Jack Daniels smoking blocks

[Jimbo]

Another choice.
http://www.infusionspiral.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Not a big fan of end grain. Those spirals basically create heaps of end grain. Note there is essentially no endgrain in a barrel aside from the tiny bit where the end caps are routed to fit the slots.

[Jimbo]

Here's what I picked up last night for $35 from Menards. Fresh from the Jack Daniels warehouses. Still smelling sweet of whiskey. Its a LOT of wood, prolly weighs 50+ lbs. Tonight Ill knock it down and rip strips to fit in my jugs that Ill light char all around.

Odin, sending you a PM. I have more than I can use here so no charge for the wood, just cover shipping and Ill send you a box of this. Cheers.

[Odin]

Hmmm .... okay .... let me think about it.

Okay, deal!

It was like 59 usd for ... 10 kilo's? Shipping I mean? Would that be an appropriate amount to ask for?

Thanks!

Odin.

[Jimbo]

Ok I broke that half barrel down. I was damn close on my weight guess. 49 pounds of wood in a half barrel. I ripped down 2 of the narrowest staves, then ripped them again width wise since they are 1" thick. There's enough wood here to get me and any progeny I teach the trade long past senility (and Odin). I have a few sticks charred up with a torch and soaking in water. They will take an extended bath in my bourbon and some other beverages tomorrow. Cheers.

[mystakilla]

Those infusion spirals are cool, thanks for the link.

[shawn2974]

I just bought a JD half barrel last nite from Lowes it was 29 bucks. This is truely the best way to go.

[Odin]

Jim, that wood looks delicious!

I would clean it up with some water, but not sand it. That takes the charr away ...

What do you think?

Odin.

[Jimbo]

Hi Odin, I meant I'll sand the outside surface only. Its dirty and there's a little rust from the bands etc. The char is left alone. I have some I put a light char on all around and is on some bourbon now.

Some experiments will be underway this week using this chart from NCHooch's post http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 64&t=28615 I'm cutting up some sticks 3" long x 1cm^2 or so and will toast some at 300F (sweet), 400 (vanilla) and 480 (almond). I will either age each seperate in a quart of whiskey white dog to check flavors or blend them and age in my usual jugs. My experiments are adhoc whatever strikes me when in the kitchen

[Odin]

I understand. Thanx. Keep us posted!

Odin

[Jimbo]

Update: Ok, Im a little perplexed at this point. I cut up a pile of sticks from the barrel below (3 staves worth) into, well, look at the picture. Then baked them in the oven at 300 for an hour. Kitchen smelled nice. I took a few out and cranked the temp to 400 for the rest. After another 30 minutes nothing was really happening except the smell quality was deteriorating. Well shit, this isint what I fucking expected.

I took them out of the oven and turned the heat off. The wonderful smell from the wood was gone and replaced with a plain empty woody smell. Nothing delicious like the stack of staves smells like. I think I basically cooked all the soaked in caramelly bourbon out, shite. I then did some research on the web. According to our own parent site, Jack Daniels barrels are toasted at 450 for 4 1/2 hours, then charred. Ok, now we're getting somewhere the wood is already toasted, so Im just pissing away natural gas in my oven, toasting them again.

Back to the drawing board. The first sticks I made I just split and charred with a torch. I think that is all that needs to be done with these jack daniels barrels

Anyone here have another opinion or experience? Dunder, help, I know you have years of oak barrel experience from some of your earlier comments.

[Odin]

Stupid Q maybe, but did you wrap them in alufoil?

Odin.

[Jimbo]

No foil. Cant imagine the coopers wrap their barrels in foil before toasting them for 4 1/2 hours at 450F?

Since Ive learned bourbon barrels are already toasted, just going to stick to a little char and let her rip. The sticks I baked will be smoker fodder

[Bushman]

No foil. Cant imagine the coopers wrap their barrels in foil before toasting them for 4 1/2 hours at 450F?

