Not all people will be fulfilled by merely throwing charcoal on the barbeque grill and setting it on fire. Yes, it may possess a distinct flavor, but in addition to heating and time, an important part of cooking on the charcoal barbeque grill is the flavor of your food.
Some charcoal has a quality flavor while some are significantly less appealing. You can enhance the flavor of your foods by cooking with wood to add to the specific flavor of your food.
In Europe it is common to simply add wood chips to your charcoal, but for many people, the flavor produced is just too subtle to be recognized. In the United States it's more usual to permit the flavor of the wood to absorb into the various meats while it's being cooked to provide a flavor enhancer. The type of wood you use is also part of the process and there are certain woods that should never, ever be used for wood chip seasoning.
You can find three varieties of wood that can be used on the barbecue grill: chips, chunks and logs. Though, logs aren't extremely useful on the majority of grills due to their size. Consider chips and chunks, specifically on the charcoal grill, though they may also be used on a gas grill to get the same end. Wood chips and chunks designed for grilling aren't kiln dried however they will naturally lose their moisture during packing and the time they shell out sitting on the store shelf.
The wood seasoning gets into the timber by its smoke through the cooking process and in an effort to make that happen you will have to rehydrate the wood. The wood should be soaked in water for at least one hour prior to being used. When saturated, drain the extra water from the lumber and set them in a bag created from heavy duty aluminum foil approximately 6-inches by 12-inches (tinier if you have a little grill).
You might want to poke some holes in the foil to allow the vapor to flee and then position the pouch upon the coals. Add your food once you see smoke coming from the pouch. They won't break open into flames and the lumber will smolder with the flavoring in the smoke seeping into the meat.
Oak and mesquite are the hottest flavors for almost all meats but some appreciate the more-fruity styles of apple and cherry. Hickory and maple could also be used for a more powerful wood flavor, particularly for beef and pork. You should always opt for a hardwood for smoking meat on the grill and never make use of pine.
Best of the West BBQ Products brings high quality BBQ cooking products to the grilling marketplace. Our products include bbq charcoal, all natural self starting 100% Mesquite Lump Charcoal, Regular Charcoal Briquets, Wood Smoking Chips and bbq hickory wood chunks.