| I love to cook over real fire! Whether on a gas grill, | | | | burned to a crisp in no time! |
| charcoal grill, smoker grill, fire pit or even in my | | | | To avoid this and to get the most of your firewood, |
| fireplace, cooking with fire is fun and creates unique | | | | take your time and start early. Red glowing embers |
| and delicious aromas and flavors that enhance many | | | | give off tons of heat and don't have big flames. If |
| foods greatly. But by far my very favorite way to | | | | cooking in a fire pit or large grill, start your fire early |
| cook is over a real hardwood firewood fire. While | | | | and keep adding wood for a while to build up a deep |
| good charcoal and smoker cooking can certainly give | | | | core of hot, glowing red embers at the bottom. Then |
| you some nice char-broiled wood flavors, there is | | | | let the top wood burn down until you barely have |
| nothing quite like a real wood fire. There is something | | | | any flames left, just a big, deep pile of red embers. |
| very primitive and romantic about it, harking back to | | | | These embers give off a lot of heat and because |
| pre-modern times when food was all cooked over an | | | | they don't have large flames, they are less likely to |
| open wood fire. | | | | char your food to a crisp. Only then should you lay |
| Most people do not take advantage of real wood to | | | | your grill grate across and add your food. If you are |
| cook anymore because technology has made things | | | | cooking a lot and the heat starts to die down, stirring |
| easier for us. Between gas stoves and grills and easy | | | | the embers with a poker helps to get more oxygen |
| to light charcoal, cooking with fire is quick, easy and | | | | to the wood and will increase the heat for a while. If |
| pretty much hassle free nowadays. However, there | | | | you really need more fuel, you can add firewood to |
| is something to be said for a leisurely afternoon, | | | | the side and only push it over, under the cooking |
| building a real fire and then using that fire to perfectly | | | | area, when it has burned down and no longer has |
| cook your grilled meal. Sometimes I don't want | | | | large flames. |
| "quick", "easy" or the bare minimum. | | | | Rotisserie Cooking |
| So for all those like-minded grillers out there, those | | | | One way to get a lot out of your wood fire cooking |
| who want to get a little more primitive and a lot | | | | is to use a rotisserie. There are various rotisserie |
| more delicious, here are some tips for how to cook | | | | contraptions that can be purchased at grilling and |
| with real firewood on your grill, fire pit or even in | | | | camping supply stores. These are basically a large |
| your fireplace. It takes some time and it take some | | | | motorized or hand-turned spit that rotates over your |
| practice to get right, but I think you will love the | | | | fire pit. This is advantages for several reasons. First |
| results! | | | | of all, for large roasts, such as whole poultry, pigs, |
| Choose Good Hardwoods | | | | and other large roasts, it gives you a very even, |
| At the heart of great wood cooking is good | | | | consistent cooking heat throughout the meat so that |
| firewood which burns long, hot and gives off savory | | | | your food stays succulent and evenly done. |
| aromas. Don't skimp in this department! All of the | | | | Also, for these larger roasts, laying them directly |
| smoky, grilled flavor that you get in your food comes | | | | over hot embers can burn the surface long before |
| from your wood so if you use bad wood, your | | | | the interior is even warm. Finally, the rotisserie can |
| results will be bad. So what is bad? First of all, avoid | | | | hold your food a considerable distance above your |
| softwoods in general. | | | | wood fire so that you can even cook over open |
| Softwoods burn easily and hot but don't burn as long | | | | flames without your food burning. If high enough, |
| and don't tend to develop long-lasting hot embers at | | | | only the rising heat, not the actual flames, reaches |
| their core. Softwoods, like pine for example, also | | | | your food, which is perfectly rotated in the aromatic |
| tend to be fairly resinous and many give off piney or | | | | smoke. Therefore, prep time is reduced as you don't |
| other sharp smells which, while not unpleasant, do not | | | | have to burn your wood down to embers first, |
| pair well with food. You can use softwoods to help | | | | although some embers help to supply adequate heat. |
| get your fire started, but what you really want for | | | | For grilled leg of lamb and whole chicken and game |
| the majority of your firewood is good, seasoned | | | | birds, rotisserie cooking over a fire pit is one of my |
