Hello everyone! Just had a quick question I hope you could help me answer. A friend of mine is trimming a huge mango tree in his backyard, as well as a smaller guava tree. I know these make great woods for smoking, but I've never dried any wood before. What's the correct way to do it and how do I know when it's ready?
I season wood for 1 year. If the rounds are split into smaller pieces it will dry/season faster. My son cut down a peach tree in my backyard last week. The tree was already dead. It is actually ready to burn now because of it. I don't have any experience with mango or guava, though. This is a variable. I will burn oak and madrone wood early if I have to but never almond or cherry wood.
I'm not familiar with either of those woods, so I'm not sure how dry they need to be. If you can find that out, then you can pick up a moisture meter fairly cheap if you shop around a little.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
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Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
I bought a moisture meter online from Harbor Freight for about $15. Being in El Salvador I have no idea what you'd have available to you, but if you can find something similar it will be a handy tool to have.
A good rule of thumb is about 10-20% moisture for firewood. My advice is split into quarters, or at least halves if small. The extra open surface area is obviously best for drying.
You can dry your wood in your smoker too if you have enough room. Put it on your grates as if they were meat and cook them at 225 all day or for a couple days. You can get seasoned wood in a quick hurry if you don't want to wait months & months.
Here's an informative article I've used to help me in my quest to kiln dry my own wood. Notice when we're talking firewood an acceptable moisture level is 20%. Pay special attention to pages 3 and 4.
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