How long can flavor wood be stored?

[DaveNH]

I'd like to get your opinion as to whether or not chunks, split or rounds have a shelf life?

I'll be picking up a 1/4 cord of seasoned split black cherry, price seems right at $50. I've worked out a deal to trade 1/4 cord of oak logs for a 1/4 cord of apple logs.

Can it be stored (dry, cool, inside area) for years, or does it lose flavor/aroma? Hey..I always bought chunks in a bag...LOL. This would be like a 5yr supply.

Thanks

[Capt Dan]

It lasts along time, I would be very carefull about storing much firewood in your house or even next to your house.Some bugs will lay dorment for months or years before hatching, and termites thrive on wood.Wood chips in your landscaping areas too. If they are close to your home or shelters, chips, and firewood are like an easy snack for termites, carpenter ants, grubs, and spiders like to live in the wood to eat the bugs that eat the wood.Bees and wasps will make nests too.
You original question. As long as the wood stays dry, it should last a very long time.If it starts to mold or rot, that fungus will spread to other pieces of wood.Keep it off the ground if possible, I stack my wood on pallets. Lil critters do try and make places to live under the rows, but I can live with that.The hawks, foxes, and wild cats are always hunting around the wood pile, way out back next to the polebarn.

Thats alot of money for wood. I hope its worth it. We get about 65-75 dollars a facecord, delivered and stacked around here. Thats pretty much a full sized pick up truck box full.

[DaveNH]

Thanks Dan...maybe a better place would be the shed or greenhouse and just bring in a small amount of chunked up stuff :). Really appreciate the advice.

Is your face cord 1/3 or 1/2 of a cord?

Around here $200/cord for seasoned and split firewood is about as cheap as I can find, especially since I want cherry only (small amount). Delivered and stacked is more like 275/cord.

[Capt Dan]

It is one row 4 ft high, 8 ft long. I think. Its whole big truckload, I know that.

[Richtee]

Dave..you CAN heat it up. Any way you can...I dunno yer smoker type offhand, but use the free heat off it, or sacrifice some lump and roast the stuff. Then keep it inside. You get it to 140 and nothing lives thru that.

[PitRow]

It is one row 4 ft high, 8 ft long. I think. Its whole big truckload, I know that.

So if each piece is cut about 1 foot long, that'd be 1/4 cord. Around here full cords of mixed wood go for about $175-$250 delivered.

IF you're lucky enough to get a wood cutting permit from the dept. of forestry you can get up to 2 cords for $10, but you have to go fall it, cut it, haul it and split it. 120 permits are going up for sale next month and you can bet I'll be standing in line to try to get one.

But back to the original question. I'm not sure that the wood would ever really go bad. Just this weekend I smoked some ribs with maple that's been cut and stored in the shop for probably 5 years. No problems with it and it tasted great. I suppose if you want to get highly technical the longer it ages the more of the aromatic oils and such might evaporate out, but I really doubt you'd notice a difference.

[DaveNH]

It is one row 4 ft high, 8 ft long. I think. Its whole big truckload, I know that.

Sounds like a lot..LOL.

But back to the original question. I'm not sure that the wood would ever really go bad. Just this weekend I smoked some ribs with maple that's been cut and stored in the shop for probably 5 years. No problems with it and it tasted great. I suppose if you want to get highly technical the longer it ages the more of the aromatic oils and such might evaporate out, but I really doubt you'd notice a difference.

Thank Mike...good to know wood can't get too seasoned.

[DaveNH]

Dave..you CAN heat it up. Any way you can...I dunno yer smoker type offhand, but use the free heat off it, or sacrifice some lump and roast the stuff. Then keep it inside. You get it to 140 and nothing lives thru that.

Smoker is a homemade job that has both an offset firebox and a 1500w element and controller. Maybe load all the shelves with wood, set the controller to 160 and let her rip for a while...lol.

[davidmcg]

Well you already heard about the insects, rodents and predators so thats done. You mentioned storing it in a shed. Thats bad news. Best way to store it is outside, elevated off the ground. A tarp can be used, but you have to allow airflow. Direct moisture and built up moisture under the tarp are your enemy here. You have to ensure good airflow to prevent humidity buildup. If that wood begins to rot, toss the bad stuff. Even with the good stuff, but rotting wood will only attract the stuff you don't want. Another thing, all that fruit wood will attract bee's and there is nothing you can do about it. So in the warm weather months beware of the bee's. OK, the price of $50 for a quarter cord is a good price. Don't compare it to the price of fireplace wood. Regardless of what area of the country you are in, fruit wood will always command a higher price. If you can still trade the quarter cord of oak for the apple, go for it. That is a great trade.

