I'm a BBQ caterer. This is sound advice. Not to mention that if you do this as a business it is cheaper to source your own wood and let it age. I get trees off of Facebook Marketplace (free most of the time) bust out my chainsaw and process my own then let it age on makeshift wood racks. It's hard work but it pays off.
Yup- I take full advantage of all the free dead fall, windfall, and tree service wood that gets dumped out behind my neighborhood. Granted, most of it is silver maple or honey locust- which burn great, but aren't too nice for BBQ, but I did find a bunch of nice Sugar Maple- which definitely IS great for cooking. That went into my racks to dry. Marketplace is an excellent source, too. Anyone with a tree to get rid of- but not the $$ to hire a tree service- usually posts it there. Quite a few tree services will advertise fresh cut/split wood there, too- often very nice stuff, like sugar maple, hickory, cherry or oak- for very good prices. You just have to do the drying yourself. (they already got paid to take it down and haul it away, so this is just extra "icing on top of the cake" money) These days, there is also all the Ash you could possibly burn, thanks to the ash borer beetle. Never heard of it being referred to as a smoking wood (though it does make nice smelling smoke), but it works very well to provide the heat. You can then use smaller amounts of, say, fruit wood to produce the flavor. Which is useful to extend a limited supply of apple or cherry.
Glad to see you back sir. Your cinematography has great style and the depth of the knowledge you offer is top tier. This was a particularly insightful video on the art of bbq I haven't seen discussed yet. I feel honored to be an early subscriber. If CZcams has any algorithmic justice left in it you should be a top bbq channel!
I bought the 1975T workhorse pit after researching Franklins pit, moberg pit, millscale and all the above, settled with JD and workhorse pit, this is not figuratively speaking, I know a very good welder who has looked over this pit and is literally unbelievably well built and the draw is out of this world. The delivery service was awesome the man Robert treated us very well, great service
This is really interesting, thank you. It’s exceptionally difficult getting hold of seasoned wood here in Northern Ireland. Kiln dried is the only readily available wood.
Ok, I'm going to be that guy. My disclaimer is that I, in no way, will argue with your experience. I'm a hack who cooks on a kamado and a gravity pit. I haven't spent 20 years building stick burners. Here is the thing. I hear two arguments. One is that the proper climate and growing cycle of a tree produce compounds that, when that tree is harvested and dried (seasoned) produce good flavor compounds. The second is that kiln drying somehow doesn't have the same character as natural drying. My question is why? I have an idea but I'm not making content. Interestingly, I just watched Harry Soo (who I also greatly respect) talking about the lignin in trees being altered by kiln drying being a contributing factor in the wood being less suited for bbq. After some years working in paper mills, I can only say that I wished kiln temps removed or altered lignin in any significant way. I do think this video came right up to the point of explaining why kiln drying had a detrimental effect. My guess is that it is because kiln wood is "dead". The heat of the kiln kills most organisms that live in the wood. Bacteria and molds are stopped just as they are in pasteurization. I doubt that the speed at which the moisture is removed has much impact. Rather, the ability of the wood to "firment" just like bread or beer stops. There is no substitute for experience but I always want to know "why". I just felt like there is a little more here.
I like to know the “why” as well. In my spare time I’ve gone deep down this rabbit hole. I’ve connected with whiskey distilleries etc. I probably will never have an opportunity to document the findings or come to a solid conclusion. However, the “why” might be allusive, the fact remains the same, slow dried offers much richer carbohydrates in the wood structure. Still digging...
Another great video. I Wish you had the time to do weekly tutorials. So I want to initially cure wood in log form instead of splits to slow the drying process and give the sugars more time to distribute throughout the wood? Thanks.
JD - you mention anything under 20% - naturally, air dried hardwood. But is there a minimum moisture content of naturally, air dried hardwood that you would never go under? or is it different for different bbq cookers?
Not really. I try not to use gray wood or severely old. When getting smoke on the meat early, it is best to use the 20% moisture level wood. The drier wood will be great once wrapped or good color. It will be a better fuel source seeing that it is drier.
I hope it’s not to late to get a reply… if it helps, I’ve purchased and am currently waiting on a 1975 ;) I really like this video and am just now starting to realise and learn about this topic. The question I have is where should I look to find good naturally seasoned woods? I’ve looked everywhere online and it seems that any place that sells woods for smoking all kiln dry their product. Seems like it might be due to food safety regulations or something. If that’s the case are their any legitimate places that are able to sell and distribute this type of naturally seasoned wood?
