fresh cut shagbark hickory. how long after it goes thru wood chipper can it be used?

[nysmokey]

So a neighbor has a few shagbark hickory trees he just cut and he said I can have them. There are about 5. The smallest is 5 inch round about 15' long. The biggest about 12" round and 20'. Do they all have to be seasoned for about 6 months or can I throw some through the wood chipper and use that in a few weeks? Sorry but I'm new to smoking meat. I still have to buy or build a smoker. I would prefer using 16" split logs but I want to buy a med size smoker off craigslist to get me started.

 

[bbqwillie]

Even chipped the wood will still be "moist" after a few weeks. Best to do it right and cut your wood to preferred size, split and cross stack and cover the top. Let it breathe on the sides. Let age for 8-10 months before even thinking about use. You can build a solar kiln to speed things up if you like. May get you usable wood after 6 months. Patients is a virtue when you BBQ.

 

[doctord1955]

I have ran wood thru the chipper then put on a flat screen table with a fan under it blowing up and used the chips a week later with good results!

Stir chips daily!

 

[nysmokey]

Thanks, I will try that.

 

[ryan johnson]

For wood chips i fill up a mesh  onion bag and hang the chips from the shed rafters for at least 6 months The drier the wood chips, the better smoke they will produce!  

 

[lukeafdem]

I plan to build a cedar smokehouse this winter. I want make jerky and pepperoni mainly but would like to try my hand at smoked cheese Any suggestions on how far my firebox should be from my smokehouse