Website design By BotEap.comI love to cook on real fire! Whether on a gas grill, charcoal grill, smoker grill, campfire, or even in my fireplace, cooking with fire is fun and creates unique and delicious aromas and flavors that greatly enhance many foods. But by far my favorite way to cook is over a real hardwood log fire. While a good charcoal and smoker cook can certainly give you some nice charcoal-grilled wood flavors, there’s nothing quite like a real wood fire. There is something very primitive and romantic about it, dating back to pre-modern times when food was cooked over an open wood fire.

Website design By BotEap.comMost people no longer use real firewood for cooking because technology has made things easier for us. Between gas stoves and grills and easy-to-light charcoal, cooking with fire is quick, easy, and virtually hassle-free these days. However, there is something to be said for a lazy evening, building a real fire and then using that fire to cook your grilled food to perfection. Sometimes I don’t want “fast” or “easy” or the bare minimum.

Website design By BotEap.comSo, for all of you like-minded barbecuers, those who want to get a little more primitive and a lot more delicious, here are some tips on how to cook with real wood on your grill, fire pit, or even in your fireplace. It takes some time and practice to get right, but I think you’ll love the results!

Website design By BotEap.comChoose good hardwoods

Website design By BotEap.comAt the heart of the large wood-burning stove is good wood that burns for a long time, is hot and gives off tasty aromas. Don’t skimp in this department! All of the smoked and roasted flavor you get in your food comes from its wood, so if you use bad wood, your results will be bad. So what is bad? First of all, avoid softwoods in general.

Website design By BotEap.comSoftwoods burn easily and hot, but they don’t burn as long and don’t tend to develop long-lasting hot embers in their core. Softwoods, like pine, for example, also tend to be quite resinous, and many give off pine or other strong odors that, while not unpleasant, do not go well with food. You can use softwoods to help start your fire, but what you really want for most of your firewood is good, mature hardwoods.

Website design By BotEap.comHardwoods are denser and will burn longer and hotter. They take longer to get started, but the extra work is worth it. There are dozens of hardwoods that make great cooking fuel, some of which have very distinct and delicious aromas and flavors. Oak is very common, which gives off a rich smoky aroma. I prefer fruit and nut woods as they tend to have a softer, almost sweet aroma. Some great options are almond wood, apple wood, pear wood, and walnut wood, if you can find them. Most people know mesquite and hickory for smoking, but they are also hardwoods that make excellent fuel. If you live in a vineyard, old grape vine cuttings are great wood for quick fires!

Website design By BotEap.comBuild your fire ahead

Website design By BotEap.comAs I mentioned earlier, lighting a hardwood fire can take some time to really get going. Also, because you want to cook with hot coals as much as possible, you want to give the fire a chance to burn down as much as possible before throwing food on top of it. This can take quite a while and depending on how much you plan to cook and how big your fire pit or grill is, this can take literally several hours to get the fire started, keep feeding it to build up a core of embers, and then let the large flames die down before to start cooking. It should be noted that while I generally prefer to do this type of cooking with wood over an outdoor fire pit with a grill rack, most people don’t realize that a wood fire can burn in most areas. heavy-duty charcoal grills, as long as it’s big. enough. I have used the large 22-1/2″ Weber charcoal grills with good results, as well as some Char-Broil charcoal grills.

Website design By BotEap.comcooking with embers

Website design By BotEap.comAs mentioned above, when cooking with real wood, cooking over hot coals is ideal. Why? A new fire, recently started, does not give off much heat. Also, there are big flames coming out of the wood. If you put a grill grate over this young fire, you won’t get much radiant heat, and instead you’ll have big open flames licking up your food. This spells disaster for grilling! Your food won’t cook on the inside very quickly and the outside will catch fire and burn to a crisp in no time!

Website design By BotEap.comTo avoid this and get the most out of your firewood, take your time and start early. Glowing red embers emit shades of heat and do not have large flames. If cooking over a campfire or large grill, start the fire early and keep adding wood over time to build up a deep core of hot, red embers at the bottom. Then let the top wood burn until there are barely any flames left, just a big deep pile of red embers. These embers give off a lot of heat, and because they don’t have large flames, they’re less likely to scorch your food. Only then should you attach the grill rack and add the food. If you’re doing a lot of cooking and the heat starts to wane, stirring the embers with a poker helps bring more oxygen to the wood and will increase the heat for a while. If you really need more fuel, you can add wood to the side and only push it, under the cooking area, when it has burned down and no longer has large flames.

Website design By BotEap.comgrill kitchen

Website design By BotEap.comOne way to get a lot out of your wood fire cooking is to use a rotisserie. There are several barbecue gadgets that can be purchased at barbecue and camping supply stores. These are basically a large motorized or manual rotisserie that rotates over your fire pit. This is advantages for several reasons. First of all, for large roasts such as whole poultry, pork, and other large roasts, it gives you a very even and consistent cooking heat throughout the meat so your food stays succulent and consistent.

Website design By BotEap.comAlso, for these larger roasts, placing them directly on hot coals can burn the surface long before the interior gets hot. Finally, the rotisserie can keep your food a fair distance above your wood fire so you can even cook over open flames without your food burning. If it’s high enough, only the rising heat, not the actual flames, reaches the food, which swirls perfectly in the aromatic smoke. Therefore, preparation time is reduced as there is no need to burn the wood to embers first, although some embers help provide adequate heat. For grilled leg of lamb and whole chicken and game birds, roasting over a campfire is one of my favorites!

Website design By BotEap.comkitchen fireplace

Website design By BotEap.comIn the winter, it is often too cold outside for outdoor cooking. However, many of us have a wonderful real wood burning cooking area in our homes, even though some of us don’t even realize it. Most fireplaces are used exclusively for warmth and ambiance these days, but years ago it was the primary cooking area in many homes. I love cooking at home and it’s not as difficult as most people think. For most types of kitchens with a fireplace, special equipment is needed. Chimney cranes are available that hold a dutch oven pot or kettle with a handle over the fire for cooking stews, soups, or coffee. Fireplace grills are available, which are basically a grill that sits on top of the wood grate in the fireplace and allows you to grill any amount of food.

Website design By BotEap.comThere are even fireplace rotisseries available that sit right in front of the fireplace and slowly rotate your roast meats. But if you do not want to invest in any additional equipment, there is always the possibility of cooking with a rope fireplace. Traditionally a way to roast a leg of lamb in front of an open fire, I’ve adapted twine twisting to roast different types of roasts, from whole birds to tri-tips. All you need is a long piece of kitchen twine and a screw or hook installed on the mantel above the fireplace. The weight of the roast slowly spins it on the string so you have a poor man’s roast without much extra equipment!

Website design By BotEap.comAn alternative

Website design By BotEap.comFinally, if all of the above seems like too much work and too much hassle, there are easier alternatives to infusing wood smoke flavor into your food. One option is to use smoking wood chips or chunks on a barbecue or dedicated smoker rack. Smoker cooking can really bring rich, aromatic smoky flavors to your food. However, because you’re using standard charcoal or gas as your fuel source, you avoid much of the hassle of cooking with real wood.

Website design By BotEap.comI hope these tips help you get started cooking with real wood to take your grill cooking to a new level of fun and flavor. Remember to always be safe when using fire of any kind! Follow all basic fire safety rules so only your food cooks!