Pick a Chunk Poll

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Cliff H.

Master Chef
Joined
Mar 18, 2006
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6,143
Location
Jonesboro, Arkansas
I was chunking some hickory and sorting it by appearance, smell. weight and signs of mold. All the split logs I chopped up were somewhat equal in weight. I did not even consider ones that were feather lite compared to others.

Here is a pic of the pile.



Consider this:
If you were looking at this pile of wood and were trying to decide which chunks would best suit you for todays cook, which would it be based on site alone ?

What are all the variables in choosing wood from your stash ?

I have picked out four chunks that I feel cover one extreme to the other as far as picking out chunks goes.

If you could only pick one chunk which would it be ?

What are some thoughts as to what you answer is ?

Here is the pic. If you click "view in original size" you can zoom in for a close up.

 
#1 because it has two colors.. Just a wild guess.. I'm new remember..? :shock:
 
SS, to funny. Thats what I was thinking. I just bought a bag of chunk hickory the other day for the first time since I got my cooker. I did not know there are grades.

Also I was reading through a sausage book and the guy who wrote it suggests he likes fresh hickory etc for smoking. This is the first I have heard this. Everyone here seems to use aged woods.
 
wdroller said:
I would choose 2,1,4,3 in that order if they are all dry and if the pit is already up to temperature. No. 1 is all heartwood, probably heaver for its size ( more dense) and will burn slower and hotter. No. 1 has some heartwood and some sap wood. The sapwood will catch fire faster and help ignite the heartwood portion. You may like that although if you preheat your wood on top of your firebox this will not matter much. No.4 is all sapwood but does not have any rot as No. 3 appears to have.

I would begin my burn with No. 3 to help get the pit up to temp, move to
No 4,1,2 as needed.

Can't tell about the lower right side of the No. 2 piece. I assume it has no rot although that side looks a little darker. Just can't tell. No 2 does show that the tree had some "wind shake" damage.


nice info, thanks.
 
Thanks, I was refering to the poll. Without images for choices it seemed he was referring to grades. I did not see 4 choices maybe the images did not load.

I do not know a lot about smoking woods for foods but I am finding out new things all the time. As a kid we would burn green wood in the woodstove, sometimes cut that day. Mostly lucust, never remember having a problem with it.
 
Just got home from work. Sorry if there was confusion on this thread. I use a wsm. Since I only use a few chunks at a time I seem to always go for the dark heartwood. It gives off that smell that says " Hickory".

There are pics in thread bknox.

This last batch of wood was all over the place. I had rot, mold, overly dry and some just right logs to choose from. I just had to do a lot of sorting and culling.
 
I see now. I did not realize they were numbered, sorry. I will keep in mind what you said about the heart wood and the more Hichory like flavor next time I use chunk.

Hopefully I will be cooking a beef brisket this weekend. Originally I was going to try and get some oak, as they use in Texas, but I have a bag of chunk hickory and will pick out the darker wood and give it a shot.

Thanks,
Bryan
 

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