Green vs Old

Hoochie-Que · Posted: Apr 25 2007 Post subject: Green vs Old

I need some help here regarding knowing/understanding how wood will burn when it is green - and how it will burn when it is old - provided there are some differences one might recognize (I have heard there are)... I got a hold of some oak and pecan from Texas (Houston) recently, and not only did it burn very poorly but it also smoked a lot (this is compared to some pecan I had a few months ago that with the same intake and and exhaust settings burned beautifully, with a very light smoke.... So I don't think it is "operator error", and me not understanding how to use my intake and exhaust controls on my smoker properly)... I am thinking this wood was probably "green"... When this wood wasn't working well at all, I secured some hickory from another source locally... In all honestly, it looked a little "old" (looked "bleached out" from perhaps being out in the sun for quite a while)... It burned a little better than the oak & pecan, but did not seem to produce a lot of heat - and still produced a little more smoke than I would have liked (and again, I felt I had a good settings on my intake and exhaust)...

I know getting good wood sometimes has a lot to do with the dealer/supplier... But can someone give me some general "guidelines" to knowing if a wood is burning "funny" whether I am dealing with "green" wood and/or "old" wood? Are there some definite characteristics to either a green wood or an old wood in terms of how they will burn? Is their an "ideal age" to a wood? Right now, all I know is when I have some good wood or some really crappy wood - and I would like to know a little more than that!! Cool

Maybe with a little more knowledge I can ask better questions, so that I can better avoid getting taken again...

Thanks!!
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Hoochie-Que BBQ Team / KCBS CBJ

"Jesus Loved Barbeque, Too" - Kinky Friedman

allsmokenofire · Posted: Apr 25 2007 Post subject:

I always use a simple test to determine if the wood is ready to cook with...it may not be "right", but it's always worked for me.

I wait until the ends of the logs start to get some good checkering on them. Once I see that, I'll take 2 logs and smack them together, wood to wood. If it sounds like a nice sharp crack, like gettin' hold of a good fastball and knockin' it outta the yard...it's ready. If you get a dull thud...it ain't ready. If it sounds like you fouled one off and broke the bat...it's probably a little too dry. I've found too dry to be okay to use, it just doesn't produce as much heat and I gotta load the firebox twice as often.
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SoEzzy · Posted: Apr 25 2007 Post subject:

I hear from friends that "know" that the stick burners friend is his moisture meter... It can take a while for wood to get dry enough to cook well, 20 - 23%, (don't quote me on that), some woods take 6 months some take a year or more, but meter in hand you will "know" which is which right away.

The cracking them together isn't a bad way either, onec you know the sound you need to hear.
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Duane · BBQ Fan Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 125

While I do concur a well dried hickory is good for smoking I seemed to remember back in my youth we would use the spring trimmings of apple trees to smoke our spring fish. I guess I would gather some wood are better dried while some are green?

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Apr 25 2007 Post subject:

since science toys are now affordabale to dabble in, and you are not a seasoned woodsman living on wood based heat. Go over to the harbor freight website and order an inexpensive wood moisture meter.

I have been dealing with firewood for for years and I can tell by looks, feel, and by sound & smell. at first it wasn't easy.

One major clue, when you put the log in the fire, does water bubble out the cut ends? if so, it ain't ready. when you grab it with bare hands, does it feel heavier than what you are used to, and a cold feeling also?

you really got to see & feel the difference, instead of someone trying to explain it.

Harbor freight does not have the most high-end tools, but they'll get you what you need for an affordable cost. Shipping sucks!!!! expact 10-12 usiness days unles you upgrade over the phone before placing a web order.
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Hoochie-Que · Posted: Apr 26 2007 Post subject:

Thanks for the help, folks...

Mike - I am assuming in hitting wood together you are talking about hitting the inner "cores" of two splits together, correct? And not hitting "bark to bark" - correct?

Chris / Harry - thanks for the tip on the moisture meter.... Will look into those... Anyone know about the "ideal" moisture range? Is it as Chris mentioned - between 20-23%?

Duane - I don't know if some woods are a little better when "green" compared to others... Just from my personal observation, it seems like most "green " wood I have used puts off way too much smoke, and generally is a little "bitter"... It definitely lacks heat production, too... Since I am learning to be a "stick burner", I need/want both the heat as well as a thinner veil of "blue smoke"... Maybe over charcoal and with limited amounts what you are talking about might work... Never tried it... Cool

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Dr. Mike
Hoochie-Que BBQ Team / KCBS CBJ

"Jesus Loved Barbeque, Too" - Kinky Friedman

allsmokenofire · Posted: Apr 26 2007 Post subject:

Hoochie-Que · Posted: Apr 26 2007 Post subject:

FYI.... Taken from the website for the Chimney Safety Institute of America... Answers a lot of my questions (and verifies the answers given by others... Thanks!!... Maybe it will help others, too...):

Seasoned Wood

All firewood contains water. Freshly cut wood can be up to 45% water!, while well seasoned firewood generally has a 20-25% moisture content. Well seasoned firewood is easier to start, produces more heat, and burns cleaner. The important thing to remember is that the water must be gone before the wood will burn. If your wood is cut 6 months to a year in advance and properly stored, the sun and wind will do the job for free. If you try to burn green wood, the heat produced by combustion must dry the wood before it will burn, using up a large percentage of the available energy in the process. This results in less heat delivered to your home, and literally gallons of acidic water in the form of creosote deposited in your chimney.

Wood is composed of bundles of microscopic tubes that were used to transport water from the roots of the tree to the leaves. These tubes will stay full of water for years even after a tree is dead. This is why it is so important to have your firewood cut to length for 6 months or more before you burn it, it gives this water a chance to evaporate since the tube ends are finally open and the water only has to migrate a foot or two to escape. Splitting the wood helps too by exposing more surface area to the sun and wind, but cutting the wood to shorter lengths is of primary importance.

There are a few things you can look for to see if the wood you intend to purchase is seasoned or not. Well seasoned firewood generally has darkened ends with cracks or splits visible, it is relatively lightweight, and makes a clear "clunk" when two pieces are beat together. Green wood on the other hand is very heavy, the ends look fresher, and it tends to make a dull "thud" when struck. These clues can fool you however, and by far the best way to be sure you have good wood when you need it is to buy your wood the spring before you intend to burn it and store it properly.
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Dr. Mike
Hoochie-Que BBQ Team / KCBS CBJ

"Jesus Loved Barbeque, Too" - Kinky Friedman