Hazardous to use fruit tree woods for smoking?

SmokinStevenG · 10-25-2011, 08:35 AM

Hello fellow brethren, I never even gave thought to this question till today, and I hope I get an answer from my local dept. of enviormental management as well, But I am going to put it out there for you experienced smokers. I went to a local peach tree orchard today that lost some trees from a hurricane we had this fall, and asked them if I could have some of the wood. They said it would be no problem, but he brought to my attention about the trees, as well as any fruit trees being sprayed with chemicals and pesticides over the course of many years, and even in earlier years when ddt and lead based chenicals were used before they were outlawed. He said the tree absorbs the chemicals thru the leaves and the root system as well, and mentioned that smoking with this wood could possibly affect your health with the chemicals being in the wood ,and burning or smoldering it, could release the toxins into your meat, or create a new toxin in the smoke from the burning process. Is this a fact to worry about or is it true for sure? Its really got me thinking now....Thanks for your responses.
Steve

SmokinAussie · 10-25-2011, 08:39 AM

Load of rubbish... Smoke away!

Cheers!

Bill

tamadrummer · 10-25-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokinAussie

Load of rubbish... Smoke away!

Cheers!

Bill

Yup!

Where do you think the wood in bags comes from? Trees are trees and they have basically all had some form of pesticide on them. Be it intentional or unintentional. (This is why I laugh at "organic", there isn't any pristine anything to create real organic. The purest would have to create dirt and life to compost with their newly created dirt and life to have real organic)

Have some flipping fun and take advantage of the free peach wood. Unless you are taking the pieces out of a bucket full of pesticide, the stuff they have used is long gone and in the water, air and soil long ago.

kydsid · 10-25-2011, 08:55 AM

Yes pesticide can be absorbed by a fruit tree. Pesticide application can also effect the fruit. Their are numerous restrictions on pesticides as to when they can be sprayed on commercial fruit trees (probably where he gets this idea). I am not aware of any pesticide that would provide an active residue for the duration he is speaking of. What he is failing to realize is that pesticides are targeting neuro transmitters of animal NOT plants. DDT did concentrate in animal predators, but this is unique to animals, never in plants.

Pesticides can accumulate in plant ecosystems and through breakdown cause other issues but the residuals are not long lasting. The fact that these trees are from last year is more than enough to be safe.

Even herbicides/fungicides/bacteriacides that may have been applied to these trees are not a concern because those products would need to be approved for commercial tree usage. I am not aware of concentrating aspects in any of those products either.

In sum, paranoid man is paranoid. Not a bad thing per se in pesticide management but too much here, IMO.

Smoothsmoke · 10-25-2011, 09:04 AM

The person at your local department is 100% on the money. Please send me the fruit wood so I can dispose of it ever so safely.

Warthog · 10-25-2011, 09:23 AM

What a bunch of horse poop.

southernstyle · 10-25-2011, 09:31 AM

yes it has absorbed chemicals just like all the other stuff you buy anywhere. even pellets came from wood that came from a orchard that used it. he was just covering his arse. smoke away brother and stock up by the truck load.

grillzilla10 · 10-25-2011, 10:17 AM

ddt has been outlawed since the 70s ,I doubt that they have a peach that old .

shares · 10-25-2011, 11:32 AM

If this were true we'd have to stop eating peaches or any other orchard fruit too. That just leaves meat!

Porky · 10-25-2011, 01:51 PM

Please send me some of the peach and I will try in on some boston butts I just bot and I will let you know how delicious the meat is.

chomper's bbq · 10-25-2011, 02:13 PM

The carcinogens from the creosote will get you first.

DirtyDirty00 · 10-25-2011, 02:35 PM

its very true. do not use fruit wood!!! it can be very hazardous. in fact you must dispose of it properly. im in ny and i run a plant for properly disposing of this chemically infused materials. if you send all the wood to me i will properly make sure it is taken care of.

Phrasty · 10-25-2011, 02:43 PM

Do they sell the fruit?? Do they eat the fruit??

Good thing it wasn't me there... I'm allergic to stupidity!

SmokinStevenG · 10-25-2011, 03:45 PM

Thanks for the info...........I had to ask........like i said, here is a guy whos had this orchard in his family 3 generations and he is the one wh made the comment about the pesticides when i told him what i wanted the wood for.......hey now i will get probably a good 1/2 cord or so of this wood.

big brother smoke · 10-25-2011, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokinAussie

Load of rubbish... Smoke away!

Cheers!

Bill

This

10-25-2011, 08:35 AM	#1
SmokinStevenG Got rid of the matchlight. Join Date: 09-07-11 Location: Cranston Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Hazardous to use fruit tree woods for smoking? Hello fellow brethren, I never even gave thought to this question till today, and I hope I get an answer from my local dept. of enviormental management as well, But I am going to put it out there for you experienced smokers. I went to a local peach tree orchard today that lost some trees from a hurricane we had this fall, and asked them if I could have some of the wood. They said it would be no problem, but he brought to my attention about the trees, as well as any fruit trees being sprayed with chemicals and pesticides over the course of many years, and even in earlier years when ddt and lead based chenicals were used before they were outlawed. He said the tree absorbs the chemicals thru the leaves and the root system as well, and mentioned that smoking with this wood could possibly affect your health with the chemicals being in the wood ,and burning or smoldering it, could release the toxins into your meat, or create a new toxin in the smoke from the burning process. Is this a fact to worry about or is it true for sure? Its really got me thinking now....Thanks for your responses. Steve

