Author Topic: How long to season hickory  (Read 2256 times)

Chris W

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How long to season hickory
« on: April 10, 2020, 12:02:44 PM »
I have 80 acres of hardwoods and I’m cutting some hickory limbs in 1.5-2 ounce sections.   How long should I let it dry before using it in my smoker?

NDKoze

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  • Gregg - Fargo, ND
Re: How long to season hickory
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2020, 04:49:51 PM »
The most effective way would be to get a wood moisture meter (Amazon has them pretty cheap). You typically would be looking for wood in the 20%-30% moisture range.

Here is an example: https://smile.amazon.com/General-Tools-MMD4E-Moisture-High-Medium-Low/dp/B00275F5O2
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.

old sarge

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Re: How long to season hickory
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2020, 09:18:06 PM »
+1 on the meter. General is a good brand; been around for decades.
David from Arizona
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Pork Belly

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Re: How long to season hickory
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2020, 09:39:02 AM »
As with most hings smoking related wood moisture is a personal decision. Folks will swear by} __% is ideal."

Personally I have used everything from fresh off the tree to, been under my work bench for a few years. If you have doubts, toss a chunk in and fire up the smoker. How does it look and smell? If you find it unfavorable pick something else.

It's an electric smoker, not a lot involved in getting a sample of smoke rolling. Good Luck with it.
Brian - Michigan-NRA Life Member
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