The correct measurement for a true cord of wood is 8' feet long, 4' wide and 4' high. A face cord is 8' long and 4' high, which fits in a regular pick-up. A true cord will not fit in a pick-up unless it has side panels added to it.

Just be sure to season that wood well. When its dry enough to use it will have cracks in the ends of the cut length of the logs. Go ahead and split as you would for fireplace wood. After it has seasoned go ahead and cut down into chunks, wait another month. That way it will be good and seasoned.

[DaveNH]

Well you already heard about the insects, rodents and predators so thats done. You mentioned storing it in a shed. Thats bad news. Best way to store it is outside, elevated off the ground. A tarp can be used, but you have to allow airflow. Direct moisture and built up moisture under the tarp are your enemy here. You have to ensure good airflow to prevent humidity buildup. If that wood begins to rot, toss the bad stuff. Even with the good stuff, but rotting wood will only attract the stuff you don't want. Another thing, all that fruit wood will attract bee's and there is nothing you can do about it. So in the warm weather months beware of the bee's. OK, the price of $50 for a quarter cord is a good price. Don't compare it to the price of fireplace wood. Regardless of what area of the country you are in, fruit wood will always command a higher price. If you can still trade the quarter cord of oak for the apple, go for it. That is a great trade.

The correct measurement for a true cord of wood is 8' feet long, 4' wide and 4' high. A face cord is 8' long and 4' high, which fits in a regular pick-up. A true cord will not fit in a pick-up unless it has side panels added to it.

Just be sure to season that wood well. When its dry enough to use it will have cracks in the ends of the cut length of the logs. Go ahead and split as you would for fireplace wood. After it has seasoned go ahead and cut down into chunks, wait another month. That way it will be good and seasoned.

Thanks David..more great info! Just got off the phone with the wood guy and the cherry is split, dry, cut two winters ago.

If chunking it up before storing inside, think I'd still need to worry about bug issues?

Just thinking chopping into baseball sized chunks would make it hard to miss a colony of nasties.

[davidmcg]

Well that is good news. Seasoned 2 years makes it "smoker ready". A real lucky break for you to be sure. Chunking them up would make it harder to miss/easier to find, but not impossible to miss either. You could chunk it and store in a shed/barn, but I wouldn't bring it in the house. The aroma from that wood will drive all the bugs crazy and they will do their best to get at it. I doubt you want any of the insects, crawling, walking or flying coming in your house. What I do is store it outside, stacked up and covered, left to ventilate, and then grab a split log and chunk up what I will need for that days smoke session. Reason being, the longer it is in the log stage the longer it will be protected from elements and critters. I have a cord each there abouts of apple and cherry and currently I only have about 10 chunks chunked up right now. Some of that will be used tomorrow because I am doing a brisket. Not an all nighter, its too windy, its too cold and I am too tired. So the regular 5AM call for regular chores and stoking the smoker.

[Capt Dan]

some guys who don't have stickburners , yet want to keep lotsa chunks around to add to their charcoal will put the chunks in 5 gal buckets with lids. That works pretty good. When I used to use my charcoal offset smoker, I would grab some splits, chop them into 3-4 inch lengths on my power mitre saw,and toss them into plastic 5 gal buckets. I would use probably 5-8 of them per long smoke(one at a time of course).

Get 3-4 buckets and have your variety pack all set for what ever flavor you wanted.

[ChadTower]

That's a good idea... I have a GOSM so no need for huge supplies. I have apple, hickory, and mesquite chunks around right now in bags. 5gal buckets would be perfect as that's a decent supply of each for me based on what I'm using up so far.

[DaveNH]

I like the bucket idea. I got a bunch of storage containers with lids that will work out well.

One last thing to ponder that just popped into my brain...lol.

Can the wood hold insects through the winter? Don't most wood eating insects retreat underground before everything freezes up. Other than this past weekend, its been below freezing for about a month and a half. Just curious .


I'm going to store outside and keep few containers chunked up inside.

Thanks for the wood education, helped me out a lot :).

[davidmcg]

Those buckets are fine just drill some ventilation holes. Insects can and will bore into the wood and survive the entire winter, especially the ones that make cocoons.

No not the cocoons with aliens in them like in the movie. That only happens to smokers in Roswell or Tonipah.