
 WOODS, FUELS & FIRES FOR OUTDOOR COOKING
WOODS, FUELS & FIRES FOR OUTDOOR COOKING
 was a free book when this post was written.
 Do you love the smell of wood-smoked food?  A rack of crackly smoked 
ribs straight out of the barbecue oven?  Or lamb chops and a chunk of 
tenderloin seared and then grilled over an open wood fire in the wilds? 
 
Want to know which woods go best with which foods?  Which are 
poisonous, and to be avoided?  How the different flavours of different 
woods can lift a great smoked meal to an outstanding one?  
"Woods, Fuels & Fires for Outdoor Cooking" answers all of these 
questions – and more.  The book helps you to choose the best wood for 
any particular application, and to match exactly the right wood to the 
food you're grilling or smoking.  Introducing you to a range of 
different woods, it shows you how to use them and how to find them.
In addition to raw woods, it discusses the merits and demerits of 
wood-based derivatives like chips and sawdust, pellets and charcoal – 
and makes suggestions as to when and where they work best.  
A whole section of the book is devoted to showing you how you can 
make your own, premium quality charcoal – safely, at home, and 
regardless of how much or little yard space you have available.  It 
explains why home-made charcoal is a better substitute for briquettes 
than its commercial equivalent, and why it burns hotter and longer.  
Construction details and plans are provided for making, simply and 
economically, a scalable charcoal furnace-and-retort assembly out of 
readily obtainable bits and pieces.  
The book explains how, in the same way that differing soil quality 
and climate are major determinants in the flavour of wines from the same
 vine stock, so too is their impact on the flavour of hardwoods from the
 same tree species growing in different soil conditions and different 
areas of the country.  
It also suggests, when wood is not available, how to use substitutes
 like coconut husk, corn cobs, and dried seaweed, and the special 
precautions that need to be taken.  It characterises wood according to 
the density of smoke generated, the strength and flavour of the smoke, 
and the heat and quality of the coals produced.
A whole section of the book is jam-packed full of tips for 
constructing, starting and maintaining fires both at home and in the 
wilds.  
Armed with the information in the book, anyone can make a good wood 
fire, and even if you're a pro, there'll be tips and suggestions here to
 help you up your game.