# red oak smells like cheese



## MattB (Nov 21, 2010)

So I'm splitting up some red oak, and with a few sticks I get a strong odor. I can't put my finger on it initially, but after a while, I realize that it's a smell very similar to an aged gorgonzola or something. It's not at all unpleasant--I confess to sniffing it multiple times--though others might think it stinks. Anyone else encounter this, or know what might be the culprit? I assume that it's probably some kind of bacteria--the same that you'd find in a rindy cheese?


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## Gark (Nov 21, 2010)

I've noted lotsa different odors coming from oak when cutting it, some good and most not so good. It normally smells like limburger to me.


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## btuser (Nov 21, 2010)

I've cut into both liquid vanilla and chunky vommit.  Whisky and dirty diapers.  Oak is haunted.


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## RNLA (Nov 21, 2010)

I run a tree co. and some of the smells that come out of the tree when cut are just not nice. I have been accused of not eating right by the customer when I came to the door for a check, wet pants and smelling foul, it is good for a laugh or two.


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## eddiebrown (Nov 21, 2010)

One of my favorite smells is freshly split oak. My son and I always talk about the smell and what it smells like . We decided it has a sour mash smell much like Jack Daniels. Funny part is we dont drink!.


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## CodyWayne718 (Nov 21, 2010)

The red oak me and my fiance cut up the other day seems to smell like cow manure!


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## RoseRedHoofbeats (Nov 21, 2010)

I wonder if it has to do with nutrients and elements the tree absorbed over its life?

~Rose


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## hareball (Nov 21, 2010)

south jersey red oak smells like cat piss


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## TreePointer (Nov 21, 2010)

CodyWayne718 said:
			
		

> The red oak me and my fiance cut up the other day seems to smell like cow manure!



That's exactly how I describe it:  cow manure.

Well, only some of the red oak I've cut smells this way, particularly pin oak logs with a type of disease.

The rest of the red oak smells wonderful, IMO.  Like oak boards from the lumber yard.


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## okotoks guy (Nov 21, 2010)

I worked at a lumber wholesaler and had to stack dimensional red oak into bins.
Even though it was Kiln Dried,the lifts still smelled like cat piss. I always wondered
what it smelled like being burned.


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## richg (Nov 21, 2010)

Red oak does indeed smell like cheese. Only, not the tasty kinds like cheddar or mozzarella. I'm talking fromunda cheese. You know, the cheese fromunda your toenails. Stuff does burn well when seasoned, though. The oak, not the fromunda.


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## NH_Wood (Nov 21, 2010)

slewfoot62 said:
			
		

> One of my favorite smells is freshly split oak. My son and I always talk about the smell and what it smells like . We decided it has a sour mash smell much like Jack Daniels. Funny part is we dont drink!.


+1 - always wondered about the comments on red oak smell - I love the smell of fresh split red oak - not sure what I'd call it - seems like a unique smell - definitely doesn't smell like poop diapers (I have 3 wee ones), cat urine (had a few cats in my time), or vomit (been known to drink a fair amount!). Cheers!


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## woodjack (Nov 21, 2010)

Same piece of freshly split oak: I love it. She hates it.


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## Wallyworld (Nov 21, 2010)

Gark said:
			
		

> I've noted lotsa different odors coming from oak when cutting it, some good and most not so good. It normally smells like limburger to me.


Anyone remember the 3 Stooges episode, Moe, Larry, Cheese, Hmmm Limburger. Awesome


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 21, 2010)

I do not find the smell of oak offensive in the least. In fact, there are not many woods that I do not like the smell of. That hybrid poplar we chatted about recently does come to mind though as one of the foul smelling woods.


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## DaleZ (Nov 21, 2010)

I always thought it smelled like ketchup.


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## woodjack (Nov 21, 2010)

DaleZ said:
			
		

> I always thought it smelled like ketchup.


I never thought it smelled like ketchup, but I always thought it smelled good enough to eat. 
"Waiter, I'll have the Seasoned Oak with a side of Ash." :lol:


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## dlaurinaitis (Nov 21, 2010)

The stuff I just cut up smells like pickles.


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## btuser (Nov 21, 2010)

I think the Jack Daniels stuff is actually white oak, which is used for the barrels (all barrels really) to cure the whiskey.


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## Pagey (Nov 22, 2010)

Red oak does have a very strong odor, but I have to say that I've never been able to say it smells just like "X," whatever X may be.  Every time I work some up, I try to pin down a firm answer, but I just can't seem to find anything that it really equates to in my mind.  In fact, I split some this weekend, and I still can't truly decide.  I guess I can only say that it definitively smells like...red oak.  Helluva fuel when properly seasoned, though.


