Has Anyone Ever Cooked Solely With Wood Chunks in a Charcoal Cooker?

[Attjack]

Only with the Arteflame insert in my Weber 26.

[jfmorris]

I saw where they sell this insert for the Weber 22 as well, and pondered getting one since I have an extra old kettle sitting around. I imagine that the 22 will almost be too small to be of much use for cooking with that insert though.

[JeffJ]

I've used logs for the Arteflame in my 26 and have used logs with the Kettle Pizza accessory for the Performer.

[Attjack]

Only with the Arteflame insert in my Weber 26.

[Mudkat]

I've used wood from the wood pile in my kettle and my fire pit. I can't say it really increases the blue smoke flavor but it will increase the white smoke yucky flavor quite a bit if you're not careful. In my fire pit I start with a large fire and let it burn down to coals and then add little splits of wood to keep the fire going. I do this kind of cooking for the fun of working with fire and food more than to increase the flavor. When you start a large fire in your kettle to burn down to coals you will burn out the bottom of kettle eventually, within a few seasons. I stopped doing it in my kettles. But can't wait to fire up the fire pit.

[jfmorris]

Burning out the kettle would be my concern with this as well. I've burned out the fire grate in my offset a couple times over the years. My dad had one of his welders make me a new one from heavy duty stainless bar stock last year right before he retired. If that grate burns up I'll have to find someone local to make another (or get another smoker!).

[JeffJ]

I think the key is to limit how often large quantities of wood are used in a kettle. With the Arteflame the wood is right in the middle. With the Kettle Pizza the split log is in the "back" near the wall of the kettle.

[Mudkat]

I definately agree with that. Keep large fires to a minimum. I'll be interested in on your thoughts if you decide to do this.

[JeffJ]

Mudkat I am going to give it a try if I can find some locally sourced wood. The wood chunks I purchase in a pre-packaged bag are expensive compared to charcoal. I keep going back to stick burners. Regrettably I don't have one and have never cooked with one, but those who have claim a different (better?) flavor profile than charcoal + a little wood for smoke. My line of thought is why not try and replicate that in a kettle especially given the SnS provides a layer of protection for the higher heat that wood produces.

[Mudkat]

Have fun and post pics Jeff!

[Larry Grover]

Steven Raichlen covered this in his book "BBQ USA". He says wood grilling was never popular for home cooks because people didn’t have heavy duty grills that could handle logs. But that all changed when wood chunks became popular so he recommends giving it a try because of the superior flavor. Method is as follows...

- Place wood chunks in chimney & light exactly as you would charcoal.

- After 15 min you’ll have fragrant blazing wood embers that are ideal for grilling.

- Wood burns fast, so replenish chunks every 20 min or so.

- If you have a large front-loading charcoal grill you can fuel it with logs. Start fire with kindling or charcoal, then pile on the logs and let them burn down to embers.

In the book he adds instructions on how to cook this way as a variation to a charcoal setup. For example in the "rack of pork" recipe he says to transfer chunk embers to side charcoal baskets or rake into 2 piles for indirect cooking.

[ribeyeguy]

I did, maybe a year or two ago in my Weber and SNS setup. I started a thread about it but darned if I can find it now. I did use a handful of Kingsford to get it going but after that it was all wood. I don't remember what I cooked (but knowing me it was probably ribeyes) or what wood I used but I do remember that it turned out well.

[Larry Grover]

Grilled up some Lamb loin chops with 3/4 of a (full size) chimney of red oak chunks. I was concerned about gusty winds earlier in the day and didn't want a blowtorch so I stacked & lit inside the grill.

The plan was to sear 2-3 min per side on high heat. However the chunk sizing was all over the place, so by the time I got the big chunks down to embers the smaller chunks were well on their way to fizzling out. I ended up cooking with medium heat about 35 minutes after lighting.

It still turned out great but compliments at the table were mainly regarding the cheese grits & red currant jelly sauce. I'd say a minor step up in flavor but not worth the hassle. If I did it again I'd buy from fruit-a-wood which sells good uniform size. Or maybe throw 1-2 baseball size chunks in the middle of a chimney full of mesquite lump.

[Buck Flicks]

Grits (polenta) are underrated in most of the U S and A. That looks like a fine meal.

[Larry Grover]

These were South Carolina stone ground white grits. You have to store in the freezer to keep fresh. Not available in CA so I have to get it on Amazon. My dad was from 'Bama so I was raised on the stuff. Made it with a mix of water, heavy cream, butter & cheese. Good healthy eating!