Adding wood chunks and wood chips is unquestionably an amazing way to incorporate a smoky flavor to your food, especially barbecue. If you have a Weber BBQ grill, however, you may have one question in mind. Can you use firewood in a Weber?
Is it Possible?
A Weber BBQ grill is designed for both firewood and charcoal use. When using charcoal, you need to smoke the smoking chunks so that they will not burn fast.
On the other hand, if you are planning to use firewood, it is recommended to use wood chunks instead of logs. You can even combine both, placing the chunks beside the charcoal to ensure slower smoldering.
The Weber BBQ grill is an amazing equipment that is often seen on camping trips. This grill can be used as a fire pit after finishing a meal. After completing the process, you simply need to close all vents, shutting the lid to put it out.
Advantages of Grilling with Firewood
Whether you are using wood or charcoal, the chemical reactions that will be created are the same. Charring food too much may make it less healthy, due to the presence of carcinogen.
Grilling with charcoal may be easier, though it is still recommended to avoid blackening your food to avoid putting your safety at risk. With this in mind, grilling with firewood is the better option.
When using firewood in a weber, it is best to use wood chips or wood chunks, instead of logs. You can even use different types of chips. Make sure to soak the chips first. Then, you can place them inside a smoker box attachment which is usually available on gas grills, or on the coals for BBQ grills.
When choosing wood for grilling, it is best to go for any non-poisonous type of wood. It is also best if you know something about the wood you are using. After all, each type of wood has its own smoke and heat profile. Among the ones that are not suitable for grilling includes fir, pine, redwood, spruce, cedar, elm, cypress, sassafras, eucalyptus, liquid amber and sycamore.
The recommended types of wood for smoking includes hickory, being one of the most popular, red oak, apple wood, mesquite, cherry, pecan tree, and others. While there is no particular rule about these types of wood, but knowing their profile will not just ensure a smoky flavor on your food, but safety as well.
How to Use Firewood in a Weber
To use firewood in a Weber BBQ grill, it is vital to soak your wood chips first. Recommended time is about two hours so that they will become moist. Then, they can be placed inside the smoker box attachment.
However, if this attachment is not available in your equipment, there are Weber external accessories that you can use, like the Stainless-Steel smoker box which can make the task easier.
Another alternative to the attachment is placing a drip-pan that is filled with moist wood chips. They should be covered using foil and placed on top of the cooking grates. Make sure to punch some holes in the top.
Next, close the lid tight, allowing the wood chips to start smoking. Allow some time until the smoke starts to blow out of the grill. This process usually takes about 20 minutes, depending on the specific type of wood, and the type of grill.
You may want to do an experiment on the type of woods and see their reaction to the food that you are working on. Note, however, to avoid overusing more pungent types of woods such as mesquite or hickory. This will only result to having bitter, unattractive, campfire taste.
Rather, you may want to combine different types of woods that easily complement the tasty flavors of mesquite and hickory. Among your options are woods such as apple, cherry, alder and pecan. This will result to having a sweet flavor of its own, while not overpowering your entire meal.
Other Things to Remember
Can you use firewood in a Weber? Yes, you can. However, there are some things that you also need to take into consideration, aside from the ones that were already mentioned above. For example, the longer time you leave the wood chips to smoke, the more color and taste your food gets. This means that a steak that went through 10 minutes of cooking will not have as much flavorful taste of steak that is cooked for two to four hours.
