# What do you pay for wood?



## DustyJoe84 (Jan 16, 2019)

I am new to smoking and haven't found a reliable private party to buy wood from yet. Retail I pay about $20 for a 2/3 cu ft. bag of chunks.  This is from a local BBQ store. Are there online vendors you like to use? And am I paying too much?


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## chopsaw (Jan 16, 2019)

http://www.chiggercreek.com/index.php
Not sure how this fits for you or cost compares . These guys are Missouri based I use the chunks and chips . I just use for flavor , not the heat source . I buy them local , 5 bucks for the bag of chips , $8 for the chunks . 
If interested I bet you can find them local to you also .


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## tbrtt1 (Jan 16, 2019)

DustyJoe84 said:


> I am new to smoking and haven't found a reliable private party to buy wood from yet. Retail I pay about $20 for a 2/3 cu ft. bag of chunks.  This is from a local BBQ store. Are there online vendors you like to use? And am I paying too much?



It’s a tad high but not ridiculous. I assume you are using as flavor wood in a charcoal or electric or gas smoker. That amount lasts me quite a while, say 10 or more smokes (just a guess as I haven’t counted how many smokes I get out of a bag of chunks). 

If you are using a stick burner you will go bankrupt using bags of chunks.


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## Preacher Man (Jan 16, 2019)

One thing to consider is whether or not those bags of wood you're using are kiln dried or not. Wood dried in a kiln loses a lot of the compounds we seek to flavor meat.

Currently, I can't even find a source of hardwood in my area.


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## DustyJoe84 (Jan 16, 2019)

Holly2015 said:


> If you are using the wood for flavor you can greatly reduce you cost by getting amazing pellet tray and a 20lb bag of pellets. One fill of the tray takes about 1/2lb of pellets and smokes for around 12 hours. A bag of Camp Chef Applewood pellets is $12.99. So with a bag of pellets and a pellet tray you can get around 450 hours of smoke or $0.36 per hour of smoke.



I typically start my cooks with a good bed of lump then add a split as needed for smoke and as it burns down it acts as my coal bed for the next split.This sounds much more cost effective. I usually buy a big bag of splits from the BBQ store but on their website they don't have that listed so I can't recall the cu ft. on that. The bag of splits I buy is about $40 and weighs probably 50 lbs.


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## DustyJoe84 (Jan 16, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> http://www.chiggercreek.com/index.php
> Not sure how this fits for you or cost compares . These guys are Missouri based I use the chunks and chips . I just use for flavor , not the heat source . I buy them local , 5 bucks for the bag of chips , $8 for the chunks .
> If interested I bet you can find them local to you also .



I'll check it out. Thanks!



tbrtt1 said:


> It’s a tad high but not ridiculous. I assume you are using as flavor wood in a charcoal or electric or gas smoker. That amount lasts me quite a while, say 10 or more smokes (just a guess as I haven’t counted how many smokes I get out of a bag of chunks).
> 
> If you are using a stick burner you will go bankrupt using bags of chunks.



I usually use a bag of splits. It's about a 50 lb bag and runs about $40. Can't recall the cu ft.



Preacher Man said:


> One thing to consider is whether or not those bags of wood you're using are kiln dried or not. Wood dried in a kiln loses a lot of the compounds we seek to flavor meat.
> 
> Currently, I can't even find a source of hardwood in my area.



Not sure if what I've been buying is kiln dried or not but I've been pleased with the flavors it has provided.


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (Jan 16, 2019)

You should check on craigslist. I saw a whole chord of oak splits seasoned for $220 with add'l for delivery to different areas. You may also be able to make friends with a tree trimmer and get it for free. I picked up half a chord of apple, not split for free this past fall. Also saw a half chord of oak delivered for $125...don't buy bags...wish it were that cheap in CO...last time I was in MO, I cut a whole cherry tree and split it for free...but that is over 3 hours from you.


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (Jan 16, 2019)

lets see...2/3 cf for $20 => $30 /cf, a chord is 128 cf, so you are paying $3840 per chord. just saying....


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## SonnyE (Jan 16, 2019)

When I decided that Bradley had priced their Pucks out of my realm of reasonable, and that having to order them was my only way to get them, I decided to find a better way.
Poking around the Internet brought me here, and I became a Pellet convert.
Everywhere around me there are numerous brands and types of pellets available.
Eventually that brought me to an AMNPS. And I know of no better way to get smokey goodness as inexpensively, or with such readily available wood types.
Try Charcoal, and add flavor with AMNPS or an AMNTS. Done, and Done!


