hi there,

Here is a question about wood burning, I hope you can help me out.
My smoker uses wood only (oak) since I was running out, I had to buy
new wood. The tree has been cut down about a year ago, and stored
outside. They cut up the tree last week. The wood is still to wet to
start a fire. The best thing would be to let the wood dry, but that
will take some time. Is it possible to dry the wood in the firebox
(preburn?)

Thanks,

Adriaan
The Netherlands

Hi. I"m new to barbecue, but I've been doing it continuously for a couple
of months, with very good results. I consulted with Bo McSwine at Bo's
Barbecue in Lafayette, CA, a very successful barbecue restaurant in northern
California. He uses an Oyler, not one of the electric models- just wood
fired. He uses green wood, and swears by wood fires of green wood (he uses
oak) for the perfect smoking conditions. He says that seasoned wood burns
better, but you can run into moldy flavors, etc., and he likes the flavor
provided by green wood. I have a plum tree outside, and I've been cutting
down branches on occasion to use as smokewood. Ive been able to ignite it
by first using a chimney full of lump charcoal as the starting heat source
in the firebox. Green plum wood placed on top first smokes, then ignites,
and from there I can feed more green wood as the initial green wood burns
down. Certainly, oak cannot be that much different.

Craig Winchell

"A. Kesteloo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi there,
>
> Here is a question about wood burning, I hope you can help me out.
> My smoker uses wood only (oak) since I was running out, I had to buy
> new wood. The tree has been cut down about a year ago, and stored
> outside. They cut up the tree last week. The wood is still to wet to
> start a fire. The best thing would be to let the wood dry, but that
> will take some time. Is it possible to dry the wood in the firebox
> (preburn?)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Adriaan
> The Netherlands
>

"A. Kesteloo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi there,
>
> Here is a question about wood burning, I hope you can help me out.
> My smoker uses wood only (oak) since I was running out, I had to buy
> new wood. The tree has been cut down about a year ago, and stored
> outside. They cut up the tree last week. The wood is still to wet to
> start a fire. The best thing would be to let the wood dry, but that
> will take some time. Is it possible to dry the wood in the firebox
> (preburn?)

If you pre-burn down to coals, it will be plenty dry for your cooker. There
are some people that prefer green over very aged wood anyway. You may have
to vary your fire making technique a bit to accommodate the extra moisture
so split it a little smaller and add small amounts more frequently.

thanks for your advise. after reading the advise, I will give it a go. start
fire, toss wet wood in the firebox (to dry, not to catch fire) when it is
dry, us it. will keep some logs wet to see what it does for smoke.

Adriaan
the Netherlands

"Edwin Pawlowski" > schreef in bericht
t...
>
> "A. Kesteloo" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> hi there,
>>
>> Here is a question about wood burning, I hope you can help me out.
>> My smoker uses wood only (oak) since I was running out, I had to buy
>> new wood. The tree has been cut down about a year ago, and stored
>> outside. They cut up the tree last week. The wood is still to wet to
>> start a fire. The best thing would be to let the wood dry, but that
>> will take some time. Is it possible to dry the wood in the firebox
>> (preburn?)
>
> If you pre-burn down to coals, it will be plenty dry for your cooker.
> There are some people that prefer green over very aged wood anyway. You
> may have to vary your fire making technique a bit to accommodate the extra
> moisture so split it a little smaller and add small amounts more
> frequently.
>

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
SNip
> If you pre-burn down to coals, it will be plenty dry for your cooker. There
> are some people that prefer green over very aged wood anyway. You may have
> to vary your fire making technique a bit to accommodate the extra moisture
> so split it a little smaller and add small amounts more frequently.
>
>
Hi Ed,
I remember reading about Danny Gaulden using a bit of green mixed in
with his seasoned wood but I couldn't locate it. Do you remember where
that might be??
Piedmont

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Piedmont" > wrote in message
.. .
> Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> SNip
>> If you pre-burn down to coals, it will be plenty dry for your cooker.
>> There are some people that prefer green over very aged wood anyway. You
>> may have to vary your fire making technique a bit to accommodate the
>> extra moisture so split it a little smaller and add small amounts more
>> frequently.
> Hi Ed,
> I remember reading about Danny Gaulden using a bit of green mixed in with
> his seasoned wood but I couldn't locate it. Do you remember where that
> might be??
> Piedmont

I may have more, but here is some of what I found

*************************
OK, I understand that it is getting harder for the gases and liquids to get
inside the meat as the smoking process continues, but is there a point where
no more smoke flavor is imparted to the meat?


Danny Gaulden--
Even though the smoke flavoring gases and liquids may not penetrate the meat
nearly as deep after a few hours of smoking, I feel they still continue to
be adsorbed on the outer surface of the meat. The smoke flavor can become
quite strong and bitter if the fire is not managed correctly, or it can be a
positive addition to the flavor if the fire is well managed. Smoking beyond
the 2-6 hour period definitely adds more 'smoke flavor' to the meat, and
there is a great distinction in flavor between 'smoked until done' meats,
and meats that were smoked for a few hours, then finished off with just
heat, by being wrapped in foil and left in the smoker or put into an oven.


