Fresh cut wood?

Go ahead and cut them up. They will dry better cut to some extent.
I'd probably let them sit 4-6 months.. but depending on your cooker and the effect you want, you could use them green if you're careful.

Myron uses em kinda wet. Says he gets more sweetness that way.

btcg said:

Myron uses em kinda wet. Says he gets more sweetness that way.

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I heard that too and thought he was nuts. But from what I saw on TV, he also uses lots of lighter fluid. But hey, he wins big, so there's gotta be something to it.

El Lobo said:

I heard that too and thought he was nuts. But from what I saw on TV, he also uses lots of lighter fluid. But hey, he wins big, so there's gotta be something to it.

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Well, I've been cooking Q since I was 12 (I'm 53 now), and I can tell you, the charcoal lighter they sold back in the day was quite different from the ones they sell nowadays.

Modern technology has given us lighters that are fairly odorless... so when you see him doing that on the show, this is why he can use that stuff and still win comps.

Also: doin hot & fast, he's letting the lighter fluid burn off before putting his meats on.

I know some will say "I can still taste it in the food" but as you noted, Myron's success speaks for itself.

I live behind an apple orchard. Their storm damage limbs and annual pruning cutoffs go into a huge burn pile quite literally behind my property. I've scored many large limbs and just let them sit out by the wood pile for a bit. When I have time, I'll split, cut and chunk them. I think that the wood will dry out quicker if cut shorter as by doing so, you reduce the length of the wood fibers, exposing more of them to the air which will allow the moisture to leave quicker.

Although I'm not that familiar with peach, I'd think you could tell by the way the wood "feels". If you cut/score it with a knife does it feel damp or dry? If it feels right, I'd say use it. I think dying time is also dependent upon where you store it. Storing it in a humid, cold or damp environment won't allow it to dry as quickly as if it's in a conditioned, arid environment. I try and get mine into the garage as soon as I can to keep the weather off of it. Even storing it under a tarp will inhibit the drying process.

I say go ahead and use em and let us all know how it turned out. Can't hurt (seems lots of folks have been wondering the same thing about using fresh cut wood).

I would think the green wood would (how's that for a tongue twister?) put off a lot of smoke and soot and may discolor your meat so you might want to keep that in mind.

I was wondering the same thing...thanks for the info!!

Jim

I think as long as you use a few small chunks on the uds you shouldn't have a problem.

I wouldn't burn it in the Bandera, but the green peach will be just fine in the UDS. I prefer seasoned wood for all my smoking, but I've used green peach in the UDS and wsm with great results. Those cookers will smolder real slow and you won't have an issue like if you burned the same unseasoned wood in a stickburner.