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## krj (Jan 16, 2019)

Well you're a KC resident. I purchased from Woodyard BBQ once, and their markup is pretty high if that's where you're getting it. I live relatively close to Woodyard's supplier CNC Wood Sales, and I get a big bag(50lbs?) of oak for I think $20. It's been a bit since I had to buy wood, I don't go through as much with my GF smoker. You might give Carrol a call/email and you may be able to work it out if you can buy some directly from them when they are doing a delivery up there.


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## DustyJoe84 (Jan 16, 2019)

SonnyE said:


> When I decided that Bradley had priced their Pucks out of my realm of reasonable, and that having to order them was my only way to get them, I decided to find a better way.
> Poking around the Internet brought me here, and I became a Pellet convert.
> Everywhere around me there are numerous brands and types of pellets available.
> Eventually that brought me to an AMNPS. And I know of no better way to get smokey goodness as inexpensively, or with such readily available wood types.
> Try Charcoal, and add flavor with AMNPS or an AMNTS. Done, and Done!



I may give this a shot at some point. But for me part of the fun is playing with the fire and adding the right size splits at the right time and just the overall work that goes into fire management. But eventually my wallet may sway me another direction. :-)


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## DustyJoe84 (Jan 16, 2019)

krj said:


> Well you're a KC resident. I purchased from Woodyard BBQ once, and their markup is pretty high if that's where you're getting it. I live relatively close to Woodyard's supplier CNC Wood Sales, and I get a big bag(50lbs?) of oak for I think $20. It's been a bit since I had to buy wood, I don't go through as much with my GF smoker. You might give Carrol a call/email and you may be able to work it out if you can buy some directly from them when they are doing a delivery up there.



I've thought about giving Woodyard a call. I've currently been getting wood from KC BBQ store in Olathe. I've got an email out to Carrol at CnC for pricing. Thanks for the info!


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## chopsaw (Jan 16, 2019)

ifitsdeadsmokeit said:


> last time I was in MO, I cut a whole cherry tree and split it for free.


That's pretty common on the outskirts of St. Louis if the tree is down . Never hurts to ask .


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## Hawging It (Jan 16, 2019)

DustyJoe84 said:


> I am new to smoking and haven't found a reliable private party to buy wood from yet. Retail I pay about $20 for a 2/3 cu ft. bag of chunks.  This is from a local BBQ store. Are there online vendors you like to use? And am I paying too much?


I'm lucky I guess that I have lived in the country my whole life and have plenty of wooded areas. I have always cut, spit and seasoned my on. Wild Cherry, Hickory, Pecan and Oak. I don't have Pecan growing on my property but there is a Pecan orchard about 15 miles away and I check with them from time and cut big limbs that break off during high winds and such. No charge.


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## gmc2003 (Jan 16, 2019)

Naturally felled trees in the woods here are free, a delivered cord is about 225. I don't think its worth the price of gas to travel to VT for your wood though. 

Chris


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## noboundaries (Jan 16, 2019)

I like different woods. To me, they're like seasonings. There's no such thing as a hickory tree on the West Coast so chunks at WM, HD, or Lowes are the only options. But we do have lots of fruit, nut, and oak. A full cord of cooking wood, undelivered, runs from $270 (almond and oak odds n ends) to $400 (16" oak splits), and an oak special of $345.

Thankfully, I have a huge oak tree in my backyard. I'll whack a branch off every now and then. We had to have some professional work done on it recently, and at my request they left me enough to cut up into chunks that will last me about two years in my WSM once it has dried.


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## tbrtt1 (Jan 17, 2019)

DustyJoe,

What kinda smoker are you using? You refer to bags of chunks in you OP then start talking about splits as the thread progresses.

 When you say a bag of chunks I’m thinking about a charcoal smoker like a WSM or similar and when you talk about using splits I am thinking offset stick burner.


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## DustyJoe84 (Jan 17, 2019)

tbrtt1 said:


> DustyJoe,
> 
> What kinda smoker are you using? You refer to bags of chunks in you OP then start talking about splits as the thread progresses.
> 
> When you say a bag of chunks I’m thinking about a charcoal smoker like a WSM or similar and when you talk about using splits I am thinking offset stick burner.