Since Ive learned bourbon barrels are already toasted, just going to stick to a little char and let her rip. The sticks I baked will be smoker fodder

I did mine on the BBQ in foil as the smell indoors would have drove my wife nuts, I BBQ a fish at the same time as didn't want to waste good propane. I will try and find pictures. I used the heartwood of a plum tree and thought they worked fairly well.

[Bushman]

Found the picture:

[Jimbo]

Fish sticks?

Nice color. Hows the plum wood compare to oak in your hooch? What have you used it in?

[bowhunt76]

for what its worth i make my own sticks much like yours. buy a whole box of white oak firewood for 8 bucks an cut em up onna table saw bout 3/8"x4"x6" planks and split em into individuals then lay em out on the grill and hit em with the mapp gas torch. i do one row of really dark charred till alligator one row of pretty dark and one row of lightly toasted (all six sides of sticks..works pretty good and i mix and match my dark an light sticks for what ever i think might be good...just sayin

one box of wood will make literally hundreds of sticks.

[Jimbo]

Just saw this if anyones interested. Koval distillery in Chicago is offering once used 30 gallon barrels for 120. Pretty damn hard for us homestillers to cook up 30 gallons tho I guess haha

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[shawn2974]

So after i have aquired the taste im looking for with JD blocks, do i pull the blocks out and bottle. Is the likker still in the aging process even when i remove the wood and bottle. I just dont wanna over do the oak.

[Jimbo]

Yes if you like the flavor pull the oak out. It will over oak over time if there's too much wood surface area per drink. Ideally you leave the oak in the jugs for years while they're hidden away aging. So maybe adjust down next time.

Yes it will keep aging without the oak. Aging and oaking are 2 different things, altho always done together. There is much in HD on aging if you poke around some.

Cheers

[maka]

May I ask why everybody cuts their wood into tiny little sticks. From what I understand the flavour, aroma and smell of oaked spirits comes from the wood itself not just the toasting or the char. IF you cut the wood in tiny sticks and char them how do you have any natural wood left. How does the whiskey draw any sugars from the wood if you have charred them all. Would larger chunks not be better. Here is the route I have taken.

I have my spirit in 1 gallon jars with 3 litres in each jar.

New white oak that is 1' thick (2.5cm) X 3' wide (8cm)

I cut 8cm long piece. So i end up with a piece that is 2.5cm X 8cm X 8cm or 1' X 3" X 3'

Toasted in oven at 400 degrees for 3 or so. As soon as it comes out of the oven I put on the burner (gas) and set it on fire on all sides. In the mean time I have a cast iron pan on the burner getting smoking hot with a little piece of tinfoil in the centre acting as a little stand for when i put the wood in.

WHen the wood is on fire and has been burning for a few minutes I place it on the tinfoil in the pan. I grab a lid and a glass with about 4-5 oz of water in it. When the wood has been burning for about 3 minutes I pour the water in the pan and put the lid on really quick. The steam puts out the fire and cracks the charring really well.

This still leaves lots of good wood in the centre of the oak for the spirit to interact with.

My .02

[Jimbo]

maka, sounds like you have a great process. the charring goes less than a mm deep tho, so there's lots of wood inside the sticks below, which are still way more substantial than the cubes or chips sold in bags at the brewstores. The cubes do a decent job too, and theyre small 1cm square maybe, Ive had good results. The chips not so much. The sticks are nice cause they fit in a bottle for those of us too impatient to wait for the gallon jugs to age up fully before filling a fifth

[Odin]

I would advice anyone to do some experiments with toasted JD blocks as well. Gives of a very pleasant tone. Especially on medium or medium plus grade.

Odin.

[bassassassin772]

So here's an update. I used 1/2 gallon mason jars for oaking. Used 1.5 blocks in the jar. It has sat for a month. Let me tell you what came out of that oak is amazing. it smells of a sweet cinnamon and vanilla combo. This stuff is so dang smooth. I am very pleased with it to say the least.

[Due51]

I just bought a bag of these at Bass Pro Shops. The aroma from the bag is amazing. I boiled one block and will let it soak in water for a bit before adding it to a jar of freshly distilled spirits. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.