What is a wood-fired grill?
A wood-fired grill consists of a support structure with food grates positioned directly above a wood pit. It can range from a simple setup, like a hole in the ground with a grate on top, to a more elaborate design such as an Argentine-style parrilla grill (also known as a gaucho grill). The latter features a crank mechanism to raise and lower the grate during asados, or barbecues, allowing for precise control over the cooking temperature.
While grilling is typically an outdoor activity (especially when a lot of smoke is involved), fireplaces, chimneys, pizza ovens, and brick ovens can all function as wood-fired grills if a metal grate is positioned above the heat source.
The Braciere Malatesta grill is a large, antique charcoal grill primarily fueled by charcoal, but more often by the embers from our wood-fired oven. We use Casentino ash and hornbeam wood to create these embers, infusing the grill with a unique, smoky flavor.
Why use a wood-fired grill?
A wood-fired grill is one of the simplest and most straightforward cooking methods, offering a unique advantage over gas or charcoal grills by imparting the rich flavor of wood smoke, which contains over a thousand aromatic compounds. The ability to manipulate the heat source in a wood-fired grill adds versatility to your cooking: you can quickly sear a steak over high heat or slowly cook tougher vegetables on the cooler side of the fire.
What is the difference between wood-fired grilling and barbecue?
While both wood-fired grilling and traditional barbecue use wood as a fuel source, they represent fundamentally different cooking techniques. Barbecue relies on very low temperatures to cook food indirectly through smoke, whereas wood-fired grilling is a direct-heat method that uses very high temperatures to cook food quickly.
To prepare barbecue, grillers typically use an offset smoker, where the cooking chamber is separate from the firebox, which houses the fuel. Depending on the type of wood-fired grill you have, you can mimic this effect by positioning all the fuel on one side of the grill, creating a two-zone fire. In this setup, food placed directly over the fire receives direct radiant heat, while food positioned away from the fuel receives indirect convective heat.
How to choose the best wood for cooking?
Before you even start building a fire, you need to choose your wood. When choosing wood for barbecue, keep a few dos and don’ts in mind:
DO use wood that has been naturally aged outdoors for six months to a year. This drying process is called seasoning. A piece of freshly cut wood, known as green wood, has too much internal moisture, which will produce more smoke as the wood burns and slow the combustion process.
DON’T buy wood that has been kiln-dried or seasoned in an oven or kiln. Exposure to high heat makes the wood extremely dry, which causes it to burn faster and lose flavor.
DO have more wood on hand than you think you’ll need for your cook, especially if you’re using wood as your primary fuel source instead of charcoal or briquettes.
DO have a good mix of wood in terms of density, size, and quality. Drier, lighter pieces will burn much faster than denser, heavier pieces, but they also won’t produce the amount of clean, flavorful smoke you’d like to impart on the meat. Both will come in handy at different stages of the process.
DO source your wood from dead trees due to natural causes like drought, disease, or insects.
DON’T use wood that may have been exposed to paint, stain, or other chemicals. Wood scraps from a lumberyard are a bad idea.
DON’T use wood covered in mold or fungus.
DON’T use softwoods like spruce, pine, or fir. These woods are higher in resin and oils and produce thick, acrid smoke when lit. Only cook with hardwoods, such as pecan, mesquite, alder, and fruitwoods like apple.
What is a charcoal grill?
A charcoal grill is an outdoor cooking appliance with cooking grates positioned above a charcoal grate. Charcoal grills are designed to hold charcoal briquettes, not burning wood, but, depending on the model, you may be able to add wood to a charcoal grill to barbecue at home.
Cooking with fire
First, it’s important to define barbecue because the term can mean different things depending on cultures or geographic locations. In its most basic essence, barbecue is the process of cooking food over an open flame: what distinguishes barbecue from other cooking methods is how the heat reaches the food.
Defining Barbecue
First, it’s important to define barbecue because the term can mean different things depending on culture or geographic locations.
In its most basic essence, barbecue is the process of cooking food over an open flame: what distinguishes barbecue from other cooking methods is how the heat reaches the food.
Heating Methods
In a barbecue, hot grates heat the food by direct contact through a process known as conduction. The food heats up and cooks by absorbing radiation directly from the flames below. The mix of heating methods allows the parts of the food that touch the grate to sear and simultaneously cook the parts that don’t touch the plate – like the sides and top – through radiant heat. The resulting temperature gradient creates a complex blend of flavors and aromas.
When cooking on a stovetop, the radiation is much lower and most of the cooking is done where the food is in direct contact with the pan.
Direct vs. Indirect Heat
When grilling, you can place the food directly over the flames (direct heat) or farther away, using indirect heat. The direct heat method subjects the food to very high temperatures, as the grill surface can range from 260° to 371°F. The indirect heat method places the heat source to the side of the food or far below, exposing the food to temperatures between 93° and 149°F.
The Maillard Reaction
Cooking is the process that uses high temperatures to trigger chemical reactions that change food at the molecular level. When you cook meat at higher temperatures, like over direct heat on a barbecue, the first thing that happens is that the water near the surface of the meat boils. Once the surface is dry, the heat causes the proteins and sugars on the outside of the meat to undergo a reaction called the Maillard Reaction. This reaction produces a complex mixture of molecules that make the food taste more savory or “meaty” and add depth to flavors and aromas. The reaction and the flavors it produces are influenced by many variables, including temperature and acidity, as well as the ingredients in sauces, seasonings, or marinades.
Caramelization
A similar process occurs with vegetables. Barbecuing allows the water to evaporate or drip without being trapped in the pan. This prevents vegetables from becoming mushy and promotes caramelization reactions. These reactions transform carbohydrates and sugars into smaller compounds like maltol – which has a toasted flavor – and furaneol – which has a nutty, meaty, and caramel-like flavor.
Charring
Another hallmark of grilled food is the unique character it develops. When foods are exposed to heat for extended periods, the non-carbon atoms in the food break down, leaving behind the black, crispy carbon. This is the process of combustion or charring.
Almost no one likes a piece of completely burnt meat, but small splashes of crispy char flavor can add so much depth to foods. Cooking over the direct heat of a barbecue allows you to add just the right amount of char for your taste.
Unfortunately for those who like a little extra crunch, some of the chemicals in charred meat – molecules called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – are known carcinogens. While the dangers are much lower than cigarette smoke, for example, limiting the amount of char on your meat can help reduce your risk of developing cancer.
Smoked Flavors
The ultimate barbecue flavor is the smoke. Cooking with wood or charcoal involves a significant amount of smoke. Even on a gas grill, the fats that melt and drip onto the heat source produce smoke. As the smoke swirls around the barbecue, the food will absorb the flavors.
Smoke is made up of gases, water vapor, and small solid particles from the fuel. Burning wood breaks down molecules called lignins, which turn into smaller organic molecules – including syringol and guaiacol – which are primarily responsible for the quintessential smoky flavor.
Absorption of Smoke Flavor
When smoke comes into contact with food, the components of the smoke can be absorbed. Food is particularly well-suited to taking on smoky flavors because it contains both fats and water. Each binds to different types of molecules: chemically, fats are non-polar – meaning they have a weak electrical charge – and easily capture other non-polar molecules. Water is polar – meaning it has areas of positive charge and an area of negative charge like a magnet – and is good at binding to other polar molecules. Some foods absorb smoky flavors better than others, depending on their composition. One way to use chemistry to make food smokier is to spray it periodically with water during the grilling process.
