What Wood Do You Use?

[man7sell]

Obviously this will be a wide ranging question and answer thread, but we are interested. We want to know regardless were you are located.

In in the North West (Washington state USA). I have many trees around my lot (quite a few now in the wood pile.)
I have Alder but I think this is better suited to smoking in a BBQ. I have some cedar but that burns hot switch is OK but spits a lot, not OK for cooking in the oven.
A friend gave me some Cherry but it's not dry enough yet. It's a shame there are no apple trees on the lot.

So what do YOU use?

Paul

[david s]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

The best wood is free wood. I love getting wood.

[Les]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

Paul,

I use pine to get the fire going (that's pretty much all we have in the high Sierra's). For pizza, I switch to oak or walnut.

[nissanneill]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

Generally I use Eucalypt which burns very hot and clean.
Just dropped a huge red gum (1400mm diameter at base) at my son's place and getting it planked and slabbed at the week end, so plenty of firewood for a couple of years.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f51/...urn-18357.html

Cheers.

Neill

[man7sell]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

My woodpile is growing, love free wood too. Cut down the trees, buck split and stacked them. Lost 15 lbs (Making room for pizza) Take sometime before this is ready to burn however.

[WJW]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

My favorite is Eucalyptus. If properly seasoned it burns clean, hot, and long. And has more BTU's per cord than anything but white oak.

Second favorite is Oak. That's what I've been burning for the past few months. Not as clean as Euc though.

Just this week got my hands on two cords of pear and a mixed cord of half oak/half lemon.

The pear is still wet and won't burn till next year. Haven't had a chance to burn the lemon, but hear that it's good.

Bill

[REE REE B]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

You can also buy a box of oak at Smart and Final or any grocery store. For me I love burning oak.

[WJW]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

I can't imagine what the cost of wood would be if purchased at a grocery store by the box. A thousand dollars a cord? More?

Might be fine for an occasional fire in the fireplace, but to feed a hungry oven on a regular basis, I'd think you'd be better buying in quanity.

JMO

Bill

[REE REE B]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

Hi Bill

Its about $10 for about 15 good size logs but yes its for an occasional use in between getting a cord =)

[WJW]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

That's actually a lot better than I would have thought.

Bill

[moderator]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

We recommend dry seasoned wood. Around our Monterey Peninsula location, we use oak.

We don't recommend anything sappy or you will get too much smoke.

[1willisrobbins]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

Oak. Cured oak (2yrs drying +/-) is probably the best. Oak is what we used in my culinary school's WFO every day to produce bread for the student's and staff's 2 meals a day. As a recovering scientist I would hesitate to use any kind of coniferous (cone bearing and or needled) tree for a WFO. The reason being that coniferous plants produce turpenes (think turpentine) that when heated can break down into something called n-Heptane a highly flammable (good for WFO) and cancer causing (bad for humans) hydrocarbon. Bottom line ingesting it will cause kidney failure...inhaling the gas caused by burning it will cause lung disorders. It may take years of ingesting and inhalation but it will make you sick eventually. no redwood, fir, cedar, pine, juniper, etc. all very bad to burn in a WFO. It won't kill you once or twice, but don't cook with them.

[REE REE B]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

Wow Willis thats kind of scary but true...Bottom line better to burn the right wood than get burned with the wrong one!

[Capt]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

I use 2-3 year seasoned Oak, Ash, Maple, cherry and pear.

These racks are now double-wide:

[Les]

Re: What Wood Do You Use?

I use 2-3 year seasoned Oak, Ash, Maple, cherry and pear.

These racks are now double-wide:

That is a LOT of wood - I'll trade you some for a sage bush