Other Reclaimed Oak Staves

[roger80465]

I was in Sur la Table today and noticed they have oak staves from reclaimed oak barrels, for use on the BBQ. They sell them in 32 oz bundles and each stave I guess to be 8" long and about 1" square. They sell for $14.95 per bundle. They would seem to be a very economical option for all who want to add some light/untoasted oak to a wine. Has anyone used these staves? What do you think? Any potential?

 

[robie]

They are likely all used up, or they would not have dismantled the barrels from which they came. There is a limit as to how long a piece of oak will give off its oak flavoring, toasted or not.


The BBQ can still benefit because well below the inside surface of each stave, the oak is still reasonably fresh. I guess you could grind/sand off the surface down to bare oak, but why bother? Oak cubes/staves/spirals are fairly cheap and reliable.