Choosing and finding wood

[Spunkoid]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

How is poplar wood for pizza oven use? I think I'll be able to get some soon and was wondering how it would do.

Erd

My Grandmother had a clay oven on their homestead that she used for baking bread. She pretty much burnt mostly seasoned poplar or aspen. Black poplar or balsam poplar, or cottonwoods tend to have a lot of moisture in them. Regardless, make sure you split the wood, stack it, and let is dry or season before you try to use it. I have used poplar in my forno for both pizzas and bread.
Memories of her bread is what got me thinking and then building a forno in my backyard....
Rick

[Gulf]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Just thowing this in. I don't have any experience cooking with softwood. The native pine around here has a certain amount of turpentine in it. The resins are said to coat chimney flues if used in abundance. Most people around here burn very little pine in the fireplace for fear of the build up creosote causing a chimney fire. Our local pines also leave an undesirable taste in food if it used for smoke. None of this would probably of any consern in a pizza oven, if like Dave suggests, "finish it with good hardwood after removing the excess ash".

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I've been given the chance to pickup some 'bloodgum' ,'bloodwood'..(not sure which)for some firewood in my pizza oven, does anyone know of this wood, would it be ok for burning in the oven, does it have any nasties in the wood.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Gudday
I grew up in the gold coast as a kid blood Gum grew in swamy areas and a stick of that thrown on a fire would give of a red fluid which would kill any fire.
I know this sounds a little like "hoop snake" and "bunyip" stories but the stuff exists check it out first....

Regards Dave

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

hhmmmm, thanks for that dave, the conundrum i have is that the wood (plenty of) is for free, but it is about an hours drive....so with fuel costs and time, i dont want to get there and find that it might kill me when fired up.

Firewood is not that common around me especially not for free

I also haven't seen the wood either, so makes it hard, the bloke has told me it burns real hot and is about the best wood around, "best wood", best for making furniture, best for firewood, best for cooking...who knows

[cobblerdave]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Gudday
Check it out first you dont want a ton of unusable wood.....and hell I'll be wrong and I hope I am

Regards Dave

[brickie in oz]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I've been given the chance to pickup some 'bloodgum' ,'bloodwood'..(not sure which)for some firewood in my pizza oven, does anyone know of this wood, would it be ok for burning in the oven, does it have any nasties in the wood.

Bloodwood is a prized furniture wood, and it wont put out a fire if its dried.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Bloodwood is a prized furniture wood, and it wont put out a fire if its dried.

sorry Al....what do you mean...is it good for the oven or bad?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Its an Ozzie hardwood, how can it be bad.

Dried properly there wont be any red fluid which would kill any fire.

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I wonder if there is any kind of test that can be done on wood to see if it is harmful...(other than the face over the fire,big breathe...see if you kark it...lol )

[heliman]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

As far as I know - most Aussie gums/eucalypts are fine to use but all have different "gum" content and burning properties. I use any "heavy" feeling wood I can find.

I actually made a mistake and grabbed some eucalypt from the verge that refused to burn. I put it in a 500 deg fire and left it there for 2 hours. It was charred but refused to burn. I had to put it in the dustbin...

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

ok, i'll probably grab some of this wood, i will post some pics of it up & see if anyone can identify it & tell me if it'll be ok.
pics to come....(stay tuned)

[Archena]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

1) Wet wood doesn't burn or at least doesn't burn very well.
2) Fragrant woods will impart flavor but probably not if burned early in the heating process.
3) If it's not poisonous and not wet, it will work either as fuel for the earliest burn or as fuel and maybe seasoning during or just before cooking.
4) Creosote is an issue for cooking, but probably not for a white hot oven - the creosote should burn off. Ovens with rear chimneys are the only ones that might have a problem with build up (unless you put the fire under the front chimney). Pine flavored pizza is a bad idea...
5) I'm buying a house!!!! (Oven of my own, here I come!.)
6) James doesn't like me anymore...
7) If I get the house I want, it has a mulberry tree!!!!!
8) Yes, I'm easily distracted - how did you know?

[cobblerdave]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Gudday Buddy
Woods just ain't woods
I'll just give a my southern (hemisphere) perspective.
Pine....No "deal" or "red pine" here its radiata and burns alright if you have a ton of it that is. We do have Cyprus pine which contains an oil that most insects cant eat, its oil content makes it a geat fire lighter but the smell doesn't do the best for your cooking.
Aussie hardwood ...grown though drought and flood, hard and long burning ...weather river red gum ...boxwood...tallow Mallee root etc a great burning wood...cause you don't need much and it imparts a good flavour to the food.
Treated wood ...Yes lots of secound hand/salvage wood has been treated due to the termites in Australia....so you have to watch pallets, pine framing and fencing these days so you don't get a nasty flavour additive.
Flood plains wood... never had a good experience with these paperbarks etc some don't even burn
But my favourite is "Sheoak" a native that grows along water courses along the East Coast it makes a great long burning coal that has a great smell and I love it as a finishing wood to any cooking.

Regards Dave

[Aussie Pete]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

nice dave, good stuff

I just had a thought, wouldn't it be good to have a section for pictures & descriptions of wood from various parts around the world, then people could have a look at pics of wood and match them to woods that would be good & others to stay away from.

there you are FB, my contribution to the forum is on me....lol

Ok people, start us off with some pics of woods (not me,cause i dont have any...yet)