Wood chunks lifespan ..

[jaxgatorz]

Hey folks. Just curious about the lifespan of wood chunks.. I ordered 3 boxes from fruitawood back in February when I received my LSG cabinet smoker. Sold the smoker pretty fast and have a T&K smoker on order... It will not be ready until around x-mas.. The chunks are in cardboard boxes in the garage ( in Florida). Any ideas on how long the wood will be good to use? I was thinking it might get too dry? Thanks in advance...

 

[SmokinEdge]

I sure wouldn’t think so.

 

[gmc2003]

I'm pretty sure the ones sold in stores like Lowes and Home Depot are kiln dried. So your good to go, but it may be lacking some of it's potency.

Chris

 

[jaxgatorz]

I'm pretty sure the ones sold in stores like Lowes and Home Depot are kiln dried. So your good to go, but it may be lacking some of it's potency.

Chris

Fruita wood says their wood is naturally seasoned and never kiln dried.. I have seen some folks here with moisture meters talk about "too dry" wood.. It normally would never take me this long to use them. But it could well be a year by the time I do..

 

[pc farmer]

Just use them. I dont think you can over dry wood. Sure it might not have as much smoke flavor but I wouldnt toss them.

 

[Inscrutable]

Not sure how the moisture content impacts flavoring as you are turning them into charcoal … time to do that maybe.

 

[thirdeye]

Fruita Wood has been my go-to supplier for years. Bert is the man.... I typically get two orders per year and even some stragglers that last a year or more are just fine. If you use the chunks in a smaller smoker, just break them down accordingly.

 

[chopsaw]

I have some hickory I cut 3 years ago . Cut into chunks . Works just fine .

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

They should be ok for a while before they lose some flavor. Cherry and pecan seem to lose flavor the fastest, though. Keep the chunks in cool dry place with good airflow. Yeah, that is difficult in a garage in Fla just as it is here in southern Az.

 

[Chasdev]

Ideal internal moisture content of hardwood is around 14% but up to around 20% is OK.
Under that, say around 10 or under, the wood will burn too fast and you have to keep adding more and more to keep the smoke flowing.
Over 25% and it wants to burn slower than ideal and creates more coals which raise the cook chamber temp which prevents the addition of the next smoke producing stick (or lump).
You can get a fully functional and cheap moisture meter off Amazon for around $20.
Anybody who has buying wood as part of his hobby should own one,
Lastly, as long as you keep that wood out of the rain it will take a long time for it to absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere for it to go "out of range", even in high humidity land.

 

[1MoreFord]

With the normal humidity in Florida and elsewhere across the South your wood may actually gain moisture to enhance it's life.

 

[JWFokker]

Old wood may burn faster and hotter, and it may be a little bland, but it's still good to cook with. Maybe just run the cooker a little lower to get the most out of it.

 

[dernektambura]

Quality wood use is for smoke flavor... So, you can use any type of wood (or wood charcoal) to create cooking temp but you use only quality wood for smoking flavor... It doesn't matter how old or dry is wood you use to add smoking flavor as long as you water it to create smoldering instead of "poof"....

 

[JWFokker]

Quality wood use is for smoke flavor... So, you can use any type of wood (or wood charcoal) to create cooking temp but you use only quality wood for smoking flavor... It doesn't matter how old or dry is wood you use to add smoking flavor as long as you water it to create smoldering instead of "poof"....

Bad advice. You don't soak wood chips, and you definitely don't do it to splits.