I've have been asked a few times; 'What is the best wood for live fire cooking on an Argentinian Parrilla style Grill?', so I thought it would be good to share my thoughts.
The main thing is to make sure that you're using hardwood logs with low moisture content. Keep away from softwoods or wet wood, as you won’t get the right heat - Ash and Beech are great woods for cooking over fire.
Secondly, you don't want to be using large logs, as the aim is to break the wood down to embers as quickly as possible. I use 12 inch Ash or Beech pizza batterns from our local supplier - The Log Store Group.
If you can't find a log supplier locally, just split a larger log down. A great tool for this is the Kindling Cracker King, which lets you split logs safely without the need for an axe.
If possible, always try to find a local supplier, if you don't know one talk to is your local restaurant or pub with a wood-burning oven and they will know the best local suppliers.
To get you start here are few great suppliers:
Delivery: UK Next Day and weekends if ordered via Amazon
Logpile was born from our passion for wood - from glorious wood fires and crackling firepits, to pizzas cooked on wood and sizzling BBQs fired with our sustainable charcoal.
Started just a couple of years ago, Logpile.com is now a fast-growing team of wood obsessives (and master logpile stackers!)
Logpile HQ is located in Hampshire, where the majority of our wood is now sourced.
Delivery: UK Next Day
Love Logs was launched in August 2020 by Heather and Paul – a brand new business trying to do something different in the firewood industry.
Love Logs stock a huge range of specialist fire cooking woods predominantly sourced in the UK.
Certainly Wood was established in 2006 and has grown significantly from processing and drying 1,000 tonnes of barn dried firewood to now, up to 20,000 tonnes of premier kiln dried firewood and making it by far the largest specialist producer in the UK. In addition, the Flamers and KindleFlamer natural firelighters are all made on site at the base in Hereford.
https://www.certainlywood.co.uk/collections/cooking-on-wood
For local wood I tend to use beech or ash from a local company called the Log Store Group who supply restaurants in the south west, they do a 12" ash pizza oven batons that burn really well and makes amazing embers.
They delivery to post codes BH and DT postcodes as well as some BA, SP, TA and EX
Check if they deliver in your area with the post code checker on there homepage.
https://thelogstoregroup.co.uk/
For Charcoal there are many local suppliers all over the country who provided an amazing product below are a few companies we would recommend:
If there is anything else you’re not sure about just ask, here to help
Cheers
Ben
