Are there any woods you can't cook over?

[Whitespider]

This time of the year we cook on the fire pit most evenings. I'm assuming you're talkin' 'bout open grilling, which should be approached differently than "smoking". When "smoking" food, the choice of wood species can be very important.

I don't have all the different species that's been mentioned in this thread available, but I've never found any wood that will produce a bed of coals to be actually "bad" for grilling over. Some would think elm should leave a bad taste... but it is my "go to" when I need a long, hot burning coal bed for things like chicken. Something that cooks relatively quick, such as beef steak, can be cooked over near any short-lived coal bed... but because it is a "sliced" meat it will pick up more flavor. "Sliced" meats are best over hard maples and oaks IMHO... but I've done them over most anything 'round here except Box Elder, and I don't remember any of them being "bad".

The trick is to build the right type of fire for cooking (grilling), and one the will heat long enough for what it is you're cooking. If the coal bed cools before you're done cooking it's near impossible to add more "fuel" to the fire without creating flame and excessive smoke... flame that will burn and scorch food, and excessive smoke that will soot-blacken it (not to mention it gets in your eyes). Some woods coal-up better than others, some coal-up faster, some create "hotter" coals, some create longer burning coals, etc. I like to use split firewood, small splits (like 2-3 inches), because they burn and coal-up fast and evenly... learning how many to use is a trial 'n' error thing depending on the type of wood and what you're cooking.

I can tell you that...

• Ash doesn't coal-up worth cold owl squat, and what coals you do get burn cool and fast... I won't use it for cooking.
• Walnut coals-up OK, but tends to ash-over rapidly causing a cool burning coal bed, stirring them to get the heat back sends piles of ash floating up into the food... it's hot-dog cooking fuel.
• Most pines and firs will make a bed of coals real fast (handy if you're in a hurry), I would rate both the heat and available cooking time as moderate... great hamburger cooking, fine for most vegetables and "sliced" meats, but there are better choices if time ain't a factor.
• Oaks and hard maples make wonderful coal beds with plenty of heat and time for most cooking... you can cook your potatoes and whatnot, and still have plenty of heat left for your "sliced" meats.
• I ain't found any wood that will produce a bed of coals that burns longer and hotter than elm, perfect for chicken (whole or cut), whole ham, whole turkey breasts, and the like... plus, there's still enough heat after the meal so kids can roast marshmallows and such.
• Cherry ain't the best "grilling" wood, but if you "knock-down" the fire just before it turns to coals you can get a pretty good "smoke" going that will add some unique flavor to sliced meats... I often use cherry for grilling pork chops, sliced ham, ribs that have been pre-baked, and the like.
• Soft maples and such are fine for burgers, hot-dogs, bratwurst, cheaper cuts of beef such as round steak, cheaper cuts of pork such as those "steak" things... for the most part I use soft maples for late evening "sit-around-the-fire" fuel.
• Willow, Basswood, and the like just refuse to make a usable coal bed... trying to cook over a flaming and/or excessively smoking fire sucks sour owl crap.

 

[Cheesecutter]

I never really gave it much thought, but soot is basically creosote coating on your food. YUMMY!!!!

 

[Whitespider]

If you allow the wood to burn-down into a glowing bed of coals (no flame or black/gray smoke) before cooking, soot will not be an issue.
From what I've seen, that's the most common mistake made when cooking over a "camp" fire... not waiting for, or preparing the the coal bed.
*

 

[old_soul]

This time of the year we cook on the fire pit most evenings. I'm assuming you're talkin' 'bout open grilling, which should be approached differently than "smoking". When "smoking" food, the choice of wood species can be very important.

I don't have all the different species that's been mentioned in this thread available, but I've never found any wood that will produce a bed of coals to be actually "bad" for grilling over. Some would think elm should leave a bad taste... but it is my "go to" when I need a long, hot burning coal bed for things like chicken. Something that cooks relatively quick, such as beef steak, can be cooked over near any short-lived coal bed... but because it is a "sliced" meat it will pick up more flavor. "Sliced" meats are best over hard maples and oaks IMHO... but I've done them over most anything 'round here except Box Elder, and I don't remember any of them being "bad".

