? about oak

runingkind · Post by **runingkind** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:54 am

I have some red oak logs that are seasoned.Can I use these to age all sugar wash on?

I have some white oak chair spindles that have been varnished.If I cut about a 1/4 around the spindle to get all the varnish off can I toast them and use for aging?
Thanks guys

Post by **golden pond** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:39 am

Red oak won't have the same flavor, probley scrape the varnish off with a knife blade and put a good char on the chair spindles and that would be OK, I'd say.

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:17 pm

you could also check out your local wal mart or academy or home improvement store and find some Jack Daniels smoking chips. They are chopped whiskey barrels. They have that good american white oak flavor.

allen42 · Post by **allen42** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:39 pm

Thats a Great Idea Junkyard, I have never thought about that !! I always go cut a section of a white oak limb with the chain saw, then split it with the axe, they cut the ends off that were cut with the saw & then char em ,, lmao the chips is alot better Idea !! Thanks !!

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 6:19 pm

I've done the chips and they do not compare to the real deal in the least. However, they will be better than essences or bottled smoke+maple flavorings. Go ahead and try them as I did, but as they say...once you've had the best you will forget the rest.

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:11 pm

Grayson_Stewart wrote:I've done the chips and they do not compare to the real deal in the least. However, they will be better than essences or bottled smoke+maple flavorings. Go ahead and try them as I did, but as they say...once you've had the best you will forget the rest.

What do you mean by "chips" and the "real deal"? Your own chips as opposed to chopped up barrels? Something else?

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:33 pm

Thanks Allen42. It was someone else that mentioned them here first. I just happened to see them one day and thought I'd try. They have that Whiskey character that I couldn't find in anything from the brewshop. and its cheap.

I think Grayson is talking about a barrel? I have a small Gibbs. wasn't making whiskey till I got that. Nothing even comes close, but those chips at least have that same flavor profile.

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:26 pm

Hey Chemist,

I've tried the Jack Daniels chips that are sold for smoking on the grill and they taste as though they have some type of coating on them or something. I almost want to say it is a detergent flavor. I've tried them from two seperate bags. I also tried the pelletized Jack Daniels compressed chips (because my wife picked up the wrong bag) and they simple disentigrate and don't taste better.

By "real deal" I mean taking several finger diameter sized sticks of seasoned, dried white oak and toasting and/or charring them and adding them to the product.

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:45 pm

oops, not barrels at all...