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We have brought back some old oak rafters that were laying around our house in France, primarily to make some legs for a table to go on a very large piece of oak that was also lying around. Consequently I have a large pile of shavings and sawdust. Question is, will they be safe to use for smoking? They must be about 200 years old.

Cheers

Jen

My honest answer is , I dont know !
But that isnt very helpful is it !

If it were mine I would wonder if it had ever been given any preservative treatment against wood borers, ie. French equiv. of Rentokil, in its lifetime. (or dead time !)
Also I would wonder if there were any worthwhile flavoursome volatiles left after all that time.

I think I would look for virgin woodland oak or food-use oak like whisky barrels.

but whaduIknow

If they have ever been treated with any lead containing finish, then the answer is no. The lead could hitch a ride on the smoke particles and poison the meat.

Thanks for the replies guys, I think I will consign this lot to the bin. One plus, it made him keep the workshop tidy collecting all the shavings up for me, and they have made a beautiful set of legs for the table, once they were planed down.

Thanks again

Jen