Now that we are finally turning to summer let’s hope we get lots of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy the wonders and joys of cooking on wood. Whether that be using logs on your barbecue, in a firepit, pizza oven, or simply over a camp fire, there is lots of fun to be had, not to mention the fantastic flavours that food cooked over wood can provide. So what would be my advice for the perfect fire and the best cooking experience?
1. Make sure you light your fire well in advance of your planned meal time – at least an hour before.
2. Use dry kindling, a Flamer natural firelighter and kiln dried logs -
3. Use smaller logs to start with, and make sure there are lots of air spaces between the logs, so stack them at a vertical angle over the centre of the fire. Ideally add 4-5 smaller logs, then leave for about 10 mins.
4. Dry wood is absolutely crucial and by that, I mean dried to below 20% moisture content. This will ensure minimal smoke, no spitting and maximum heat output.
5. As you build a good base to the fire, add larger logs, then start to spread out the red-hot embers.
6. Always leave an area below the grill that has much less fire and heat. This gives flexibility on the grill to vary the temperature of the food.
7. Only start to cook, when you have a good hot bed of embers – Probably best to avoid too much flame.
8. Make sure you have all your cooking utensils handy and ready to go.
9. Once you have finished the cooking you can build up the fire again to enjoy sitting around, perhaps even until the early hours! Nothing beats sitting around a roaring log fire and the lovely smell of wood smoke.
10. Finally make sure you dispose of your ash responsibly in the morning, once it has cooled. It can act as a very good fertiliser for your garden plants!
So, here’s to a lovely hot summer and some of the best cooking on wood experiences.
We would love to see what you do over the summer so perhaps pop some photos onto our Facebook or Instagram page for us to share.
Cooking on Wood
By Certainly Wood
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