Cherry as fuelwood-your thoughts

[Cold Is Dumb]

I usually alert my fireplace enthusiast friends when there's a cherry score available. It does smell fantastic, and I will always keep some around because the wife likes it.

Smells good, but don't smell much once the door is closed.

This is sums it up well. The fireplace folks will enjoy it more than I will.

Also, my experience is that it isn't particularly easy to split by hand. Not terrible, but keep a wedge handy.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I'll burn it. But won't ask for it, or go out of my way to find it.
Medium heat, LOTS of ash, about same as maple. Not one of my favorites.
Smells good, but don't smell much once the door is closed.

+1, agreed. Smells good, splits and stacks nice (for me anyways) ....not much better than pine in the stove. I'll burn it with hardwoods mixed in, only in shoulder season.

 

[tsquini]

I use it in my weber smoky mountain cooker.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I use it in my weber smoky mountain cooker.

I have heard alot of folks using cherry for their smokers...

 

[tsquini]

I have heard alot of folks using cherry for their smokers...

A nice high moisture content piece of cherry smokes a rack of ribs very well.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

A nice high moisture content piece of cherry smokes a rack of ribs very well.

I don't have a smoker but some of these posts in H.com have got me curious about them. What other woods make for some good smoking?

 

[tsquini]

I don't have a smoker but some of these posts in H.com have got me curious about them. What other woods make for some good smoking?

I find the best being cherry and white oak. With oak you gave to be careful not to use too much, it will over smoke the meat quickly.

 

[AmarilloSlim]

I don't have a smoker but some of these posts in H.com have got me curious about them. What other woods make for some good smoking?

Oak is the most common. Hickory and mesquite are the only mimic charcoal to my knowledge. Some swear by alder but I've never tried any. Apple is my fav. Pear and pecan are very good also. Maple is quickly becoming my go to smoke. Don't forget about CHERRY! In all honesty it depends on the meat selection, time needed, and a zillion other factors. I could answer which (common) woods are not good for smoking easier.

 

[Jack Fate]

love cherry ,though it'd be sacrilege to burn for just heat .Yes I'LL pay for cherry in beer bring it over

smokin' beer junkie

 

[mecreature]

I am burning a ton of cherry this year. I went outside last night to feed the dogs and it made my mouth water it smelled sooo sweet.
It seems kind of dirty. like all woods 2 years on it is better.

 

[bag of hammers]

love cherry ,though it'd be sacrilege to burn for just heat .Yes I'LL pay for cherry in beer bring it over

smokin' beer junkie

Similar comments around sugar maple came up recently (trees are thinning out, apparently). Not sayin' its better or worse than cherry, but I always think about the sacrilege thing when I cut one up (could have made some great syrup for lots of years). I even hesitate to cut down an old dead standing next door 'cause the pileated woodpeckers sometimes show up still and have a go at it, or other critters call it home for a season or 2.

Just gotta watch the footprint, be responsible, then I don't feel too guilty.

I'd love to try something done in the smoker with some cherry. All I need is the smoker, and some cherry .

 

[oldspark]

I'd love to try something done in the smoker with some cherry. All I need is the smoker, and some cherry

You got meat?

 

[D8Chumley]

Black cherry grows in abundance in the hedgerows around the farm. It has a tendancy to grow with poison ivy. And is prone to black knot and carpenter ant infestations. Ive had blow over storm damage with them due to carpenter ants.
Also...and this is a big one. Black cherry contains some type of cyanide which is toxic to livestock. Particularly horses.
So it ends up as firewood. No timber value trees here.
As far as burning...well Im an open fireplace in the bedroom kind of person. VS the gasification boiler furnace in the basement type.
If I had an OWB I wouldnt care what I burned. Like feeding filet mignon to a dog. If you are only in it for BTUs I mean.

