Quercus stellata, commonly called post oak, is a medium-sized deciduous oak of the white oak group that typically grows 35-50′ tall with a rounded crown. It is called post oak because its durable wood has been used for fence posts.

What is the difference between Live oak and post oak?

The leaves of Post oak are a very distinctive, cross-shape, usually 5-lobed with the two middle lobes opposite, Leaves are 4–7 inches long, and 3–4 inches wide. Live oak leaves are usually narrow to a long oval and are stiff. That may be as long as 5 to 6inches. Live oaks drop their leaves in the spring.

What are post oak trees used for?

Common Uses: Fence posts, cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, barrels, and veneer. Comments: Post Oak falls into the white oak group, and shares many of the same traits as White Oak (Quercus alba). White Oak, along with its brother Red Oak, are commonly used domestic lumber species.

Are post oak good trees?

The post oak has a high heat tolerance and a low water requirement, making them a common tree around Austin and the Central Texas area. It likes a dry, sandy soil, and is often seen growing with blackjack oak. The post oak leaf has a unique cross shape, not unlike the Maltese cross.

What's the difference between post oak and white oak?

Post oak, another species in the white oak group, is the same density as white oak, but is about 10 percent weaker and 20 percent more bendable. … Post oak got its name because it is widely used for fence posts and has excellent natural decay resistance so it lasts for decades.

Is post oak good for BBQ?

The flavor of post oak is tried and true in Texas barbecue, it is readily available at a reasonable cost, and many providers can deliver it with a specific moisture content.

Is post oak good firewood?

Post Oak is a Woodchuck staple, and for good reason. Firewood from the Post Oak tree burns long and slow and produces very little soot, making it not only great for the fireplace, but for barbeque as well. A cord of Post Oak produces 27.9 million BTUs, making it the optimal choice for firewood in terms of heat.

Is post oak good smoking?

The smoke from post oak will go great with any cut of beef and wont over power its flavor. … If cooking steaks post oak is a great choice for it burns at a high temperature. With brisket its a milder, sweeter smoke and will slowly build its flavor over the fourteen to eighteen hour cook.

Do post oak trees have acorns?

The twigs are notably thickset also with yellow fuzz, and the bark can appear similar to white oak; however, post oak is darker and has more defined vertical scaly ridges. The acorns are ovoid and 1/2 to 2/3 inches long with a bowl shaped cup. The wood is heavy, hard and strong and used for posts and railroad ties.

How can you tell if wood is post oak?

Post oak is frequently identified by its cross-shaped leaves. Though the lobes of the leaves are often so, they vary in shape by population and region, and the characteristic is therefore not a reliable one for purposes of identification.

Article first time published on

Do deer like post oak acorns?

Acorns in the white oak family mature (from flower to falling off the tree) in only 6 months, and a few well-known examples of this family include white, swamp white, overcup, bur, swamp chestnut, chestnut, chinkapin, live and post oak. …

How strong is an oak post?

Wood SpeciesSpecific Gravity*Bending Strength (psi)Maple, Hard0.6315,800Maple, Soft0.5413,400Oak, Red0.6314,300Oak, White0.6815,200

How fast does a post oak tree grow?

They are among the last trees to leaf out in the spring and one of the earliest to stop growing, which contribute to their slow growth rate. The average post oak takes more than ten years to grow 2” in trunk diameter.

What does Texas post oak look like?

Simple, alternate, usuallv 4″ to 6″ long and nearly as broad, highly variable but typically 5-lobed, no bristle-tips, the lobes broadest at the ends and often forming a “cross” shape, thick and somewhat leathery, dark green and shiny on the upper surface, lighter green and finely-pubescent beneath.

What kind of oak is post oak?

Wangenh. Quercus stellata, the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to rot, fire, and drought.

What does post oak taste like?

One of the many uses of white oak is the production of whisky barrels, and if you use white oak or post oak for barbecue, you’ll notice the smoke gives the meat a slightly sweet, vanilla-tinged flavor similar to a Kentucky bourbon.

