rehash- logs vs splits

[castrovillecowboy]

I know this has been discussed before but maybe bring it up for some of the newer folks:

BACKSTORY: I was able to get a pickup load of hickory that was cut down last year. The guy ran most of it through a splitter but left some in logs. They aren't very big - 6"-9" , a few may be 10-11" - diameters - and are about 18" long. The rest was split but all are large and I normally split again at least once some 2-3 times. I have quite a bit left from my first purchase from him, but before I got low I wanted another pile stacked and aging. Think I got a good price at $100.00 for the truckload delivered to the house.

Question/discussion point:

Should I go ahead and split the logs which should help out in the seasoning process or could I burn them hole on some of my longer cooks, knowing it will take longer to season?

Thanks,
Chris

[brutus1964]

I'm fortunate that I live fairly close (40 miles) to a saw mill that makes blanks for hammer handles and I can get Hickory that is about 18-22 inches long and about 2 inches square that is free of most of the bark. I do keep some other hickory on hand and I prefer to have it all split. I have used pieces about 4-5 inches in diameter that were not split and I just don't like the way I burns when it has bark on all sides. It seems like the bark covered wood is just a little more acidic but it could just be me. I split all of mine if I'm not burning the hammer handle blanks.
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Chargriller
Weber Kettle
Heartland Cookers 36 x 48 Rotisserie

"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got"- Henry Ford

[castrovillecowboy]

This stuff has a thin bark, I havent tried to burn one yet - dont want to mess up a pit with acidic smoke - maybe I should try a small open pit fire.

My mesquite pit is set up to burn slow, I use whole logs in it to get long smoke times unattended for hours. I also build those fires upside down and burn top down, and the mesquite is kiln dried.

Thanks for your input....

[brutus1964]

The whole pieces that I have burned in the past just had a thin layer of bark as well. They were not terribly acidic but just seemed to burn a little different. I think the fact that the thin layer of bark stays on the wood that it prevents it from drying at the same rate as the splits. I have enough hickory available that I can usually just get splits and not deal with the smaller pieces anymore.
_________________
Chargriller
Weber Kettle
Heartland Cookers 36 x 48 Rotisserie

"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got"- Henry Ford

[castrovillecowboy]

I envy you. Back in TX my friend managed a small ranch (1800 acres) full of mesquite trees that were bulldozed down. As he did clean up on the place, if I went over and helped run the splitter I could load up the truck. He always had a huge pile split up if I ran low.

I have a sawmill close to me here but getting there when they are open to pick up the slabs is a bit of a challenge. They run hickory oak and a few other hardwoods.

Sure miss that mesquite though.

I guess I need to suck it up get this little batch split. Using a maul. I tried building a manual splitter that someone else posted on here. Didn't hold up on the green stuff, broke all the welds each time.

[DUMMY QUE]

split wood to dia. cpoke can yes it will season faster hole rounds tend to smolder rather then burn
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[Alphonse]

I like it split. Plus I skin the bark off if I am adding wood to an ongoing cook. I never add bark to a fire after I have started cooking.

It's okay when first building a fire and getting it going. But I will not start to cook until the bark has been burned. I do not the bitter taste bark gives the meat.

So I am not generally a fan of unsplit pieces.

[frankenfab]

It needs at least one flat side in order to burn well.
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I don't do liquid smoke.