I have an offset. I typically use splits but for some reason the BBQ store I buy wood from did not have splits listed on their website, only chunks so I used that as an example to get feedback on prices. I couldn't remember what I paid there for the splits.


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## slapaho_injun (Jan 17, 2019)

I was paying $15 for a bag of hickory at Walmart but am actively sourcing hickory logs to save $ ...... lots of smoking gets expensive at $15/bag


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## tbrtt1 (Jan 19, 2019)

DustyJoe84 said:


> I have an offset. I typically use splits but for some reason the BBQ store I buy wood from did not have splits listed on their website, only chunks so I used that as an example to get feedback on prices. I couldn't remember what I paid there for the splits.



OK.Got it. FWIW- I can get this at Academy anytime. Still not not having a good source where you buy it by the cord and have it delivered and stacked but better that chunks.


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## phatbac (Jan 19, 2019)

I found a good wood supplier locally on craigslist. it's a lawn service and landscaping guy who always has hardwood from tree removal in the area. he charges me $90 for 1/2 cord split twice and delivered and stacked. lasts me about 6 months. last time I ordered from him I got pecan and apple mix.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)


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## motolife313 (Jan 19, 2019)

I go out and get it for free becuase someone wants the tree gone or it got blown over. I sell for 25-30 a wheel barrow
	

		
			
		

		
	







	

		
			
		

		
	
If anyone is interested I’m near Portland Oregon


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## michael0506 (Jan 19, 2019)

I used to get it free every morning but now I'm older and I don't seem to get as much!


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## martin1950 (Jan 26, 2019)

I've been real lucky, I've got one tree in my 2&1/2 acre yard that has provided with all the stick-wood I need. The Ag. dept at MSU guessed it is over 200 years old. It's a Black (hard) Maple. A twister a few years back claimed 2 BIG limbs the size of trees.  After the clean-up we had 5 chords of split and racked wood. And it still puts out more sap in the spring than all my other maple trees combined. The smell of that smoke reminds me of growing up on the farm and fueling the smoke house.
Martin


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## motolife313 (Jan 26, 2019)

Ya the maple smells awesome. I used to put wood in my oven too further cure it and cherry and little oak smells like caramel corn


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## wbf610 (Jan 26, 2019)

WSM smoker, so i use chunks.  I’m lucky enough to have friends that have property.  I have about a 1/4 cord of apple that is seasoning.  I have a few small piles of 3-5” cut offs limbs of apple, hickory, oak, and maple, and two small sticks of pear. 

Talk to friends, family, etc., and let them know you are looking for wood.  My buddy that gives me stuff was just burning the apple trees that he cut down in an outdoor fire ring to get rid of it.  When i told him to save me some, he asked why.  He never thought of using it for smoking.


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## old sarge (Jan 26, 2019)

I use chunks.  I get mine from Cookshack, Smokinlicious, and Fruit-a-wood.


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## Geos7812 (Feb 13, 2019)

Spent $40 on this load.  Unfortunately it isn’t seasoned and my first smoke didn’t go well because I didn’t realize.  Other than that, I think the deal is pretty good.  It will be ready this summer.


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## motolife313 (Feb 13, 2019)

I gave this guy a pretty good deal last week. 20$ for this maple. Maple is my cheapest wood tho. The other ones are 25$


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## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2019)

I get oak, pecan, and hickory free... I have to buy Apple and cherry. I get a bag of chunks for about $5~6 bucks.


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## dave schiller (Feb 16, 2019)

Last time I paid for wood was 30 years ago.  Three of us heated our houses exclusively with wood and would annually go in together and buy a fully loaded 18-wheeler log truck load.  That was about ten full cords and we paid $300 total.  So I got ~ 3 1/3 cords for $100 or less than $30/cord.  Heated the entire house for $100 a year.  Those were the days.  My wife grew tired of the smell, debris, and bugs that came with the wood, so I took the stove out and turned on the gas furnace.

I've never paid for wood since then and can get all I need (and more) from land that is being cleared for construction or the occasional tree that gets blown down.  I live in an area dominated by hardwood forest and have collected oak, hickory, maple, and other species.  There's wood products company here in town that gives away scrap wood (mostly oak) during the summer.  I have more than enough nicely seasoned wood in the basement.

I feel bad for those in the mid-west or urban areas that have to buy wood.


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