Great video! I'm going to try to find some oak locally here in MN. Been using Homedepot kiln dried hickory and mesquite wood on my offset and it does a really good job. If it can be improved upon simply by using different wood it's a no brainer to switch! Thanks for the insight and I'll be sure to drop a shoutout in my next video!
Just found your channel you have a new subscriber. Great advice in a no nonsense way. Any chance on some advice and video on reverse flow and tuning plates placements. Just purchased a Big Boss reverse flow to upgrade my old Chargrill and using the baffles has been a challenge.🙂
Hey there. No, I still like this platform. I had to stop due to owning Workhorse Pits and Primitive Pits. We got entire too busy and for the past four years I've been living an unhealthy, seven day work week lol. Do I want to make more videos? Yes, I think I have a lot of content that is very helpful for the commercial and backyard BBQ and do intend on coming back. However, I had to stop until I could catch my breath.
JD, love your videos! I just ordered my 1975 workhorse pit. Now I need to locate some good wood. I like your wood cart that you show in your videos. Where did you purchase the cart? Also any info you could provide where to buy good aged wood in the Boise area would be greatly appreciated. I would be will to drive to Oregon or Washington to pick up some good wood!
I've watched quite a few of your videos and they are very helpful. What I would like to know is in the 1975 how even are the temps from side to side? Also are you able to cook close to the firebox on the main chamber grate? How much hotter is the area closest to the firebox in the main chamber than the rest of the pit?
JD - I noticed - it seemed you updated your el Bandido web site - the el Bandido grills seem to have a different configuration of fire Brick (deeper cook areas). I sent an email question to customer service this past Sunday regarding your new design - but heard nothing back. Are you still selling the el Bandido brand? Things seem to be quiet on the marketing front for that brand..
Correct We launch V2 to retailers Nov 28 We extended the sides 3" and removed the front ash tray for a more favorable option. I just cooked on mine tonight and had a ball!
Great question. I have a lot of aspirations to make videos and have a lot I am making but I started a company called @workhorsepits and we’ve grown from 2 employees to 22 in a year. Also have @primitivepits since 2015. So short answer is my day job is ridiculous. Thanks and hope to be back soon with frequent vids
@@Quetorials yea completely get that ! Sounds like you are super successful. Would be great if one of your employees could create your content! Or if you able to hire someone to do it it’s really great what you are doing keep it up !
Can’t taste a difference. Tried numerous places (famous pitmasters) and some used aged, some used kiln dried. The difference is something that maybe only a try hard foodie can distinguished. Kinda like whiskey sommeliers. The average person won’t notice a difference
Sorry, can't agree with that Darius. I can tell you the smoke flavor in kiln dry wood is 100% missing. The BBQ joints with hoards of people lined up at 8am for lunch (in Texas specifically) can attribute this to the wood over anything else. I know in the Texas Monthly Top 50 list, the top 25 all source wood non-kilned. Some cook select briskets, some cook prime briskets. We can agree to disagree on this one.
@@Quetorials spent years in Texas and love the bbq. Tried every place I could to include franklins and the difference between them wasn’t really noticeable (except franklins). Could be my tastebuds, but friends and family said the same thing. It’s great BBQ, I just don’t buy into the difference in wood source
I'm a BBQ caterer. This is sound advice. Not to mention that if you do this as a business it is cheaper to source your own wood and let it age. I get trees off of Facebook Marketplace (free most of the time) bust out my chainsaw and process my own then let it age on makeshift wood racks. It's hard work but it pays off.
It sure is! I do the same thing. Right after storms lol.
Yup- I take full advantage of all the free dead fall, windfall, and tree service wood that gets dumped out behind my neighborhood. Granted, most of it is silver maple or honey locust- which burn great, but aren't too nice for BBQ, but I did find a bunch of nice Sugar Maple- which definitely IS great for cooking. That went into my racks to dry.
Marketplace is an excellent source, too. Anyone with a tree to get rid of- but not the $$ to hire a tree service- usually posts it there. Quite a few tree services will advertise fresh cut/split wood there, too- often very nice stuff, like sugar maple, hickory, cherry or oak- for very good prices. You just have to do the drying yourself. (they already got paid to take it down and haul it away, so this is just extra "icing on top of the cake" money)
These days, there is also all the Ash you could possibly burn, thanks to the ash borer beetle. Never heard of it being referred to as a smoking wood (though it does make nice smelling smoke), but it works very well to provide the heat. You can then use smaller amounts of, say, fruit wood to produce the flavor. Which is useful to extend a limited supply of apple or cherry.