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## Rockey (Nov 22, 2010)

Hmmm it tastes like chicken to me.


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## golfandwoodnut (Nov 22, 2010)

smells good to me.


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## ohio woodburner (Nov 22, 2010)

smells like money in the bank to me, which smells pretty darn good!


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## Badbob (Nov 22, 2010)

some times standing dead oak smells like pisswood


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## krex1010 (Nov 22, 2010)

I always associate oak smell with wine. I kinda like oak smell. And oak works great in the smoker, adds a great aroma and flavor to pork, beef and venison.


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## DiscoInferno (Nov 22, 2010)

I much prefer the smell of white oak to red.  White oak is sort of nutty, red oak is sour.  It does vary a lot though: quartered a whole bunch of red oak rounds today, and didn't smell much of anything.


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## billb3 (Nov 22, 2010)

I've had some crotches where water got in and rotted the wood and different   fungii and things were growing in the wood could smell pretty bad.
I've had one or two crotches smell bad enough with big thick gobs of white stuff that actually looked like cottage cheese that I dragged them off into the woods.
Clean  red oak wood smells nice though if you ask me - like a just sanded  brand new with no stain or finishing solvents redwood hardwood floor.


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## CarbonNeutral (Nov 22, 2010)

Red oak = cheap white wine

My favorite is Black Birch - gotta love that wintergreen


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## krex1010 (Nov 22, 2010)

CarbonNeutral said:
			
		

> Red oak = cheap white wine
> 
> My favorite is Black Birch - gotta love that wintergreen


Yeah I think they use white oak in wine casks right? 
And yeah black birch smells great, I always liked the smell of sassafras,  smells like Trix cereal


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## Flatbedford (Nov 22, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> I've had one or two crotches smell bad enough with big thick gobs of white stuff that actually looked like cottage cheese that I dragged them off into the woods.



That's not something I would tell anybody about. :lol:


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## bsearcey (Nov 22, 2010)

Red Oak smells good.  White Oak smells great.  I just smell.


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## krex1010 (Nov 23, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> billb3 said:
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Soap and water is good for that!


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## bsearcey (Nov 23, 2010)

krex1010 said:
			
		

> Flatbedford said:
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 :kiss:  :sick:  :red:


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## billb3 (Nov 23, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> billb3 said:
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Ha !
A good adianoeta to start the morning with a good laugh.


Throw _ that_ in the splitter.


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## OldLumberKid (Jan 26, 2013)

I googled red oak and cheese and stinky, because these pieces I split really smelled (stank) of uber-aged locatelli romano but much stronger yet. I had them in the van for a few days during a rainy period, and they stank the inside of the vehicle out.
The "pong" of the wood lingered even after I took them out.

They stank when I first split them, and again later, I split some of the large splits  into smaller splits (today) and they smelled just as strong of over-aged sheep's milk cheese.

I'm even speculating about slicing off a few strips of this wood off, to throw on barbecue in spring just to see what they might impart to the meat. I could put a patty or two on the Weber and end up with something that tastes like a smoked cheeseburger, without actually using any cheese JK 

Now understand that I like locatelli romano and other aged Italian cheeses, including gorgonzola, but this red oak smells 20% stronger yet than super aged romano.

I have to sniff it now and then, just to believe what I am smelling.

It's a bit nauseating in a lactic acid-gone-wild kind of way, but compelling at the same time. It's like a train wreck that you got to watch—but in this case it's stinky cheese wood that you just got to sniff. Reaaaaally cheesy.


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## richg (Jan 27, 2013)

I've always said that freshly cut red oak smells like Fromunda cheese.


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## Hawkeye (Jan 27, 2013)

Yesterday I cut a truck load of oak and didn't have time to unload when I got home - and parked my loaded truck in the garage.

My wife goes in the garage - "The garage stinks!  What in the H is that smell?!?"


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## BobUrban (Jan 27, 2013)

Not surprising that some find it smelling like whiskey or wine - both are aged in oak.  Oak certainly has an odor that is distinct as do most woods and learning to identify splits by odor can be a big help when you are presented with a barkless scrounge of X type wood and want to decide if it is worth the effort??


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## mikey517 (Jan 27, 2013)

Smells like money in my pocket to me!


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## Brewmonster (Jan 27, 2013)

White oak (not red) is used for whiskey barrels, but it's the red oak that smells like whiskey to me, and I love it. White oak has a blander but delicious sawmill/lumberyard kind of smell with a little bakery whiff thrown in.