| hardwoods. | | | | favorites! |
| Hardwoods are denser and will burn longer and | | | | Fireplace Cooking |
| hotter. They take longer to get started, but the | | | | In the winter it is often too cold outside to cook |
| extra work is worth it. There are dozens of | | | | outdoors. However, many of us have a wonderful |
| hardwoods that make great fuel for cooking, some | | | | real wood cooking area right in our homes, although |
| of which have very distinct and delicious aromas and | | | | some of us don't realize it. Most fireplaces are used |
| flavors. Oak is very common, which gives off a rich, | | | | exclusively for heat and ambiance these days, but |
| smokey aroma. I prefer fruit and nut woods as they | | | | years ago it was the primary cooking area in many |
| tend to have a milder, almost sweet, aroma. Some | | | | houses. I love hearth cooking and it is not as difficult |
| excellent choices are almond wood, apple wood, pear | | | | as most people think. For most types of fireplace |
| wood, and pecan wood, if you can find them. Most | | | | cooking, special equipment is needed. There are |
| people know about mesquite and hickory for | | | | fireplace cranes available which hold a handled Dutch |
| smoking, but they are also hardwoods which make | | | | oven pot or kettle over your fire to cook stews, |
| excellent fuel. If you happen to live on a vineyard, old | | | | soups or coffee. Fireplace grills are available which is |
| grape vine cuttings make great wood for quick fires! | | | | basically a grill grate that sits over your firewood |
| Build Your Fire Ahead | | | | grate in the fireplace and allows you to grill any |
| As I mentioned above, starting a hardwood fire can | | | | number of foods. |
| take some time to really get going. In addition, | | | | Even fireplace rotisseries are available which sit just in |
| because you want to cook with embers as much as | | | | front of the fireplace and slowly turn your roast |
| possible, you want to give your fire a chance to burn | | | | meats. But if you don't want to invest in any extra |
| down as much as possible before you throw food on | | | | equipment, there is always string-turned fireplace |
| top. This can take quite a long time and depending on | | | | cooking. Traditionally a way to roast a leg of lamb in |
| how much you are planning to cook and how big | | | | front of the fire, I have adapted string-turning to |
| your fire pit or grill is, this can take literally several | | | | roast a number of different types of roasts, from |
| hours to build the fire, keep feeding it to build up a | | | | whole poultry to tri-tip. All you need is a long piece of |
| core of embers, and then let the large flames die | | | | kitchen twine and a screw or hook installed in your |
| down before starting to cook. Of note, while I | | | | mantle above your fireplace. The weight of the roast |
| generally prefer to do this type of wood fire cooking | | | | slowly spins it on the string so that you have a poor |
| on an outdoor fire pit with a grill grate, most people | | | | man's rotisserie without a lot of extra equipment! |
| don't realize that you can burn a wood fire in most | | | | An Alternative |
| heavy duty charcoal grills as long as it is big enough. I | | | | Finally, if all of the above seems like too much work |
| have used the large Weber 22-1/2" charcoal kettle | | | | and too much hassle there are easier alternatives to |
| grills to good effect as well as some Char-Broil | | | | infuse wood smoke flavor into your food. Using |
| charcoal grills. | | | | smoking wood chips or chunks in either a barbecue |
| Cook with Embers | | | | or dedicated smoker grill is an option. Smoker cooking |
| As mentioned above, when cooking with real | | | | can really give you rich, aromatic smoke flavors in |
| firewood, cooking over the hot embers is ideal. Why? | | | | your foods. However, because you are using |
| A new fire, which has just been started does not | | | | standard charcoal or gas as a fuel source, you avoid |
| give off much heat. Additionally, there are large | | | | much of the hassle of cooking with real firewood. |
| flames coming up from the wood. If you lay a grill | | | | I hope these tips help to get you started cooking |
| grate across this young fire, you will not get much | | | | with real firewood to bring your grill cooking to a new |
| radiant heat and instead will have big open flames | | | | level of fun and flavor. Remember to always be safe |
| lapping up around your food. This spells disaster for | | | | when using fire of any type! Follow all basic fire |
| grill cooking! Your food will not cook on the inside | | | | safety rules so that only your food gets cooked! |
| very fast and the outside will catch fire and get | | | | |