Grilling with wood

[Richtee]

As an addition to my "Discuss" post http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...45998#poststop I'd like to add you CAN grill over wood. Well, wood embers anyway. All you camping folks have probably done this without the grill ;{)

Get a rather hefty quantity of your wood of choice and pre-burn down to a coal bed on your grill. Not ash, but a bed with a flame or two flickering about. Now you will have limited time here, as the coals do not have the BTU capacity of charcoal, but they have a ton of flavor in them your food will pick up.

A little practice is in order for this method, but you will be rewarded with a great grilled meal!

[MichChef]

LOL Rich.....We LIVE off the campfire when we're up at the lake. Ever had eggs cooked in onion cups in the coals? MMMMMM

Birds in a smoker are delicious, but the BEST ones are spatchcocked and cooked over a smoky hardwood fire.

For Father's Day my daughter gave me one of those portable backyard fire pits that I've been eyeballin' that has a grilling rack in it. Thank goodness I just cut down those 21 maple trees out back so I can do some righteous grillin'. I've been thinking about having someone weld me up a taller steel rod for my Graber Grill so that it will sit high enough to cook on my fire pit. it'll greatly increase the amount of food I can cook over it.

A pic of my Graber Grill is in this post:

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3348

I forgot to add that sometimes I cook over the wood embers in the SFB on my smoker too. I have a grill grate that fits about halfway up in it.

[Richtee]

LOL Rich.....We LIVE off the campfire when we're up at the lake. Ever had eggs cooked in onion cups in the coals? MMMMMM

Nope...but it sure sounds like I should!

I really liked that grill setup for the campfire... I even gave points

[Kingudaroad]

In the firebox of my offset a big pecan fire


Burned down to embers


All this work to cook a piece of venison for 4 minutes

[Texas-Hunter]

LOL Rich.....We LIVE off the campfire when we're up at the lake. Ever had eggs cooked in onion cups in the coals? MMMMMM

John, I will hold you to some pics on this the next time you make them... I never heard or seem them,..

In the firebox of my offset a big pecan fire


Burned down to embers

Dude!, Are you fixing to cremate something?? Thats a hell of a fire..

[Richtee]

All this work to cook a piece of venison for 4 minutes

Yeah, but... how good was THAT??

[RowdyRay]

All this work to cook a piece of venison for 4 minutes

Yeah, and I'll bet it was heavenly.

Venison is best over an open fire. Heck most everything is.

[SMOKE FREAK]

When My wife and I first met she didnt believe we could camp without a coleman stove.... She is now a believer.... Wood fire makes the best eats...

[DDave]

We LIVE off the campfire when we're up at the lake.

Ah yes, . . . back 20 or so years ago when I camped more, my friends and I did enjoy steaks grilled over a good bed of coals at the campfire. Some foiled wrapped potatos in the coals were pretty good too.

Steaks always had a "one of a kind" flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on . . . until I started hanging around the smoking forums.

You see boys and girls . . . I live in the Pacific Northwest and the wood that was primarily available around our campsites was . . .

ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and douglas fir.

Oops. I'm glad I know better now.

Dave

[Gunslinger]

Rich, I've been cooking over wood for several years now. If it wasn't lost in the last crash, there should be a post over at SMF about how I would never buy another bag of charcoal, and I haven't. At the time I was using strictly hickory chunks or small splits.
Now that I know how to make my own lump, I don't bother with the pre-burn in the grill.
I always grill when my smoker is fired up, since coal is basically free then. I just shovel it from my firebox to the grill.

[SmokinLee]

But really ain't a good bed of well burnt wood, wether it be pine or fir be suitable for cookin,? I would think so. Most of that SAP burns up fast. Sure it's not good for smokin meat but after you have a nice bed of coals should be fine in my book. you could always toss in a chunk or two of some good aroma wood.

Ah yes, . . . back 20 or so years ago when I camped more, my friends and I did enjoy steaks grilled over a good bed of coals at the campfire. Some foiled wrapped potatos in the coals were pretty good too.

Steaks always had a "one of a kind" flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on . . . until I started hanging around the smoking forums.

You see boys and girls . . . I live in the Pacific Northwest and the wood that was primarily available around our campsites was . . .

ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and douglas fir.

Oops. I'm glad I know better now.

Dave

[Slanted88]

Nope...but it sure sounds like I should!

I really liked that grill setup for the campfire... I even gave points

And ya can do em in a half of a orange peel!

[Slanted88]

Oh....As the son of a Scoutmaster, me & my brother can get after cookin on a open fire, rested to a fine bed of coal's. The Fieldbook was my second bible. Still own mine to this day!

http://chawedrosin.wordpress.com/200...cout-handbook/

[Gunslinger]

Oh....As the son of a Scoutmaster, me & my brother can get after cookin on a open fire, rested to a fine bed of coal's. The Fieldbook was my second bible. Still own mine to this day!

http://chawedrosin.wordpress.com/200...cout-handbook/

Still have mine too Mike. Guy your age probably has a first edition, huh?
Ever wonder why the idiots that go on the Survivor show don't have ANY of the skills outlined in the BSA Fieldbook?

[Slanted88]

Still have mine too Mike. Guy your age probably has a first edition, huh?
Ever wonder why the idiots that go on the Survivor show don't have ANY of the skills outlined in the BSA Fieldbook?

Yeah Man! still got it. In a zip lock bag. Tom will tell ya there is a wealth of information in that book!