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Has anyone used cherry wood in their WFO? I had been planning on apple, but sourcing it has become difficult. I can buy small amounts, but I just wanted to see if it was worth it.
There are a few old verses to assist on which wood to burn. Here's one.....
The Firewood Poem
Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold
Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.
And here's another.......
The Firewood Rhyme - Anon
Logs to Burn, Logs to burn, Logs to burn,
Logs to save the coal a turn,
Here's a word to make you wise,
When you hear the woodman's cries.
Never heed his usual tale,
That he has good logs for sale,
But read these lines and really learn,
The proper kind of logs to burn.
Oak logs will warm you well,
If they're old and dry.
Larch logs of pine will smell,
But the sparks will fly.
Beech logs for Christmas time,
Yew logs heat well.
"Scotch" logs it is a crime,
For anyone to sell.
Birch logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all.
Hawthorn logs are good to last,
If you cut them in the fall.
Holly logs will burn like wax,
You should burn them green,
Elm logs like smouldering flax,
No flame to be seen.
Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room,
Cherry logs across the dogs,
Smell like flowers in bloom
But ash logs, all smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old;
Buy up all that come your way,
They're worth their weight in gold.
....The only reference to Cherry..."Cherry logs across the dogs,
Smell like flowers in bloom".....doesn't really say a lot....sorry
Cherry and fruit wood are great for smoking, I use them sparringly as a fuel, if I can get something else.
I lost quite a few wild cherry trees last October in the early snow storm. In the past I usesd the trimmings and logs for firewood and for smoking fish and for the WFO and fireplaces in the house. The smell of the smoke is sweet and it gives a good heat.
Another good wood source for smoking and scenting are wild grape vines. One type that grows naturally in the southeast of the US is bullis. They grow up on fence rows and at the edge of woods lines. The hard wood portion of the vine can get to about 2" thick. Many tame varieties exist and have to be pruned back yearly (not nearly to that thickness though). They go by names of muscadine, scupadine, and scuppernong. I am not sure but, I would guess that wine vineyard cuttings might also (in other areas of the US) be a source for an aromatic wood.
Joe Watson " A year from now, you will wish that you had started today" My Build Album / My Build
i have a cord of cherry and a cord of oak. i usually start with the oak and use the cherry once the oven is clear. i like the smell of the cherry when i;m cooking... more than the oak, which gives me a headache... or is that from the cabernet?
When I smoke in the WFO, I allow the oven temp. the drop down to about 200 degrees, I use an old Weber fire pan drilled with holes filled with smothering charcoal. I place the pan in the back of the oven, build an elevated platform of fire brick to place the wire grill from the Weber on and put in my meat. Use a small shovel for fine or sawdust shaving or long tongs for chunks, then I take a bamboo pipe and blow air in the hole of the fire pan so the charcoal in the bottom of the pan starts to glow and smoke starts to rise, close the door and let smoke for an hour, after an hour, I repeat the blowing of the coals to revive the fire, if using chunks I rotate, sawdust I will add more. After 3 hours, I take the coals out, wrap the meat in foil, place the meat back in the oven to finish cook in its own juices.
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