Dead tree for smoke wood

[Zilla]

I have been offered several dead Post Oaks from the Luling area. I went and cut one up and took the wood home to see if were any good. The smaller diameter boughs, 8"-10" seemed to be on their way to being dry and the main trunk was still quite wet. I only took the best pieces and left all the rest for the burn pile. I got about 1/2 cord maybe a bit more out of it. There is still a very large tree standing that I can take down and that would probably give me at least two cords of wood if I only took the choice cuts. The wood seems to be in fine shape with no rot and smells awesome when burning on the burn pile. My question is about burning the wood from a dead tree. It seems the wood is OK, any opinions?

[Zeeman]

I'd get while da getting is good bro. Soon as ya cut it down with chain saw it's dead (unless it's a Live Oak) :lol: . No rot, good wood.
z

[Paul Taylor]

I agree with Z-man.Get it while you can. You can't go wrong there.

Paul Taylor

[Woodman]

I use almost 100% dead wood!

[KazQ]

Junkmail forwarded. :lol: 8)

[bigwheel]

Dittos. I have used wood from standing oak which had been dead for 20 years. Smell like dill pickles when you cut it for some reason. Works just fine. Dont put out much smoke cept at the front end where it looks purty wild. I always fan the firebox door a few times when I add some just to flush out all the skunky smoke when it first catches.

bigwheel

[david brace]

I am allowed to go onto the parklands in my area and cut down any deadwood that i want...as long as the Park Ranger is advised first.

So the wood is good to use. Pounce!!!

DB

[bigwheel]

Like the man say..it will burn and last longer than you would expect I think. If you can dodge that first emotional purge of all the colors of the rainbow..ghurantee it settle down and treat you special. Aint real flavorizing of course. May want to consider using it for a base with a little mo aromatic stuff on top. Makes real nice coals.

bigwheel

[TexLaw]

I'm with everyone else on that. If it's not rotting, it's good wood. Jump on it!


TL

[wood_is_good]

A serious question : does it make any difference leaving the bark on or do you just pull it off ? Another thread had this question as well and I didn't see any opinions.

[Thom Emery]

I pull it if its easy

[cleglue]

I heard you should pull it so I do. If is doesn't come off easy it will after a few minutes in the fire and then you can take it out with tongs or something.

[david brace]

I don't always have bark on the wood that I use, but I think that the bark-and-wood theory is like this: (although it sounds contradictory) If the bark can come off easily, then it's OK to stay on. If the bark can't come off easily, then it SHOULD be removed.

OK gang...am I remembering this right?

DB

[bigwheel]

Well in my view if the wood aint got no bark it aint got any flavor neither..cuz the flavor of nearly all wood is in the bark. Maybe a couple of exceptions but not many and none that springs immediately to mind. If you are cooking with wood without bark you might as well be cooking over a card board box. Just my .02 of course:)

bigwheel

[droller]

Well in my view if the wood aint got no bark it aint got any flavor neither..cuz the flavor of nearly all wood is in the bark. Maybe a couple of exceptions but not many and none that springs immediately to mind. If you are cooking with wood without bark you might as well be cooking over a card board box. Just my .02 of course:)

bigwheel

:? :? :? :? :? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

[david brace]

... you might as well be cooking over a card board box. Just my .02 of course:)
...I remember those days of cooking over a cardboard box...rubbing #2 pencils together to keep me warm...couldn't even afford #1 pencils...cardboard box fires ain't what they used to be...neither is history...

DB

[bigwheel]

Well lets not be scoffing too heavy about pulp wood procucts here..that how all them East Texas Monkey Farmers stay in bidness ya know? Pulpwood products. Best hamburger grill I ever had run on 5 sheets of balled up newspapers. Whew them burgers was killers. Sure wished I could remember where I put that thang. Now it only worked with cheap hamburger meat..chuck at the max. Part of its fuel load was dependent on how much grease it could cough up. The super lean stuff do not work well on that contraption. Make you come up with some ecoli infested rare hamburger meat if you get my drift.

bigwheel

[Bad Santa]

I had one of them things too BW, worked best with the cheapest ground fatty meat you could find. Those burgers twernt bad neither as I recall...but alot of adult beverages usually accompanied the grilling.... :wink: :lol:

[Paul Taylor]

Hey Ya"ll if I may say so, I have always left the bark on the wood if it still was on there. I ain't noticed any difference either way. Hell it all cooks the same. That's my experience.

Paul Taylor

[S & M]

If my wife's hammerhead dog did not drag the wood off and eat all the bark off i cooked with it on there don't really think it matters much to me

[david brace]

I just remember hearing something in the past about bark. But I really do not go nuts to abide by it. I sometimes remember and get nutsy, then forget for a year...you know...

DB