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Any types of wood that I shouldn't cook with?

114K views 26 replies 23 participants last post by  YUP GEAR 
#1 ·
Living down by the Gulf Coast, I was imagining a scenario in which a major hurricane had hit and I had decided to stay put. Now, this wouldn't be a worst case scenario, but one in which I might be out of power and perhaps gas for a week or so, maybe 2. I was also thinking, what if I ran out of charcoal to cook with? What to do? Well, use wood i guess. So, if I were to go scavenging for wood, I was wondering if there are any types of wood that would be harmful to use, say by either imparting some kind of toxic effect to the food, or toxic fumes that might be inhaled. I know the more common types of wood that folks cook with (oak, apple, misquote, hickory, pecan), but there isn't exactly an abundance of those sort of trees in my neighborhood. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance. :D:
 
#2 ·
Definitely don't cook with pressure treated wood as it's treated with Arsenic. Also, make sure your not throwing on wood composite materials that are mixes of wood fibers and glue or wood residue and plastic. Ditto for woods that are stained, painted, varnished or coated in anything. I suggest storing up some good old hickory to have some great barbeque:thumb:
 
#3 ·
Well I wouldnt cook with pressure treated woods or any processed lumber. Playground wood was sprayed with arsenic at one point.

If you are talking natural trees, though not really a tree, oleander is pretty toxic. Ficus trees and rubber trees are more rare, but I wouldnt cook with these either. Marginally ones that you might want to burn last are camphor and castor trees. Not nessecarily toxic, but can make you neaseous.
 
#4 ·
Any resinous tree - pine, evergreens etc ~ Pine, spruce, cedar-evergreens of this sort are really not usable as the sap content can leave soot on the food. They also contain high levels of tannin, which is used primarily in curing animal hides. Oak also contains tannin so it would not be good to use. Willow or other soft woods are not good to use either as when they either contain too much water or when dry burn too fast. Fruitwood trees are my favorite followed by mesquite then hickory

Hope this help
 
#6 ·
Don't use plywood, particle board, sealed deck or pressure treated lumber.
I don't know of or heard of any American trees that are dangerous, there are some Brazilian/(rain-forest) trees that I wouldn't mess with..but, I'm not a scientist(I was a cabinet maker,woodworker, carpenter).

P.s. Don't burn them big poison ivy ropes..lol
 
#12 ·
Make sure that the area in which you get your wood does not have poison ivy. Ingested smoke from burning poison ivy can cause serious problems including lung damge. Sometimes, there are no leaves on the vine. The vine is probably dangerous when burned. If a person is very sensitive to poison ivy, it can be dangerouse to burn wood that had (but no longer has) poison ivy on it.

Other types of trees to not burn are
Oleander
Mountain Laurel
Rhododendrons


oleander

http://www.rlrouse.com/pic-of-the-day/mountain-laurel-blossoms.jpg
Mountain Laural (likes to grow by streams and water).



poison ivy




Rhododendrons
 
#13 ·
#15 ·
Out west, the predominate options for firewood are pine, fir, cottonwood and aspen. I've used all of the above for cooking with no major issues. As stated above, pines and firs can leave a soot on the food if its pretty sappy. If you keep to dry, less-sappy pines/firs it's not a problem. Cottonwood is good stuff. Burns very clean (altho it burns pretty fast). Cottonwood fires produce very little smoke, which has many benefits. Dry aspens make good firewood as well. In the western US, I am not aware of any poisonous woods. Heck, I've used dry sage brush for camping in the desert where even junipers are scarce and it burns good...
 
#24 ·
I got into an argument about this a long time ago with some on the site at the time actually threatening me.

So I am going to phrase this a bit differently.

Your best bet is to not burn as everyone else said, any processed or treated lumber of any kind.

Green wood (here is where I got eviscerated) is not good for a stove period! It leave behind creosote.

Seasoned wood of any med-hard verity is best but not mandatory.
Cotton wood however is in fact a good wood overall, but strip the bark off, it stinks like hell.
In New Mexico we also have Pinon (relative of the pine but not the same) and juniper!
Oak defiantly, but best to let it season first. Otherwise like wine it can leave a bitter taste.
 
#17 ·
Thank you all for your great suggestions and recommendations. There are actually quite a few oak trees around here. When I lived in Texas, that seemed to be the preferred wood to cook with. The famous Salt Lick restaurant in Driftwood, TX use a combo of oak and pecan shells for their fires. Man, the aroma of that place when you first pull up and step out of your vehicle just made your stomach get real excited. I could have sat outside of that place all night, just smelling that heavenly smoke. Anyway, I might just go out one day and identify the various trees growing around my house, make a mental note of where the best ones are.
 
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