FB marketplace was a game changer for me. Was able to get more wood for $200 than I would’ve with $800 buying from big box stores
Glad to see you back sir. Your cinematography has great style and the depth of the knowledge you offer is top tier. This was a particularly insightful video on the art of bbq I haven't seen discussed yet. I feel honored to be an early subscriber. If CZcams has any algorithmic justice left in it you should be a top bbq channel!
Thanks for the kind words!
Other CZcams channel bbq guys need to call this channel out.
Yay I’m glad you’re back!!!
I bought the 1975T workhorse pit after researching Franklins pit, moberg pit, millscale and all the above, settled with JD and workhorse pit, this is not figuratively speaking, I know a very good welder who has looked over this pit and is literally unbelievably well built and the draw is out of this world. The delivery service was awesome the man Robert treated us very well, great service
This is really interesting, thank you. It’s exceptionally difficult getting hold of seasoned wood here in Northern Ireland. Kiln dried is the only readily available wood.
Yes, I've heard that. I know Jameson Whiskey imports American White Oak. Wouldn't it be nice to take some of their discarded wood.
This channel deserves so many more subscribers. Knowledge and production are top tier.
Awesome JD to see the videos coming back. Looking forward to seeing them.
Thanks Sam! Keep up that great cooking!
Awesome man!!! Happy to have you back! Love the videos
Hes alive!
Thanks for your videos. I’m waiting on my 1975 pit. Learning from you and others on here. Keep them coming
Ok, I'm going to be that guy. My disclaimer is that I, in no way, will argue with your experience. I'm a hack who cooks on a kamado and a gravity pit. I haven't spent 20 years building stick burners.
Here is the thing. I hear two arguments. One is that the proper climate and growing cycle of a tree produce compounds that, when that tree is harvested and dried (seasoned) produce good flavor compounds. The second is that kiln drying somehow doesn't have the same character as natural drying. My question is why? I have an idea but I'm not making content.
Interestingly, I just watched Harry Soo (who I also greatly respect) talking about the lignin in trees being altered by kiln drying being a contributing factor in the wood being less suited for bbq. After some years working in paper mills, I can only say that I wished kiln temps removed or altered lignin in any significant way. I do think this video came right up to the point of explaining why kiln drying had a detrimental effect. My guess is that it is because kiln wood is "dead". The heat of the kiln kills most organisms that live in the wood. Bacteria and molds are stopped just as they are in pasteurization. I doubt that the speed at which the moisture is removed has much impact. Rather, the ability of the wood to "firment" just like bread or beer stops.
There is no substitute for experience but I always want to know "why". I just felt like there is a little more here.
I like to know the “why” as well. In my spare time I’ve gone deep down this rabbit hole. I’ve connected with whiskey distilleries etc. I probably will never have an opportunity to document the findings or come to a solid conclusion. However, the “why” might be allusive, the fact remains the same, slow dried offers much richer carbohydrates in the wood structure. Still digging...
nice seeing you back my man
Yes another video!!!
Ahh yes JD back doing his thing! Love it! Keep ‘’em coming!
Bout time/just want to say I get my 1975t this month I am so so excited
Love mine
@@outnumberedbbq /awesome I can’t wait
Another great video. I Wish you had the time to do weekly tutorials. So I want to initially cure wood in log form instead of splits to slow the drying process and give the sugars more time to distribute throughout the wood? Thanks.
JD - you mention anything under 20% - naturally, air dried hardwood. But is there a minimum moisture content of naturally, air dried hardwood that you would never go under? or is it different for different bbq cookers?
Not really. I try not to use gray wood or severely old. When getting smoke on the meat early, it is best to use the 20% moisture level wood. The drier wood will be great once wrapped or good color. It will be a better fuel source seeing that it is drier.
@@Quetorials ty!!
excellent content! I am anxiously awaiting my 1975 from you all here soon!
I hope it’s not to late to get a reply… if it helps, I’ve purchased and am currently waiting on a 1975 ;)
I really like this video and am just now starting to realise and learn about this topic. The question I have is where should I look to find good naturally seasoned woods? I’ve looked everywhere online and it seems that any place that sells woods for smoking all kiln dry their product. Seems like it might be due to food safety regulations or something. If that’s the case are their any legitimate places that are able to sell and distribute this type of naturally seasoned wood?
