I guess I'm a bit puzzled by your approach also – That goes right to what it is you hope you might be working towards?
Retarding all drying just suggests it will then be hyper accelerated when you dry-in. At the same time, overall MC will not change appreciably in the near term, you don't say what specie, White Oak in particular gives up its bound water at an almost geologic pace, but no matter what the sub-species, at the diameter you are talking, seasoning is measured in years not months.
Oak checks, often, it checks big. But for drilling out the pith, (a Maine company still uses this technique and specialty 19th ca. machinery to produce check free solid architectural columns) little can be done to avoid that. If you are in many cases milling one face flat to attach to the cladding, you might do that now and this should be the side closest to the heart, as an attempt to concentrate most of the checking there, where it will be hidden against the walls. (you could perhaps put these faces in the sun for a few, or kerf this face, to encourage this) You will of course, have to mill or plane this surface flat again after the checking occurs.
I say bark 'em and best with it !
