Firewood Species I.D.

[paskewitzken]

My buddy lives in knoxville TN and had this firewood he was wondering what species it was.
He's looking for some wood for smoking meat and has alot of this but doesn't know what it is.
Its stringy and hard to split.
Thanks!
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[doc henderson]

any with bark on?  looks a bit like elm.  if so not good for smoking, but ok for stove or pit.  any fruit or nut wood may be ok.  this would be ok as the heat wood, for coals.  they call it pith elm for a reason.   :D.  others may want a sharply cut close pic of the end grain.  see if there is a leaf remnant ect.  can you cut or plane aboard out of it to see the grain.

[Tacotodd]

@doc henderson you see that now he's got some bark pictures up & my mind would like to know as well :P

[doc henderson]

now it seems like a spelling bee.  any end grain fresh cut, country of origin, and can you use it in a sentence...  oh sorry   :-[      :D :D :D.  @WDH 

[paskewitzken]

That's all the photos I have.

[WDH]

First 3 pics are hickory.  4th pic is a red oak.  

[Tacotodd]

With the answers that were just given, they would ALL work for your plans (at least they have worked for me).

[bluthum]

WDH I think the 3 rd pic may also be oak but pics like this aren't definitive. Especially if the sticks have been cleaved by a splitter. Anyway, trick quiz either way...

[SwampDonkey]

No idea from those pics, but stringy and tough splitting could be most any hardwood that isn't green. Seen it in yellow birch and sugar maple, axe just bounces off. You can discount yellow birch there, no golden bark. And maple bark varies up here depending on the soil and how well of a chance it had to grow. It can be smooth or knarly with black knotty nubs all the way up the trunk. Try that with an axe. :D

[Magicman]

I would say that you are correct @bluthum.  I could easily see where pictures 3 & 4 could even be the same stick.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Our local community butcher used to make and readily sold all the smoked sausage he could produce and I considered him an expert. He used hickory for smoking because people expected it but he insisted red oak was actually a much better wood to use. Looks to me like you are in good shape either way.

[doc henderson]

you want a wood that will make coals that last such a oak, and also wood that can be wetted and smolder at low temp and make flavor in the smoke (any nut or fruit wood).  do not use Elm.   :D

[Tacotodd]

Doc, you're not the first person that I've heard say stuff like that. 

[mike_belben]

A mix of hickory, red and white oak works well, all should be free of bark imo.  

Toss on more hickory if temps are getting low.  More oak if temps are good and fire time just needs to be extended.  

For rapid searing thick meats on open flame i always have trouble getting oaks to stay hot enough.  Thats what i reserve hickory for.  A quick, super hot clean tall flame to swallow a steak for 2 or 3 minutes per side or so.  Charred outside and leaking juices across the plate when you cut it. 

[doc henderson]

If you want hot temps to sear, but not the flame to char the meat, use lump charcoal.  hot, lasts about 10 minutes.  just right for a hamburger, steak, or bratwursts

[mike_belben]

And the lump has all the gunk burned out already so it doesnt make acrid bark smoke when you first throw more on.  Ive been meaning to make a charcoal barrel and do another batch.