The trick is to build the right type of fire for cooking (grilling), and one the will heat long enough for what it is you're cooking. If the coal bed cools before you're done cooking it's near impossible to add more "fuel" to the fire without creating flame and excessive smoke... flame that will burn and scorch food, and excessive smoke that will soot-blacken it (not to mention it gets in your eyes). Some woods coal-up better than others, some coal-up faster, some create "hotter" coals, some create longer burning coals, etc. I like to use split firewood, small splits (like 2-3 inches), because they burn and coal-up fast and evenly... learning how many to use is a trial 'n' error thing depending on the type of wood and what you're cooking.

I can tell you that...

• Ash doesn't coal-up worth cold owl squat, and what coals you do get burn cool and fast... I won't use it for cooking.
• Walnut coals-up OK, but tends to ash-over rapidly causing a cool burning coal bed, stirring them to get the heat back sends piles of ash floating up into the food... it's hot-dog cooking fuel.
• Most pines and firs will make a bed of coals real fast (handy if you're in a hurry), I would rate both the heat and available cooking time as moderate... great hamburger cooking, fine for most vegetables and "sliced" meats, but there are better choices if time ain't a factor.
• Oaks and hard maples make wonderful coal beds with plenty of heat and time for most cooking... you can cook your potatoes and whatnot, and still have plenty of heat left for your "sliced" meats.
• I ain't found any wood that will produce a bed of coals that burns longer and hotter than elm, perfect for chicken (whole or cut), whole ham, whole turkey breasts, and the like... plus, there's still enough heat after the meal so kids can roast marshmallows and such.
• Cherry ain't the best "grilling" wood, but if you "knock-down" the fire just before it turns to coals you can get a pretty good "smoke" going that will add some unique flavor to sliced meats... I often use cherry for grilling pork chops, sliced ham, ribs that have been pre-baked, and the like.
• Soft maples and such are fine for burgers, hot-dogs, bratwurst, cheaper cuts of beef such as round steak, cheaper cuts of pork such as those "steak" things... for the most part I use soft maples for late evening "sit-around-the-fire" fuel.
• Willow, Basswood, and the like just refuse to make a usable coal bed... trying to cook over a flaming and/or excessively smoking fire sucks sour owl crap.

Wow there's a ton of good info here!

I like to shovel coals out of the flames and make a little area to grill on. People always look at me like I'm crazy. As they char a hot dog over direct flames.

My neighbor used to save dogwood trees for outdoor grilling. Coaled up real nice.

 

[old_soul]

I've used TOH a lot in my pizza oven without trouble. That isn't direct cooking over the flames, but rather cooking adjacent to live fire. Never noticed any stink from it. Some of the TOH trees seem to stink and some don't. The ones I used happened to not be stinkers.

YUM

Don't know why anyone would want to cook pizza over tree of heaven wood, people won't even burn that for firewood around here.

Nasty trees, junk wood

 

[Ash_403]

Some good information here.

I have also found soft maple to be great for grilling out burgers, hotdogs, etc. It is plentiful around my area too, so no problems finding a small supply for grilling.
Mulberry is also nice to have around, adding to the maple for a longer lasting coal bed. I also use cherry wood sometimes in place of the soft maple...with little difference.

 

[bert the turtle]

YUM

Don't know why anyone would want to cook pizza over tree of heaven wood, people won't even burn that for firewood around here.

Nasty trees, junk wood

I'm trying to eradicate them. I try to kill them with the chainsaw, they try to kill me by dropping branches randomly out of the sky. So far I'm winning, but it ain't over yet. I've only got 5 left that I know about.

If I have to cut it down, and it is big enough to split, it is going out up the chimney. TOH, sweet gum, pine, I don't care. Properly dried it all burns fine. The TOH doesn't stink once it is dry, it doesn't throw sparks onto the pizza, so into the oven it goes. Pizza cooks next to the fire not over it, so it doesn't cause trouble. Once it is burned down to coals, it doesn't much matter what kind of wood it was. Works to heat the house as well.

