Your thoughts on this firewood

[SmokeyBob]

I bought this 15 lb - .75 cu ft of firewood at Lowes for about $5.00. It says "Premium Kiln Dried Naturnal Hardwood" on the bag. It's sold by Woodmont a company linked to Cowboy Charcoal. At $5.00 a bag that's cheep wood to use in my smoker. I don't know what kind of hardwood it is. I have emailed Cowboy Charcoal but I get no responce. Wood used for smoking is a bit pricey. I have thought about getting a 1/4 or 1/2 cord of smoking wood, which would be cheaper but this $5.00 bag would better.

I was woundering if anyone might know what kind of hardwood this is.

[deceiver]

I bought this 15 lb - .75 cu ft of firewood at Lowes for about $5.00. It says "Premium Kiln Dried Naturnal Hardwood" on the bag. It's sold by Woodmont a company linked to Cowboy Charcoal. At $5.00 a bag that's cheep wood to use in my smoker. I don't know what kind of hardwood it is. I have emailed Cowboy Charcoal but I get no responce. Wood used for smoking is a bit pricey. I have thought about getting a 1/4 or 1/2 cord of smoking wood, which would be cheaper but this $5.00 bag would better.

I was woundering if anyone might know what kind of hardwood this is.

I couldn't see any pictures Bob but I have some suggestions. I have a small shop and make cabinets and furniture. Just a home shop, nothing huge. I generate about a 30 gal barrel of oak/maple/walnut scraps in a week or so. I put them in the materials section of craigslist.org. Someone always wants them for some reason or another, usually burning. You might try that. Also, if you're in a norther state, places that sell wood pellets for pellet stoves also have eco or bio-bricks. they're non resin, non glue, compressed wood chips in the shape of a brick. they are about $3.95/cuft here. They burn comparably to hard wood and are made for wood stoves. I carry them when camping as they are approved to cross state lines by the national park service.. no bugs in them.

[Treeview]

If you're looking for wood, not charcoal, get hold of a local tree care company. when I ran my tree care company I had a list of people who wanted firewood. Some, like you, who only wanted a small amount would meet me on a jobasite and take what they wanted as we were working. People who wanted more would come and get it off the curb when we were all done with the job. If you do that make sure that you bring a rake so that all of the debris is cleaned up too.

There's NO reason to buy wood if you're capable of doing the processing.

Tom

[SmokeyBob]

Thanks everyone for your input. I finally got a responce from Cowboy Charcoal.

Bobby,
Our firewood is made up of kiln-dried hickory and oak wood logs. We also offer both hickory and mesquite wood chunks, which are designed to be used instead of charcoal in grills and smokers. We also have a line of wood chips which add a smoky flavor to any meats or vegetables you’d like. They come in 4 flavors: hickory, mesquite, cherry, and apple.

Thank you,
Cowboy Charcoal

I'm off to Lowes for some firewood.

[SmokeyBob]

Since the company said it was hardwood I thought I would try it. Awful, awful, awful tasting.

Thought I could save some money. Smoking firewood in this area is a bit pricey.
My ribs and chicken went into the trash. What can I say, lesson learned.

[jstrubberg]

Bob,

Anywhere nearby you can take a walk in the woods?

So far my best smoked meats are from using whatever wood is available (mostly red and white oak around here) and adding bark from a shagbark hickory tree. I gather the bark myself by snapping the seprated tips off of a tree or two (a double handful of the stuff is plenty), then soaking overnight in water before smoking. I've used bark over charcoal as well, and I can't tell the difference, as long as the smoking is done slowly enough.

[Corwin C]

I look for local orchards that are doing some pruning. A few 1"-3" diameter trimmings off practically any fruit tree and a little work with a hatchet and you can make your own smoke chips.

[Treeview]

Aspen, cotton wood and aelanthus are all hardwoods. Pine, spruce and juniper are all softwood.

Much different than hard wood or soft wood. Its not about density, its biology.

What species wood was used to make the charcoal?

Tom