{"id":526,"date":"2019-04-05T09:29:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T13:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/?p=526"},"modified":"2021-09-17T12:17:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T16:17:39","slug":"can-hardwood-be-too-dry-for-cooking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/can-hardwood-be-too-dry-for-cooking\/","title":{"rendered":"CAN HARDWOOD BE TOO DRY FOR COOKING?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Can<\/a>

Can hardwood be too dry for wood smoke vapor? Our thoughts for you!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Listen<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/BLOG-AUDIO-2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are the misnomers:<\/h4>\n

Wet = Smolder<\/p>\n

Wet = Smoke<\/p>\n

Dry = Fast Cook<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s make one thing perfectly clear \u2013 all wood, whether hardwood or softwood, contains water<\/em>! <\/u><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0As a comparative, when wood is dried to ~20% moisture content (MC), it weighs 40-50% less<\/u><\/strong> than un-dried wood.\u00a0 This is the direct reason why the National Conference on<\/strong> Weights and Measures \u2013 Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities <\/strong>does not allow for the sale of wood products by weight. It would not be a level playing field for those of us selling this commodity.<\/p>\n

So, we know that wood has too much water when a tree is first cut down and obviously will need to dry to some degree before being used for cooking.\u00a0 Why<\/em> do you ask?\u00a0 Without reducing the water in the wood when burned\/combusted, the wood will produce an acrid aroma and smoke vapor which, in turn, will produce off flavors, colors, and textures in foods cooked over wet woods that are consumed.<\/p>\n

Can Hardwood Be Too Dry? – You might ask, does it matter how the wood is dried?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Absolutely! <\/strong>There are various ways wood products can be dried with the decision on a drying process usually dictated by what the wood will be used for.\u00a0 Just because you purchase wood chips<\/a>, wood chunks<\/a>, logs<\/a> or even smoking dust<\/a> for cooking, does not<\/strong> mean that product started out for that intended purpose.\u00a0 Often wood is used first for a primary business like furniture manufacturing, hardwood flooring, or cabinet making.\u00a0 It\u2019s only the secondary wood that is re-purposed for cooking use with a focus on BBQ.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s examine the most likely methods of drying woods for this scenario.<\/strong><\/h2>\n