Directions: |
Directions:First and foremost, all charcoal is not created equal. Your standard Kingsford or other briquette charcoal contains some wood, but also a great deal of filler material like mineral carbon, nitrate, and sawdust. Natural charcoal on the other hand contains only wood, but its usefulness is diminished because of the use of soft woods such as pine.
Because there is a difference I recommend Best of the West Mesquite, which can be found at Smart & Final. It produces a great heat and introduces a nice smoke flavor into the food. Two downsides, the charcoal comes in lumps that will sometimes need to be broken into usable chunks. That requires a hammer and your gloves. Also, the coal tends to spark, sometimes violently, during the lighting process.
Tip: While I love the name, I can’t stand the product. Don’t buy Cowboy Charcoal. While it’s labeled as hardwood, I firmly believe it’s made from used pine pallets. It tends to burn very hot for a short period of time and then burn out just as quickly.
Understanding wood selection is one of the most important aspects of making your food stand out. Just like pairing the right wine with the meal, the correct pairing of wood and meat or fish brings out the best in the food.
First the basics, hardwoods for barbequing come in a few different styles. There are your standard chips, which can be as fine as rough sawdust or as big as golf ball. Either works though I prefer larger chips, as they burn longer. Use these to sprinkle around the edges of your coals, or in your smoker box if you are using a gas grill. Be liberal at first waiting ten to fifteen minutes before you throw on another handful. Try these two or three times and you should get the results you are looking for.
Another option for introducing the hardwood flavor is through the use of chunks. These can be as large as a baseball and can be mixed right in with the coals. They will burn hotter so be aware of hotspots. |
This recipe for BBQ 101- Charcoal & Hardwoods is from