Gourmet Outdoors
Choosing your fuel type
| Fuel Types | Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T O P C H O I C E S |
LUMP CHARCOAL Look for 100% all natural lump charcoal |
Lights faster than briquettes. | More expensive than charcoal briquettes. |
| Burns hotter than briquettes. | Less consistent sizing of lump charcoal pieces. | ||
| More responsive to oxygen than charcoal briquettes making it easier to control temperature within the oven. | |||
| Burns cleaner than charcoal briqueets, with minimal smoke emissions and sparking. | |||
| Better flavour. | |||
| Minimal ash is produced. | |||
HARDWOOD LOGS Look for oak, apple, elm, beech or ash. |
100% natural hardwood logs. | More expensive than charcoal briquettes. | |
| Great for offering more smoky flavour to your foods. | Must be DRY. Wet firewood burns poorly and may prevent the oven from reaching optimal temperatures. | ||
| More responsive to oxygen making it easier to control temperature within the oven. | |||
| Hardwood burns HOTTER and SLOWER than softwood. | |||
| Can be cut to exactly fit the oven's wood grate. | |||
 ATTENTIONIt is important that the wood being used has been seasoned by allowing it to dry to about 20% humidity content. |
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| F I N E C H O I C E S |
CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES |
100% all-natural charcoal briquettes. | Some charcoal briquettes contain chemical accelerants and additives, which may disrupt the flavours of your food. |
| Briquettes are all sized the same allowing for a more consistent burn. | Will not burn quite as hot as lump charcoal. | ||
| Less expensive than hardwood logs or lump charcoal. | Will not burn as clean as lump charcoal | ||
| Lower cooking temperatures than lump charcoal. | Will have longer cooking times | ||
| Any charcoal that is SOFTWOOD in its origin is not recommended. | Will produce a lot of ash | ||
SOFTWOOD LOGS |
Softwood lights easier and burns faster than hardwood. | Softwood has half of the heat content of hardwood by volume, so about twice as much softwood will be required to acheive the same heat output as hardwood. | |
| Ideal for kindling and initial burning because it provides immediate heat. | Softwood will require more refuelling than hardwood. | ||
| Softwood tends to be more prone to popping due to pockets of moisture and/or sap contained within wood. Risk of this is reduced by properly seasoned to 20% humidity content. | |||
ATTENTIONCheck the ingredients list of the charcoal you are buying. Avoid charcoals with additives, chemicals and accelerants, which can disrupt the flavours of your food, and have a negative impact on the appliance and it's performance. ATTENTIONRECOVERED WOOD can be used as fuel, but must be cut to length and not treated or painted. Do not burn chipboard, plywood, or MDF because they contain chemical binders and adhesives. Recovered wood should be seasoned and stored the same way as hardwood and softwood. |
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