Wood type for BBQing? These are the best to use

Making your own charcoal

In our Utenflamm BBQ you make the charcoal yourself. How fun is that! In the middle compartment of the wood-fired BBQ you start a fire. The pieces of charcoal fall down under the rack. When you have enough charcoal you slide it under the grill and or oven section to make sure it gets hot.

What wood can't I use for cooking?

For firing, it is important that the wood you use is thoroughly dry and not impregnated. Especially when cooking. You don't want any harmful substances to get into your food. For example, there are some types of wood that are better not to use while BBQing because you can get sick from them.

Preferably do not use wood from spruce, pine, cypress, amber tree, lep, Eucalyptus and wild fig tree. Even if you do not know the type of wood, it is wise not to use it for cooking.

Three different ways to add extra flavor to food with wood

When you want to do a little more with a type of wood on the BBQ, it is useful to make a choice in advance whether you want to give a light or heavy smoke flavor to your food. Oak and Hickory, for example, give a strong smoke flavor and are good for a large piece of meat and slow cooking. Lighter woods such as fruit trees are perfect for chicken or fish.

In general, you have three different ways to use wood for extra flavor while cooking; logs, chips or smaller chunks. The wood chips are for quick and short smoking sessions and you don't throw them directly on the charcoal (with neutral flavor). You use them in a so-called smoker box or you roll it in aluminum foil with some holes in it and put it between the charcoal.

The smaller chunks of wood are often used for low and slow grilling and large cuts of meat. You place these chunks or chunks next to or between the coals. Of course, you can also use just logs. In that case, make sure you have firewood of a type that matches your dish to add extra flavor.

What type of wood do you use to BBQ?

So just as there are many types of wood that you can use for cooking or BBQing, they all give a different taste. Not every type of wood goes with every dish. That is why we have made the table below. Of course, you can also play around with the type of wood and discover what you like best. But I think that's just fun!

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• Poultry: Maple (Maple, Maple), Citrus wood, Crab apple (ornamental apple), Grapevine, Alder, Hickory, Jack Daniel`s bourbon barrels, Sweet Chestnut, Cherry, Laurel, Mulberry, Olive, Pecan, Blackcurrant.
• Vegetables: Maple (Maple, Maple), Laurel, Mesquite.
• Chicken: Apricot, Acacia, Maple (Maple, Maple), Apple, Birch, Citrus wood, Crab apple (ornamental apple), Grapefruit, Mesquite, Nectarine, Olive, Pear, Peach, Plum.
• Lamb: Apple, Crab apple (ornamental apple), Grapefruit, Cherry, Olive, Plum, Lilac.
• Beef: Acacia, Citrus wood,Crab apple (ornamental apple), Grape vine, Oak, Hickory, Jack Daniel`s bourbon barrels, Sweet Chestnut, Cherry, Mesquite, Pecan.
• Pork: Apricot, Maple (Maple, Maple), Birch, Citrus wood, Alder, Jack Daniel`s bourbon barrels, Sweet Chestnut, Cherry, Laurel, Mulberry, Nectarine, Olive, Pecan, Pear, Peach, Plum.
• Fish: Apricot, Acacia, Almond, Citrus wood, Ash, Mesquite, Nectarine, Olive, Plum, Lilac, Beech.
• Red meats: Almond, Crab apple (ornamental apple), Grapefruit, Oak, Ash, Laurel, Walnut.
• Salmon: Beech, Oak, Alder, Olive (also nice to cook directly on a piece of cedar wood).