Cooking over a wood-fuelled barbecue can feel a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s an incredibly rewarding way to cook outdoors. Wood-fired BBQ is making a comeback thanks to its rich, smoky aromas and unbeatable flavour – something you simply can't replicate with gas or charcoal.

Think of building a fire like baking a cake – it needs the right balance of ingredients: fuel, air, and heat. Take one away, and it won’t work. Get it right, though, and you're set for BBQ success.

Choosing the Right Wood

Before you even think about lighting the fire, make sure you're using the right wood. Hardwoods like oak, ash and beech are ideal – they’re dense, which means they burn longer and hotter, perfect for sustained cooking.

Avoid wet or unseasoned wood at all costs. It can contain up to 60% water, which creates too much smoke and not enough heat – not ideal for cooking. Instead, use properly dried wood. Our kiln-dried logs, with a moisture content of under 20%, are perfect for cooking with low smoke, high heat, and great flavour.

Getting the Fire Going

The way you prepare your fire is key to good BBQ results. You need an even, steady heat across your grill – too hot and your food will burn, too cool and it won’t cook through properly.

Start with kindling to get things going, then gradually add your hardwood logs to build up the fire. Good airflow is essential. Let the wood burn down to glowing embers – this is your cooking zone. For larger cuts of meat, you can create different heat zones: one side with active flames, the other with just embers. This setup is ideal for slow-cooking joints until they’re tender and juicy.

Time to Cook

Now for the fun part – the cooking itself. When you're grilling meat, you're aiming to trigger the Maillard reaction. This is when heat causes sugars and amino acids in the meat to react, creating that signature deep, savoury, smoky flavour.

To get it right, turn the meat regularly and adjust the distance between the food and the embers as needed to manage the heat. Remember: cook over glowing embers, not direct flames. That’s how you get that perfect crust without burning the outside or leaving the inside undercooked.