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I've got a question that's been nagging me for awhile. How long is wood good for? I know, I know... trees live vey long lives. I mean once the they are cut down, cut into rounds and are sitting around waiting for me to toss them in my smoker.

I've had boxed hickory, pecan, and some oak for four or five years. It's been kept dry, but I haven't taken any special care of it. Once I use up the sample that came with my new Cookshack, I'd like to use the old stuff it it isn't too old.

Keep on cookin'

Lew
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My opinion, and others may vary:

Go ahead and use it for everyday cooking. If not decayed, wood isn't going to change much other than losing a bit of moisture. You might be able to tell the difference between fresh wood and dry by smelling the smoke, but either should make good food. It might burn up a bit quicker, but you should be able to adjust by using a bit more.

I just used up some cherry that sat in my basement since 1986 - still tasted fine.
Originally I had used it for smoking chicken in a Brinkmann gas-fired water smoker. In the Smokette it seemed a bit strong for chicken, so used it for some cured pork loin ("ham"), fresh pork, and I think for a turkey jerky experiment. At present have quite a bit of hickory, maple, and birch, but I'm hoping to find a wild cherry or crab apple tree in need of a whack. Just a limb goes a long way. Would also like to try oak but just haven't happened on one yet.

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