I still remember some old guy telling me he aged his wood, and that’s when I fell into my bbq hole
Great video! I'm going to try to find some oak locally here in MN. Been using Homedepot kiln dried hickory and mesquite wood on my offset and it does a really good job. If it can be improved upon simply by using different wood it's a no brainer to switch! Thanks for the insight and I'll be sure to drop a shoutout in my next video!
I needed this video!!!! Thanks
Suggestion, can you do a walkthrough of building a Workhorse pit
Absolutely correct! Well done.
Just found your channel you have a new subscriber. Great advice in a no nonsense way. Any chance on some advice and video on reverse flow and tuning plates placements. Just purchased a Big Boss reverse flow to upgrade my old Chargrill and using the baffles has been a challenge.🙂
Where did you go? Are you on a different platform exclusively? I hope that all is well.
Hey there. No, I still like this platform. I had to stop due to owning Workhorse Pits and Primitive Pits. We got entire too busy and for the past four years I've been living an unhealthy, seven day work week lol. Do I want to make more videos? Yes, I think I have a lot of content that is very helpful for the commercial and backyard BBQ and do intend on coming back. However, I had to stop until I could catch my breath.
Thanks for the info brother, going to get a chainsaw and get my own wood soon so I can eventually stop buying the kiln dried stuff at the store.
JD, love your videos! I just ordered my 1975 workhorse pit. Now I need to locate some good wood. I like your wood cart that you show in your videos. Where did you purchase the cart? Also any info you could provide where to buy good aged wood in the Boise area would be greatly appreciated. I would be will to drive to Oregon or Washington to pick up some good wood!
Its been too long
For those of us without access to seasoned wood is there a way to rehydrate kiln dried wood? Soak it in water and air dry it yourself?
I've watched quite a few of your videos and they are very helpful. What I would like to know is in the 1975 how even are the temps from side to side? Also are you able to cook close to the firebox on the main chamber grate? How much hotter is the area closest to the firebox in the main chamber than the rest of the pit?
I can get the thermometers identical across the grate. Key is to open the door if it gets too hot near the fire. This pit is INCREDIBLE
JD - I noticed - it seemed you updated your el Bandido web site - the el Bandido grills seem to have a different configuration of fire Brick (deeper cook areas). I sent an email question to customer service this past Sunday regarding your new design - but heard nothing back. Are you still selling the el Bandido brand? Things seem to be quiet on the marketing front for that brand..
Correct We launch V2 to retailers Nov 28 We extended the sides 3" and removed the front ash tray for a more favorable option. I just cooked on mine tonight and had a ball!
Outstanding content Thank You!
Just found my second church. Thank you brother.
Where have you been? When are you going to make some more videos?
I came for the truth. I think I found it. Subscribed.
Well that was kind! Thanks for the Sub!
How come this doesn’t get updated regularly ? Unnoticed massive gaps between videos ?
Great question. I have a lot of aspirations to make videos and have a lot I am making but I started a company called @workhorsepits and we’ve grown from 2 employees to 22 in a year. Also have @primitivepits since 2015. So short answer is my day job is ridiculous. Thanks and hope to be back soon with frequent vids
@@Quetorials yea completely get that ! Sounds like you are super successful. Would be great if one of your employees could create your content! Or if you able to hire someone to do it it’s really great what you are doing keep it up !
Can’t taste a difference. Tried numerous places (famous pitmasters) and some used aged, some used kiln dried. The difference is something that maybe only a try hard foodie can distinguished. Kinda like whiskey sommeliers. The average person won’t notice a difference
Sorry, can't agree with that Darius. I can tell you the smoke flavor in kiln dry wood is 100% missing. The BBQ joints with hoards of people lined up at 8am for lunch (in Texas specifically) can attribute this to the wood over anything else. I know in the Texas Monthly Top 50 list, the top 25 all source wood non-kilned. Some cook select briskets, some cook prime briskets. We can agree to disagree on this one.
@@Quetorials spent years in Texas and love the bbq. Tried every place I could to include franklins and the difference between them wasn’t really noticeable (except franklins). Could be my tastebuds, but friends and family said the same thing. It’s great BBQ, I just don’t buy into the difference in wood source