What wood do you use ?

[muddy4x4]

To date I have used mainly Oak and Hornbeam to cook Pizzas. But I have been offered some well seasoned Apple and Cherry wood, which I hope will impart a slightly different flavor or just smell really good !

Just wondered what other people are using / recommend etc as I would like to get some feed back.

The most important thing I learned was you need the wood properly seasoned / kiln dried to get them high temperatures!

[faz]

And to avoid your neighbours getting grimly because of smoke!

[Fat Bob]

We use oak and chestnut as they are the most common local trees.

[DuncanM]

I currently have silver birch (I chopped two down for my Dad), beech - with a tiny bit of oak (bought from a log supplier), Cherry (a friend chopped theirs down) and I have a bit more oak from a neighbours work place that was about to be chipped. I've not actually burnt the cherry yet so couldn't tell you if it imparts a different flavour.

In pizzas I wouldn't suspect you could pick up that small change because they are only in for such a short amount of time, but something in for longer (like a roast) I would suspect you certainly could.

[rivergirl]

I have walnut ( criminal to burn I know but so far we have just used the sawdust when making planks etc) I am using hazelnut, apple, pear a wild plum and ash and this year have cut down a fig, 3 wild fruit and coppiced another load of hazel . Once the 5fruit has finished I intend to cut back all the fruit trees and will see what flavour mulberry and quince impart !!
I am soooooo going to miss this garden when we move back to blighty !!!!

[Fat Bob]

I thought it was bad luck to burn Quince as they were historically planted by entrances to ward off evil spirits.

I had one by the front door of my house in UK - never stopped the MIL visiting though....

We had a walnut tree that suddenly died my neighbour an old farmer told me to burn it in case it spread disease to nearby walnut trees.

Still have sacks of walnuts from last year - must make an effort to shell them and get down to the 800 year old watermill where they are warmed up on a wood fire then pressed for oil.

I just love visiting the mill the smell is fantastic.

[Tom B]

I've just had a cherry tree and a load of hawthorn given to me by a neighbour. He cut them down to open up the sight lines in his back garden. The hawthorn is very dense and heavy and will burn long and hot when its dried and seasoned.
I'm also lucky enough to be in a position where I can get access to the trees cut down by the council's arb gang, and take my pick of the logs.