Can anyone confirm this really is Hickory?

[Dfw245]

Found a good deal on some hickory. But he doesn't know which variety or anything. These are the photos sent, just want to verify they are in fact hickory since it's so hard to find down here. I know PECAN is from the hickory family but I certainly hope it is NOT pecan. I have enough of that here and would rather not pay for something I have in abundance. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bobbob]

Doesn't look like the hickory I'm used to seeing which is shagbark hickory, but could be another kind. Is it heavy and dense?

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I’m not convinced it’s hickory either.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Hickory usually has a very dark heart wood.

 

[Dfw245]

Haven't been out to look at it. He's not entirely local. Maybe an hour away? Local enough, but not for some random wood that isn't as advertised. It kinda has the makings something from the hickory family but doesn't look like shagbark or shellbark.

 

[MongoMongoson]

You seem to be doing pretty well getting scrounge wood. The best wood is free wood.

Wood for sale, an hour away, is not so attractive even if it really was hickory.

Stick to the free stuff. It is more fun that way.

 

[Tar12]

It does not like like any hickory that I have ever seen..

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Looks more like maple. Which is not a bad score either.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

looks to be silver maple.. definitely not hickory..

 

[Simonkenton]

Most BTU charts don't list pecan. I found one that said Pecan is equal to Hickory, at 26 million BTU/cord. Why don't you stick with pecan?

 

[stoveliker]

Most BTU charts don't list pecan. I found one that said Pecan is equal to Hickory, at 26 million BTU/cord. Why don't you stick with pecan?

I understood that he wants wood for smoking. Not for a stove.
So trying out many different species to explore flavors etc. So it's not necessarily about BTUs.

 

[Dfw245]

Looks like maybe it isn't hickory after all then huh? And that's why I post here first lol the guy never hit me up after I asked about what kind of hickory it was. Oh well.

And yes you are in fact correct, I tend to use pecan for smoking unless I just had an overwhelming amount of it. The BTUs matter less in that sense. But to answer the question, I didn't want to stick to pecan because I've been getting tons of that for free lately. Didn't make sense in my head to pay for pecan when Ive been getting it free as of late. And yeah BTUs listed for pecan seem to be all over the place. I've seen 21 I've seen higher than that in some places also. If I get a bunch more of it then I'll probably start using it for BTUs. But I have so much Elm and Bradford pear that I've designated as firewood, that would get burned first.

 

[Dfw245]

You seem to be doing pretty well getting scrounge wood. The best wood is free wood.

Wood for sale, an hour away, is not so attractive even if it really was hickory.

Stick to the free stuff. It is more fun that way.

Thanks for that! I'm trying, I really am lol I find it helps me learn about different types of wood and their properties. I can also get familiar with the visual cues and things of that nature(no pun intended). It'll help me start to recognize these woods for myself and help spread the knowledge. For example I never realized how many live oak trees were around me. My goodness, maybe hundreds I've seen and that's just in the heart of downtown Dallas. They really love using those as decoration huh? Nevertheless, I'll keep scrounging and scrounging and posting what I can. Actually, got a few huge rounds of oak yesterday. Maybe about 24"in diameter rounds. Huge suckers. But based on the bark, the very slight pinkish heartwood, the leaves, how easily it splits, and the slight vinegar smell...I came to the conclusion I have Red Oak. More specifically, Water Oak. Something id never heard of. But this site has given me the knowledge to realize it was red oak as soon as I saw it.

 

[Simonkenton]

I used to hunt wild hogs in central Georgia. Lots of pecan orchards down there. We would put a wild hog ham in the smoker for 10 hours, and smoke with pecan wood. That is the best meat I ever ate.

 

[Dfw245]

Amen to that. Pecan is a heavenly smoking wood lol Not quite my favorite as cherry is just amazing. And I've got about a face cord of that just sitting and seasoning. But with all the free pecan I've been getting lately, it will DEFINITELY get put to use.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

It's not a hickory I'm familiar with.

 

[Takenname_7]

Could be mockernut hickory, which is also called white hickory