10-25-2011, 08:39 AM	#2
SmokinAussie Babbling Farker Join Date: 10-19-09 Location: Melbourne, VIC Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Load of rubbish... Smoke away! Cheers! Bill __________________ Creator of the Aussie Lamb Farker Awards!!! IMBAS Certified MOINK BALLER (NOSKOS RULE) "Bullet Bill" WSM "Blue Lou" Performer Small Offset Smoker... SOS Baby WGA, Upright Cabinet Gasser Smoker, and a Cheap Arse Satay Stick Grill Zero for MOINKS Farkanaut

10-25-2011, 09:04 AM	#5
Smoothsmoke Babbling Farker Join Date: 01-20-10 Location: Monterey, CA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The person at your local department is 100% on the money. Please send me the fruit wood so I can dispose of it ever so safely. __________________ Kamado Big Joe Kamado Classic Joe Weber Simpsons OTG "H" Redhead Weber OTS Simpsons Smokey Joe Silver Sam Adams Smokey Joe Silver Gray Smokey Joe Gold (future mini-WSM) Smooth Smoke BBQ

10-25-2011, 09:23 AM	#6
Warthog is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 10-20-09 Location: Cliffwood Beach, NJ Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	What a bunch of horse poop. __________________ "Two Hungry Hogs" bbq team. UDS CharGriller w/SFB Weber 3(1987)

10-25-2011, 09:31 AM	#7
southernstyle is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 08-26-11 Location: okeechobee, fl. Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	yes it has absorbed chemicals just like all the other stuff you buy anywhere. even pellets came from wood that came from a orchard that used it. he was just covering his arse. smoke away brother and stock up by the truck load. __________________ roger. Sponsored by oakridge bbq. stumps baby with digi q 2. doublebarrel 250 gallon offset

10-25-2011, 08:55 AM	#4
kydsid Is lookin for wood to cook with. Join Date: 10-13-11 Location: Houston Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Yes pesticide can be absorbed by a fruit tree. Pesticide application can also effect the fruit. Their are numerous restrictions on pesticides as to when they can be sprayed on commercial fruit trees (probably where he gets this idea). I am not aware of any pesticide that would provide an active residue for the duration he is speaking of. What he is failing to realize is that pesticides are targeting neuro transmitters of animal NOT plants. DDT did concentrate in animal predators, but this is unique to animals, never in plants. Pesticides can accumulate in plant ecosystems and through breakdown cause other issues but the residuals are not long lasting. The fact that these trees are from last year is more than enough to be safe. Even herbicides/fungicides/bacteriacides that may have been applied to these trees are not a concern because those products would need to be approved for commercial tree usage. I am not aware of concentrating aspects in any of those products either. In sum, paranoid man is paranoid. Not a bad thing per se in pesticide management but too much here, IMO.

10-25-2011, 10:17 AM	#8
grillzilla10 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-03-10 Location: lexington ky Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	ddt has been outlawed since the 70s ,I doubt that they have a peach that old .

10-25-2011, 11:32 AM	#9
shares On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-18-08 Location: San Jose, Ca Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	If this were true we'd have to stop eating peaches or any other orchard fruit too. That just leaves meat! __________________ www.TooAshamedToName.com Competition BBQ

10-25-2011, 01:51 PM	#10
Porky is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-16-06 Location: West Palm Beach,Fl. Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Please send me some of the peach and I will try in on some boston butts I just bot and I will let you know how delicious the meat is. __________________ Les Backwoods Party w/upgrades & Guru Lg. Big Green Egg born 6/23/08 w/custom Walnut handle from Marty Leach,Weber Gasser Weber OTG Walnut handle from Marty Leach KCBS #20486,FBA certified Master judge,IMBAS (MOINK BALL) Certified Like what you do. Do what you like.

10-25-2011, 02:13 PM	#11
chomper's bbq Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 07-27-11 Location: Chesterfield, MO Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The carcinogens from the creosote will get you first. __________________ Chompers 1, offset trailer smoker, 2-UDS,1-UDS rib hanger, weber grill,thermopen, maverick 732, cookshack, La Caja China

10-25-2011, 02:35 PM	#12
DirtyDirty00 is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 07-13-11 Location: Mamaroneck, NY Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	its very true. do not use fruit wood!!! it can be very hazardous. in fact you must dispose of it properly. im in ny and i run a plant for properly disposing of this chemically infused materials. if you send all the wood to me i will properly make sure it is taken care of. __________________ Smokers: 20x48 Pits by JJ Cinder block smoker Wishlist: 22.5" WSM

10-25-2011, 02:43 PM	#13
Phrasty Babbling Farker Join Date: 01-19-08 Location: Jamaica Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Do they sell the fruit?? Do they eat the fruit?? Good thing it wasn't me there... I'm allergic to stupidity! __________________ 1 - 100 lb. self-made cylinder grill/smoker 1 - 100 lb. self-made cylinder smoker 1 - 20 gal. self-made grill/smoker 1 - 25 gal. self-made vertical smoker 1 - 120 gal. self-made trailer stick-burner http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=88599

10-25-2011, 03:45 PM	#14
SmokinStevenG Got rid of the matchlight. Join Date: 09-07-11 Location: Cranston Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the info...........I had to ask........like i said, here is a guy whos had this orchard in his family 3 generations and he is the one wh made the comment about the pesticides when i told him what i wanted the wood for.......hey now i will get probably a good 1/2 cord or so of this wood.

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