I kept it 75-80 in the house this winter mostly with TOH and pine, with a little sweet gum when I wanted to go high end. Highly insulated house, efficient stove and a refill before work, after work, and before bed. No shortage of firewood when you can do well with what nobody else wants.

 

[svk]

I'm trying to eradicate them. I try to kill them with the chainsaw, they try to kill me by dropping branches randomly out of the sky. So far I'm winning, but it ain't over yet. I've only got 5 left that I know about.

LOL sounds like my vendetta with the balsam.

If I have to cut it down, and it is big enough to split, it is going out up the chimney.

Agree again.

 

[Dalmatian90]

From what I've seen, that's the most common mistake made when cooking over a "camp" fire... not waiting for, or preparing the the coal bed.
*

Something about that post made something click in my head.

In addition to cooking "over" coals, and smoking, let's not forget traditional roasting -- which they did in front of a fire, often with a "reflector" to keep the wind off the meat and keep it a bit hotter as it's turned:

I've read about it in old kitchens (there was even a breed of dog in England that ran in a wheel to turn the spit), I've seen it in re-enactment camps. Never thought of why before -- but for big cuts of meat like a turkey or roast beef it lets you keep adding wood to the fire w/o worrying about smoke or flares ups from the drippings.

 

[greendohn]

I smoke meat more than I grill meat,,we don't eat much beef, never have.
I build a fire of ash, hickory, pecan, maple,or a combination of at least a couple types and shovel the coals into the smoker. If I need to add a couple of small splits to hold the heat, I'll keep an eyeball on it and use a spray bottle to knock the flames down or beer. Sometimes I'll cheat and toss a handful of store bought charcoal into the coals to hold heat longer.
No walnut, locust or the like. Oak and apple are great but I don't come across a lot of it.

 

[greendohn]

If it's just me and a couple buddies sitting 'round the fire pit with open flames, it's good ol' Johnsonville brats, (sweet Italian) on skewers/long forks and indirect heat just off the edge of the fire ring.

 

[gilahelio]

Maybe a dumb questions, but are there any types of wood that you can't use for cooking out over? Is hemlock ok?

Oleander can kill, Chaparral "Creosote" can be toxic. There must be others. Toxins are how some plants protect themselves from being on the menu.

 

[TheLazyBFarm]

Here you go:


"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc. Also ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER wood is unsuitable for smoking."

To that list I would add: painted, stained or pressure treated wood or any type of finished wood (2x lumber)

From here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/guide-for-woods-used-to-smoke-food

 

[Whitespider]

"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE ... CEDAR. Also ELM... "

So how is it I'm still alive a kicking??
*

 

[Hddnis]

Here you go:


"Types of wood that is unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc. Also ELM, EUCALYPTUS, SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER wood is unsuitable for smoking."

To that list I would add: painted, stained or pressure treated wood or any type of finished wood (2x lumber)

From here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/guide-for-woods-used-to-smoke-food

That list is pretty much hogwash, for starters grilling salmon on cedar planks is some of the best eating ever.

Lots of pine used for grilling out west here in campfires, to say nothing of conifers in general, and other than making the big cities very liberal there are no known side effects.

A lot of briquettes are made from conifers too, of course it is mostly charcoal at that point so it doesn't matter as much.




Mr. HE

 

[crotchclimber]

I accidentally threw some cypress (Italian probably) into the bbq pit once. Then once I started smelling it burning I yanked it back out. It's probably the worst of the conifers in terms of volatiles that will contaminate your food.

 

[Bob95065]

I cut and burn a lot of eucalyptus for heat. I wouldn't want to cook over it. The thought of a steak with a slight cough drop taste doesn't sound too appetizing.

 

[peakbagger]

Someone told me that burning rhododendron was not recommended for cooking or even for a campfire