Why Cooking with Firewood Tastes Better
Smoking meat is one of the best ways to cook it, as it makes the meat more tender and flavorful. Wood is safe to use as fuel for smoking meat. Different types of wood can give the meat different flavors, making it more unique and tasty.
Why Does Food Cooked in Firewood Taste Better?
With all the new high-tech cooking gadgets on the market, you would think something like the sous vide would be the best option for grilling. However, many still believe that the old-fashioned way of using firewood provides the best flavor.
Michelin claims that smoking meat with wood gives it both heat and flavor. The right temperature of smoke will also add flavor to the meat. This makes the meat taste more natural and flavorful than if it was cooked with gas or charcoal. Different types of wood offer different flavor profiles, and only a few are suitable for smoking meat.
One of the things that makes wood ideal for smoking meat is also why it can be difficult to master. Using the right amount of wood, achieving the right temperature, and pairing the meat properly can be challenging. It can take a lot of experimentation and failures to master using wood in your smoker.
Flavors and Smells Associated With Firewood Cooking
The smell of a fire in the woodstove or the campfire is unique. It is one of those cooking smells that is pleasant and familiar to many. Grilling with gas or charcoal is convenient and inexpensive, but if you want your food to have real flavor and be tender, you should cook with wood. If you know what you’re doing, you can make a delicious meal for your friends and family.
How to Use Firewood to Smoke Meat
Before you get started, knowing which type of wood works best with your protein is important. Hickory and oak are traditional barbeque woods and go well with almost any kind of meat. But the sweet flavor of fruitwoods (like apple and maple) or the strong flavor of hardwoods (like mesquite) can offer some interesting new flavor profiles for your barbeque. For now, stick with hickory and oak, the most versatile woods.
It’s not recommended that beginners use wood straight away when grilling. Wood burns slowly and produces a lot of smoke. Most people use charcoal as the heat source to cook meat. Once the charcoal is heated, spread it out on your grill as usual.
To start smoking, add some wood chunks (or chips, if using a charcoal grill) to the firebox along with the charcoal. The amount of wood you’ll need will depend on the meat you’re cooking and the type of barbecue you’re planning. Note that the setup might differ depending on the smoker you’re using. For example, offset smokers work well with wood chunks, while a charcoal grill might require wood chips.
Lastly, keep an eye on the temperature in your smoker. Don’t let the wood burn for longer than necessary. The extra smoke can make your food catch fire if the temperature gets too high. If the meat doesn’t catch fire, it can become dry and flavorless from being overexposed to smoke.
Conclusion
We hope that you’re now convinced that there’s more to grilling than just charcoal and gas. If you’re unsure how you feel about trying wood for cooking, you’re in luck. We’ve included a short list of pros and cons of using wood for cooking your meat, so you can decide whether to try it out.
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