Reading this thread makes me wonder if it's the wood that is so widely variable or if it's just people's perceptions.


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## Brewmonster (Jan 27, 2013)

billb3 said:


> A good adianoeta to start the morning with a good laugh.


Thanks for this! Always something new to learn at Hearth.com.


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## Fod01 (Jan 27, 2013)

I split a few rounds from a tree with a bad carpenter ant infestation.  Wow.  The smell off that stuff was horrible.  My son kept yelling 'THEM!'


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## red oak (Jan 27, 2013)

I love the smell of freshly split red oak!  Not sure what exactly it smells like though.  I like the smell of white oak also.  I much prefer the smells of these woods to the smell of poplar and locust, the two worst smelling woods in my opinion.


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

White oak smells absolutely fantastic when C/S/S'ing, IMO.  Has a vanilla-ish, freshed baked bready kinda smell.  Red oak kinda reminds me of the Olive Garden House Italian salad dressing, with lots of fresh grated aged Romano cheese on it.  Truth is, I love that salad dressing, so I have to admit I love the smell of red oak too!  Some are, however, a LOT stronger than others.

Would I want a fresh load of it stacked in the backseat of my wife's minivan for a week in the middle of July?  NO!!
But I love to walk through the backyard and catch a whiff of that drying in the summer breeze.  Like some other members already said, SMELLS LIKE MONEY IN THE BANK!


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## Thistle (Jan 27, 2013)

Green (to a lesser extent dead but still damp) Red/Black Oak really stinks,like a cross between mouldy Provolone & my feet after wearing boots 12hrs on a hot August day.

White Oak has that wonderful vanilla-ish/caramel scent,especially when fresh cut,not quite as much when dry.Reminds me of top shelf aged Bourbon or Single Malt Scotch.Love sawing/shaping White Oak in the shop,Black Walnut & Black Cherry is a close 2nd for pleasant aroma.


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

Thistle said:


> Green (to a lesser extent dead but still damp) Red/Black Oak really stinks,*like a cross between mouldy Provolone & my feet after wearing boots 12hrs on a hot August day*.
> 
> White Oak has that wonderful vanilla-ish/caramel scent,especially when fresh cut,not quite as much when dry.Love sawing/shaping White Oak in the shop,Black Walnut & Black Cherry is a close 2nd for pleasant aroma.


 I think this analogy just officially ruined my liking that stuff!!


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## Danno77 (Jan 27, 2013)

Red oak certainly has a unique smell. Most of the time I can't really put my finger on what it smells like. Not having anything to associate it with makes me just feel like it smells "bad". But sometimes it is just so gawd aweful that I remember why it's often referred to (around here at least) as "piss oak"


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## Thistle (Jan 27, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> I think this analogy just officially ruined my liking that stuff!!


 

Provolone isnt supposed to have mould,when its right I love the stuff too,I like it even better than mozz on a sandwich or pizza most of the time.

Though a mix of Gorgonzola,3yr aged parmigiano reggiano (stravecchio) & Swiss Gruyere makes some of the best ravioli filling I've ever ate! Not to mention fondue on a bitterly cold winter night! Just dont tell my Doctor.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 27, 2013)

I love the smell of freshly split red oak in the morning. You know, one time we cut a hill full of red oak for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find a single elm, not one stinkin' split. The smell, you know that stinky cheese smell smell, the whole hill. Smelled like . . . 
[_sniffing, pondering_] . . . victory. Someday this winter's gonna end...


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## lab17 (Jan 27, 2013)

I like the smell of freshly cut and split Red Oak, never had a bad one.  Today I was cutting an old burr oak and walk to the top of the hill where my dad was cutting a fresh white oak and the whole woods up there smell of that sweet white oak, that smell can't be beat!


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

lab17 said:


> that smell can't be beat!


Til you cut and split a big apple tree......


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## lab17 (Jan 27, 2013)

Maybe I should move up my plan the the old apple trees I've been eyeing in a retired orchard.    Sounds like I'll enjoy it.


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## tfdchief (Jan 27, 2013)

Never smelled an Oak I didn't like,  always brings up visions of beautiful Oak wood made into cabinets, trim and all things wood, and the warmth of it in the wood stove.


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## Paulywalnut (Jan 28, 2013)

I love red oak. The way it smells splits and stacks. My favorite pieces are the ones that split up
into perfect square rectangular blocks. They stack really nice  Crazy I know.


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