# Woodworms, do they change the wood smoking flavor?



## gacp (Sep 16, 2013)

Hi, 

I got this plum wood and I found worms in it, I was wondering if it´s good wood for smoking, what do you guys know about this?

I know it´s plague so i will use it or toss it away really soon.

Thks,


----------



## sqwib (Sep 16, 2013)

You could make it into lump charcoal and use it that way.


----------



## gacp (Sep 17, 2013)

Great idea Thank you.

And what about the wood smoking flavor? Can I use the wood on my next smoking session? 

Thks already,


----------



## sqwib (Sep 17, 2013)

Not sure anyone's gonna touch this but I'll give it a shot.

If you are using as fuel go for it.

I had wasp beetle infested wood and used it for my stickburner, however I would get a good coal base then once the meat was on I would use my good stuff.

Then once I foiled the stuff in the cook chamber, I would use the junk wood again.

If you are using it to specifically flavor your wood, that would depend on how infested the wood was, pics would help.

In any case you can turn the wood to carbon and use it that way as that will give you a subtle smoke flavor with less chance of the critters flavoring your meat which I doubt would be an issue anyhow,.

Rotted wood or funky wood with mold and stuff would pose more of a "flavor profile" problem.

If it were me I would try it, but like I said depending on how infested the wood is. I really don't think it's gonna ruin anything, just as long as you can get the mental image of the worms flavoring your food out of your mind. lol.

Every piece of this ash was infested.













8261446054_fb05f9bb35_c.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Sep 17, 2013


















8261448508_fb36d42f29_b.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Sep 17, 2013






Carbonizing the little buggers.

first run in a 55gallon.







































3rd run in 5 gallon pails

  





  





  





  Another test burn of the Lump Charcoal..  Testing heat output in smoker.
This stuff puts out some heat!

   Chopped wood for 3rd test burn.

















  Filled pail with Ash.  Water vapor escaping.


   Gasses burning off.
You cant tell by the photo, but once the water vapor stage has completed, the gas coming out will ignite


----------



## gacp (Sep 17, 2013)

Thanks again, really illustrative :)

I don´t know what type of insect these worms are but they are big so there is not so many of them in the woods. So far I found three, this week I will chop all the Wood in order to search them and maybe I will find them all.

Below I am posting some pics of the wood and the worms, you can see they are big. 













worms1.jpg



__ gacp
__ Sep 17, 2013


















worms3.jpg



__ gacp
__ Sep 17, 2013


















worms2.jpg



__ gacp
__ Sep 17, 2013


----------



## sqwib (Sep 17, 2013)

I would eat about two or three of them to see what they taste like... just might be the flavor your looking for. Lol
Seriously though if there that big and your using the plum to flavor the wood. I would try cutting 1" discs then try and snap them in half, the wood should snap where theg are thrn you can get them out. Are they still alive? If they are have you tried smoking them out or soaking the wood... just a few crazy ideas to try


----------



## JckDanls 07 (Sep 17, 2013)

throw wood and worms on the fire...  when worms reach 165` IT pull and let them rest for about 10 minutes...  really good with a southwestern style rub...   LOL...  

but really..  as squib said...  cut into disks and break up and discard worms....


----------



## bgosnell151 (Sep 17, 2013)

GACP said:


> Thanks again, really illustrative :)
> 
> I don´t know what type of insect these worms are but they are big so there is not so many of them in the woods. So far I found three, this week I will chop all the Wood in order to search them and maybe I will find them all.
> 
> ...



Clearly an inch worm :-)


----------



## gacp (Sep 18, 2013)

Thank you all! This weekend I will chop all the wood in order to discard all the worms.


----------



## dummy que (Sep 19, 2013)

being in ohio whith the  dreaded ASH BORER i am shure i halve cooked alot of them along whith those false bee looking things and halve never noticed a taste besides there good protien


----------

