home made oak cubes?

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bCash

bCash

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I have a nice English Oak tree in my front yard. I'd like to cut a branch down and make oak cubes to put in a Bourbon barrel porter deliciousness.

I know that oak used to make wine barrels are "seasoned" for something like two years. Does anyone know if the "seasoning" is merely to get the moisture out of the wood?

If so, could I simply use a dehydrator to accomplish this in a day and be on my way?

Has anyone out there used home made oak chips? Anything I should know?
 
Most oak cubes come with some level of "toast" - light, medium or heavy - so you might be better off using an oven rather than a dehydrator, so in addition to drying them out you also get something similar to an actual bourbon barrel. I'm not sure how long you cook them for as I've never made my own, but you might be able to look at some of the commerically available oak cubes to determine what the different toast levels should look like.
 
I gotta imagine toasting green wood would result in a different flavor than toasting dry, seasoned wood. I would think the sap and resins in the wood would change over time, and it's not just about dehydrating the moisture out.
I wonder if the oak spiral makers use seasoned wood or relatively newly cut wood.
 
Gingerdawg, you are getting the idea. I'm not asking about toast levels, only about whether dehydrating the cubes would reach similar results as seasoned wood.

What are oak spirals?
 
Resurrecting an old thread...but, if I am understanding this correctly, if you wanted to make your own home-made oak-flavoring-chips/cubes, all you would have to do is:

1. Get some oak from a live (or recently fallen) tree.
2. Leave it somewhere dry for 2 years (in a garage, shed, closet, or covered deck).
3. Chop into chips/cubes.
4. Toast to desired level in oven.

Does the specific type of oak tree matter? Will a Willow Oak work? Red Oak? Should it be only the heart-wood? Do you de-bark it before drying?

I've actually got some nice sized chunks of Red Oak I choped up for firewood, from a nice fresh tree. They have been sitting in my woodpile for a couple months, maybe I'll toss them into the attic for a couple years and get myself a nice supply of flavor chips in 2 years...

Anyone ever done anything similar to this?
 
I'm thinking that if wood could be dehydrated for barrel use, coopers wouldn't let it season for 2 years. If it were that simple, the big boys would do it. I would also imagine the type of oak and where it comes from on the tree matters.
 
You are right on the money. Except that I believe the type of oak tree makes a difference. Ive never tried though.
 
LowNotes said:
Resurrecting an old thread...but, if I am understanding this correctly, if you wanted to make your own home-made oak-flavoring-chips/cubes, all you would have to do is:

1. Get some oak from a live (or recently fallen) tree.
2. Leave it somewhere dry for 2 years (in a garage, shed, closet, or covered deck).
3. Chop into chips/cubes.
4. Toast to desired level in oven.

Does the specific type of oak tree matter? Will a Willow Oak work? Red Oak? Should it be only the heart-wood? Do you de-bark it before drying?

I've actually got some nice sized chunks of Red Oak I choped up for firewood, from a nice fresh tree. They have been sitting in my woodpile for a couple months, maybe I'll toss them into the attic for a couple years and get myself a nice supply of flavor chips in 2 years...

Anyone ever done anything similar to this?
Click to expand...

I have made some oak cubes, but I cut them from scraps of lumber, so I didn't need the drying step. I used white oak, which is what barrels are made from. When I baked them in the oven my whole house was filled with that acrid, tannin smell from the oak. It's not pleasant.

Flip-flop #2 and #3 in your process. If you cut the green wood into small cubes first, it will air-dry more quickly. Just spread them out on an old cookie sheet or similar and store at room temp. You can probably get it dry in months, not years. Then toast it in an oven.
 
JehovahsWitnessProtection said:
I have made some oak cubes, but I cut them from scraps of lumber, so I didn't need the drying step. I used white oak, which is what barrels are made from. When I baked them in the oven my whole house was filled with that acrid, tannin smell from the oak. It's not pleasant.

Flip-flop #2 and #3 in your process. If you cut the green wood into small cubes first, it will air-dry more quickly. Just spread them out on an old cookie sheet or similar and store at room temp. You can probably get it dry in months, not years. Then toast it in an oven.
Click to expand...

Great info, thanks! I should have thought about switching #2/3, as the increased surface area can only speed up the process :tank:
 
The type of oak does matter. I use various types in my bbq pit. White oak gives the classic oak flavor most folks are familiar with. Pin oak gives a bit spicier flavor. While black oak gives a bolder,spicier flavor than the other two. I always thought maple chips might be fun to try.
Another idea I had along these lines was to use one of those home sized wood chippers. Using the seprate slot for branches that're up to 3" in diameter for some decent sized chips. then spread them out in a warm place away from kitty to dry. And def de-bark it before chipping.
 

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