That is true about the livestock. My sister just had to put one of her horses down because of this. She didn't know, and was pretty tore up over it. I helped cut them down so the other 2 don't get into the same situation

 

[oldspark]

That is true about the livestock. My sister just had to put one of her horses down because of this. She didn't know, and was pretty tore up over it. I helped cut them down so the other 2 don't get into the same situation

Black Cherry

• Poisonous part
  Damaged or wilted leaves pose the greatest risk; all parts are potentially toxic. Hydrocyanic, or prussic, acid is the responsible toxic substance.

• Symptoms
  Anxiety, difficult breathing, staggering, convulsions, collapse and death may be sudden.

 

[D8Chumley]

Not to hijack but are there any others that pose danger? She said she heard hemlock but has already gotten rid of them

 

[JustWood]

Being a wood vendor I have my choice of what goes in my stack and cherry isn't it.
If it ends up in there without extra work ,,,, so be it.! It burns OK and i'll use it on a warmer day when not as many BTU's are needed.

 

[Applesister]

Um..it was a forester that alerted me to Black Cherry. He said alot of livestock farmers cull Black cherry from their hedgerows. I have yet to cut the cherries down. I have a whole row of them between the house and my horsebarn. Hemlock has a long folklore history. But Black locust also.

 

[D8Chumley]

Thanks I'll pass it along

 

[Applesister]

Being a wood vendor I have my choice of what goes in my stack and cherry isn't it.
If it ends up in there without extra work ,,,, so be it.! It burns OK and i'll use it on a warmer day when not as many BTU's are needed.

Its true, after processing hickories, and that is heavy stuff. Cherry seems light almost as lightweight as poplar. This has been the first year for me taking trees from a woodlot. To do the 3 year ahead thing Ive been going after pignut and chestnut oak.
But in praise of Cherry and apple, the "scented" woods have their place. And its a strong place they hold.
There is nothing on earth for peaking your appetite like working outside in the cold, be it cross country skiing, woodstacking, leaf raking, snow shoeing...skating...with the smell of cherry or applewood burning in the stove.
Your clothes soaked with sweat and sausages cooking on the outdoor grill. Hot spiced cider..wassel I think its called, with Captain Morgans spiced rum.
Hot toddys, cherry in the stove and a good workout.
Yummy

 

[oldspark]

Your clothes soaked with sweat and sausages cooking on the outdoor grill. Hot spiced cider..wassel I think its called, with Captain Morgans spiced rum. Hot toddys, cherry in the stove and a good workout. Yummy

Party at Applesister's house.

 

[lazeedan]

I take cherry every chance I get. I also like pine. To me they have there place.

 

[Brewmonster]

Not to hijack but are there any others that pose danger? She said she heard hemlock but has already gotten rid of them

Hemlock trees are not poisonous. The people who tell you this are confusing hemlock trees with the herbaceous plant in the parsley family that goes by the same common name.

 

[lindnova]

I am surprised so many do not like cherry as firewood. I always thought it was a desired firewood. Sure it is not oak or hickory, but it is better than box elder or pine and splits easy. I use the punky bug infested pieces in the outdoor furnace so no concern there for me. It does make more ash in my stove, but in the outdoor furnace it holds coals real good. With the cycling in an outdoor furnace, holding coals is very valuable.

 

[BIGDADDY]

Being a wood vendor I have my choice of what goes in my stack and cherry isn't it.
If it ends up in there without extra work ,,,, so be it.! It burns OK and i'll use it on a warmer day when not as many BTU's are needed.

I think we all have our choice of what we ultimately put in our stacks and stoves.
Being a landowner I cut dead trees. Not all are the coveted hard wood like oak,hickory or locust. I have a lot of pine and I burn a lot of pine. It heats my place and that's what really counts. I take cherry ,walnut,ash,locust,oak. Just about any kind of wood as long as it's dead. My choice.
Pound for pound they all produce the same btu's. If you're a btu kinda guy.

 

[ohlongarm]

After reading many varied opinions on Cherry in other threads, I thought I'd do a poll just for kicks and giggles. Have some fun...

A lot of it here,a full load in a BKUltra burns 12 hours hot as hell,I like it usually leaves only baby powder consistency in the stove a lot like white ash.Like cooking meat over it in my outdoor fire pit.