What is the difference between oak and post oak for smoking?

Post oak is still hardwood but it’s not quite as smoky as red oak or live oak. Also, that’s what grows around here like crazy.” That’s one of the intriguing things about how experienced cooks approach their wood. The flavor of smoke is essential to barbecue, but you can have too much of a good thing.

Is Post oak good for pizza ovens?

The best woods for burning in your pizza oven are undoubtedly seasoned and dried hardwoods such as oak, maple, and ash. … This means that they give off more heat for the same quantity of wood, making them an ideal choice as they are capable of providing the scorching temperatures required by wood-burning pizza ovens.

What wood should you not burn?

Watch out for any wood covered with vines. Burning poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, or pretty much anything else with “poison” in the name releases the irritant oil urushiol into the smoke. Breathing it in can cause lung irritation and severe allergic respiratory problems, the Centers for Disease Control state.

What is the best firewood to burn in fireplace?

Hardwood Firewood Hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash, birch, and most fruit trees are the best burning woods that will give you a hotter and longer burn time. These woods have the least pitch and sap and are generally cleaner to handle.

Is Post Oak good for brisket?

Oak is well suited to smoking brisket, partly because it burns for a long time, so it’s perfect for extended sessions, but also because the medium-potency smoke flavor is a crowd-pleaser.

Can you smoke pork with Post Oak?

Prepare Smoker for indirect cooking at 275⁰ using chunks of Post Oak added to the hot coals for smoke flavor. … Place the Pork Butt on the smoker and cook for 4-5 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165-170 degrees.

What do you smoke with Post Oak?

Post Oak BBQ wood chips impart the perfect subtle balanced flavor of smoky and mild, and pair great with just about any protein or vegetable, as well as any rub or seasoning. They are often used for brisket, ribs and lamb. Great for beef, chicken and lamb.

How deep are post oak roots?

Most oak tree roots lie only 18 inches under the soil. They may spread, though, to occupy a space four to seven times the width of the tree’s crown. Root hairs, located just back from the tips of the smaller roots, absorb water and minerals and send them circulating through the root system.

Do post oaks have catkins?

Like other Quercus spp. (oaks), Post Oak is monoecious, producing separate male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on the same tree. Male flowers are produced in drooping yellowish catkins about 2-4″ long. … The flowers are cross-pollinated by the wind.

Are post oaks deciduous?

GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Post oak is a long-lived, native, deciduous tree with a crown of horizontal branches.

Can you smoke chicken with Post oak?

Oak wood is an excellent choice for smoking chicken. Oak’s medium smoke profile is the perfect blend of smokiness and complementing the chicken’s natural flavor. Oak is strong than apple and cherry, but not as harsh as hickory or mesquite. It gives you a bit of smoke without overpowering your bird.

Can you smoke ribs with Post oak?

Post Oak Wood Oak is another popular smoke wood flavor you can use to smoke ribs. … If you like Texas-style BBQ, then Oak wood chips will be one of your favorite choices. Oak chips produce a smooth taste and are perfect to compliment the perfect rub or seasoning on smoked ribs.

Which oak smoke is best?

Red Oak. Red Oak is the king of hardwoods and oaks, especially when it comes to smoking meats. Oak is strong, but it does not tend to overpower the taste and texture of the meat. If you are cooking or smoking beef or lamb, this is the best hardwood to use.

How tall do post oaks get?

The post oak is a medium sized tree with slower growth than most other oak species. Average height is 30 to 50 feet tall, and 12 to 24 inches in diameter, but it can reach heights of 75 feet. It is drought tolerant and typically grows in well drained, dry, sandy or loamy soil.

Is Live Oak good for BBQ?

Using wood for a barbecue gives your meat a rich and smoky flavor. Oak wood is suitable for game, like elk or deer, fish and even red meat. … Live oak trees are appropriate for barbecue cooking, though you must use caution and select the right type of wood.