Green Cherry wood

[bittertruth]

A friend of mine had a cherry tree in his yard that was not producing and asked me if i would take it down for him with the intention of using the wood for smoking. of course i jumped at the chance to obtain a large supply of smoking wood for about three hours of work. my question is how long should i let this wood age before using it in the smoker? What form is the best when cutting it up?

 

[Neil]

Cut into 14'' logs then split the ones bigger than 5" diameter. Wait at least 6 mos. to use.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

3" thick "wheels" are nice too, once you chunk them with a splitting axe.

 

[kcquer]

my question is how long should i let this wood age before using it in the smoker? What form is the best when cutting it up?

You should cut it into 12" logs and bring it to Harrisonville MO where it will season best. You can leave it in my backyard, I'll call you next November and let you know it's ready, if'n there's any left I will :wink:

 

[parrothead]

Cut it to the size you like to use.

And 6 months is about right for the cure.

 

[Heath]

When I got mine I chunked the big stuff. The finger size branches I use in the grill and sometimes in the smoker. I started using them after about 3 - 4 weeks and never had any problems. The smoke smelled like black cherry soda. I have yet to use the big stuff cause I wanted it dry. It'll be for this next spring/summer.