thing to remember is the harder the wood the tighter the grain so it will retain moisture a lot longer. It takes longer for oak to season than cherry.

 

[flatbroke]

The moisture meter reads about 1/4 inch in to the wood. That part is drying faster then the center. Spit the piece in half and check there. That will tell you what it is. Any way a good way of telling Dry wood before you buy without a meter is grabbing two pieces and bang them together. If they thud. It’s green. If they give the sound that 2 wooden baseball bats make when hit together it is dry. Dry wood rings when banged together. Not bark to bark. Anyway where do you live. The wood can also suck moisture from the air.

 

[bill ace 350]

look for splits in the ends, and bark separating easily from the wood. Share, cracking sound banging 2 pieces togetger.

the meters are cheap, the Harbor Freight one works good

 

[flatbroke]

bill brought another good point. Bark tends to fall off of dry wood.

 

[UGAsmokin]

If you can stack some on the fire box as you are getting up to temp it might help a little, storing wood uncovered really don't help dry it out, airflow and keeping the rain/fog off of it is about the best you can do imo. I'm not a fan of kiln dried as I don't think the flavor is the same, close but not.

I'd be careful about how much weight you put on top of the firebox unless it's welded on.

 

[jcam222]

Great thread. I’ve been meainging to askxthis for awhile. I bought 4 big feedbacks of wood chunks locally all advertised as seasoned. My cherry was obvious with the bark falling of easily and burned great. The peach, oak and apple are heavy with very tight bark. Tried the apple and pulled it since the smoke was not good. Hoping they will be ready to roll in the spring. I have them stored in feedbacks up off the ground in my garage.

 

[DanMcG]

Load up the cook chamber and start a small fire in the firebox, it be like kiln drying your own wood. ;)

 

[Alphonse]

Nice discussion here. I saved the PDF from the Univ. of TN on wood seasoning and moisture content.