The wood you burn matters as much as what you cook. For live fire cooking on an Argentinian Grill, the right hardwood creates deep, steady embers — the kind that give you real control over heat. The wrong wood gives you smoke, frustration, and results that never quite land.

After years of cooking on the Asado Grill, I've settled on a handful of suppliers I trust. Here's what I actually use, and why.

What to Look For Before You Buy Anything

Not all firewood is cooking wood. Two things matter most: species and moisture content.

Stick to hardwoods. Ash and Beech are my first choices — they burn cleanly, produce minimal smoke, and build the kind of dense ember bed that gives you sustained, controllable heat. Avoid softwoods entirely. They burn fast, spit, and leave behind resins you don't want anywhere near food.

Moisture content should be below 20%. Wet wood smoulders rather than burns, produces bitter smoke, and makes temperature control almost impossible. Look for kiln-dried logs and check the moisture rating before you buy.

Size matters too. Large logs take too long to break down into embers. I use 12-inch Ash or Beech pizza batons — they catch quickly, produce embers within 45-60 minutes, and are easy to manage on the Grill. If you can only find larger logs locally, a Kindling Cracker King is worth every penny. It splits logs safely without needing an axe, and it's one of those tools you wonder how you managed without.

Finding Wood Locally

Before ordering online, it's worth asking around. Local restaurants and pubs with wood-burning ovens usually have a reliable supplier nearby, and buying local means fresher stock, lower delivery costs, and the kind of relationship where you can ask questions. If you find someone good, stick with them.

If local isn't an option, here are the suppliers I'd point you towards.

Recommended Suppliers

The Log Store Group

This is where I buy most of my wood. Their 12-inch Ash pizza oven batons are exactly what you want for Argentinian Grill cooking — they're consistently dry (well under 20% moisture), catch easily, and produce a clean, long-lasting ember bed. I've been using them for years and the quality hasn't dropped. They deliver locally across BH, DT, BA, SP, TA, and EX postcodes, and offer UK-wide pallet delivery if you want to buy in bulk. Worth doing — good wood stores well if you keep it dry.

Beyond the Ash batons, I'd also recommend their Kiln-Dried Kindling and Natural Fire Lighters for getting a fire going quickly. Reach them on 01308 868378 or at matt@thelogstoregroup.co.uk.

Love Logs

Launched in 2020 and already one of the better online options. Love Logs source predominantly from the UK and offer next-day delivery, which is useful when you've planned a cook and realised you're running low. Their hardwood selection covers the species you want for live fire cooking, and the kiln-drying is consistent. Good for topping up between larger orders.

Logpile

Based in Hampshire, Logpile specialise in kiln-dried hardwoods for fire pits, BBQs, and pizza ovens. Everything they sell is 100% British grown and Ready to Burn certified — which means the moisture content has been independently verified, not just claimed on the bag. They offer next-day delivery seven days a week through their own website (weekend surcharge applies), and they're also available on Amazon and B&Q Marketplace, which makes them easy to get hold of at short notice.

If you're looking for wood cut specifically for live fire cooking, their Super Thins Starter Kit is worth a look. It comes as either a 20kg or 45kg bundle of Ash and Birch cut to 20cm or 25cm lengths and just 2–5cm wide — exactly the kind of thin, fast-catching wood that builds an ember bed quickly on the Grill. The kit includes a box of kindling, 50 natural firelighters, and a box of matches, so you have everything you need to get going from the first cook.

Certainly Wood

If you want to understand where your wood comes from, Certainly Wood are worth knowing about. They've been running since 2006 and are now the UK's largest specialist producer of kiln-dried firewood processing over 20,000 tonnes a year on-site. They also produce Flamers and KindleFlamer natural firelighters, which I rate highly for getting a fire going without faff. Buying at this scale means the quality control is serious and the moisture content is reliably consistent.

A Note on Charcoal

Wood is my default for the Asado Grill the ember bed it produces is hard to beat for long cooks and real heat control. But if you prefer charcoal, or want to use it alongside wood, House of Charcoal sell some of the best UK-made options available. Restaurant-grade quality, and it shows in the burn.

The Short Version

Use kiln-dried hardwood, keep logs thin (around 2-3 inches wide), and find a supplier you trust enough to buy from regularly. The difference between good wood and average wood isn't subtle you'll feel it in how quickly your fire establishes, how steady the heat holds, and how the food tastes at the end of it.

Get the wood right, and everything else follows.