When one takes a bite and starts to chew, the eater doesn't know if the
smoke flavor is coming from the center of the meat, the outer third, or the
outside surface. He just knows it tastes smoky. So, I feel that the
'continue smoking until done' process does add flavor all the way through
the cooking process. To what degree this is attained depends on how smoky
one wants their meat to be, and how well they manage their fire.

This was from Kurt Lucas
Creosote Buildup


Creosote is simply unburned wood particles and condensed flue gases which
deposit in the chimney (smoker) interior. The rate of creosote buildup is
affected by residence time, smoke density, and stack temperature. Residence
Time - Residence time is the time the smoke remains in the venting system.
Residence time is affected mainly by flow. Flow is simply the amount of air
moving through the chimney. Within certain limits, the greater the air
movement, the lower the residence time will be. Abnormally high flow can
result in turbulence, which can actually increase residence time. Low flow,
usually caused by oversized flues, results in longer residence time and high
rates of creosote buildup. The less time the smoke stays in the chimney, the
less it can deposit on the walls. This is desirable for maintaining a clean
chimney.



Smoke Density -
Smoke density is the amount of smoke produced by the fire. When combustion
air is restricted, it causes incomplete combustion resulting in high smoke
density. Creosote is simply unburned particulates and gases leaving the
fire. When smoke density is high, creosote deposits will be high. Without
smoke there is no creosote.



If you can visualize an open campfire, it generally produces very little
smoke because it has plenty of air to complete the combustion process. With
complete combustion there is no smoke and no creosote.





This is from the BBQ FAQ

Danny Gaulden on wood--



Wood Storage

Once the wood has been split, it must be stacked to dry or season. Drying
occurs more rapidly ALONG the grain. Therefore don't stack the wood for
drying until it is split. Avoid damp places or depressions where water will
collect after a rainfall. The pile should be free-standing with maximum
exposure to air and sunlight. A tarp over the wood pile in rainy season
helps keep it dry.



Green Wood

Green wood can be as much as 65 percent water. Much of this moisture
evaporates very quickly. In three months of reasonable weather (evaporation
depends on temperature and humidity), the seasoning is half complete and the
fuel value is 90 percent of what it will be when thoroughly dry; in two
years the wood is as dry as it will get.



There is an appreciable difference in BTU rating for woods burned green or
air-dried. Completely dry hardwood has about 7850 BTU's per pound whereas
green wood when burned loses over one-eighth (1200 BTU's per pound) in
evaporating the moisture.



It requires no work to let the wood sit for at least a year. In the process
you are increasing the heat value, the wood will be lighter, ignite better,
and produce less smoke and fewer sparks. Wood will dry faster if it is
split. Much depends on the humidity and the weather in your area. In some
areas in May and June, wood will dry rapidly, it will reabsorb water in July
and August, dry out again in September, reabsorb water in October.
Potentially wood can increase its moisture content if not properly stored.



Drying can be hastened if the pile is stacked criss-cross for three months,
then stacked in the normal parallel fashion. Green wood is easy to
identify. Just split a piece. The core will look wet and shiny; dry wood
looks dull and the saw marks are less pronounced. Green wood is almost twice
as heavy as seasoned wood and will make a dull thud when two green sticks
are hit together. It is hard to handle, hard to light, and burns slowly.
Much of its energy is lost in heating, then evaporating the excess moisture.
As wood dries, the moisture evaporates naturally and the wood begins to
shrink. Wood, even when air-dried, is still has 20-25 percent moisture
content. Since wood shrinks unevenly, cracking and checking of the wood
occurs. Dried wood can be recognized by the weathered ends, and by the
cracks which will radiate like spokes out from the heartwood.



Buying Wood

The delivery of wood is not yet a regulated business. Whether you are
actually "taken" or not, you probably will think so. One delivery won't
appear as large as the next, will be piled differently if at all, and may
have assumed another name by the time it arrives. Wood is sold by the truck
load, by weight, in cords, ricks, runs, or units. All this is as confusing
to the wood-burner as to many dealers. Others simply take advantage of the
fact that most homeowners don't know the difference between wood species or
understand wood measurements. Wood usually is sold in divisions of a
STANDARD CORD which is a neatly stacked pile eight feet long x four feet
wide x four feet high covering 128 cubic feet. Since wood can't be stacked
without air space, only 60-110 cubic feet of the 128 may be solid wood.
(Usually it runs between 80-90 cubic feet with more solid wood content in
round wood than split.) A FACE CORD is also called a RICK or a PALLET and
is 1/2 a standard cord. There is a considerable difference in weight
between woods; a standard cord of air-dried hardwood weighs 4000 pounds
while a standard cord of softwood will weigh half that.