leftover wood after aging?

[dunluce]

I have searched a bit but if it's here, I somehow missed it....

What do you do with the wood that is leftover after aging? How long can it reasonably be used? I assume it is a bit of a fire hazard once the liquor is taken off....do I collect it in one jar, let it sit a couple of days and drain what comes off of that (that kind of makes sense to me...)

Thanks, and sorry if I have missed this somewhere.

[Expat]

My used up dominos make nice smelling kindling.

[dunluce]

My used up dominos make nice smelling kindling.

If I had a woodstove or a firepit that would be great.

How long can they be used for....how many times?

[Toxxyc]

I'd guess only once, although I don't have the most experience in fireplaces.

Kidding. I've used my own oak up to three times, depending on the use. I like switching it up - virgin in whisky, virgin in rum, and then swap them around in next batches. Using virgin on whisky and then using it in whisky again to me doesn't give the best flavours, specially if it's not scraped or re-charred.

I'm no expert though. Most is used twice - once in rum and then in whisky with some virgin alongside it (or vice versa). Then it is stored in a tin in the fire cabinet for when I'm cooking in the Weber. Adds a really nice flavour to meats when added at cooking time to the hot coals. Use sparingly and don't smother the fire with it's own smoke and the flavour is great.

[NZChris]

I recycle mine into new product, Solera style. The older the better as the lignin breaks down to create new compounds etc..

I have tried smoking cheese with used oak, but was disappointed with the result. The likker had sucked most of the desirable oak flavors out of the wood.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

How long can they be used for....how many times?

It depends... on their size

The smallest chips themselves are OK for one time but... just try to soak the used ones in some cheap port wine for a week.

Then let them dry. I do it in my MWO (Achtung, Danger!). The MWO processing creates some nice caramel inside.

Finally, add them to your distillates for finishing.

Then soak again and the show must go on

[Saltbush Bill]

Depends on the wood and what you are using it for ....home toasted sticks ?, Dominoes as sold by S Dragon?, or some other sort of oak adjunct?
Mine often see more than one use..sometimes 2 or 3 times in various spirits.
Most end their useful life as kindling / fire lighters or as oak chunks in my smoker.

[BlackStrap]

I've been taking my flavoring sticks after flavoring my spirits, I'll add them to my racked beers... After that I'll use them for smoke on the grill.