Restaurant Recipe Reviews

I am a big fan of putting wood chips into my grill to add flavor when I’m cooking out. What I didn’t realize is the charcoal is a by product of burning wood. In fact it is pretty much what is left when the impurities of the wood are burned off. When I found this out, I thought it was so interesting that I thought I would explain it a bit further.

I know that most of believe you cannot burn wood in a low oxygen environment but you can. When you do this to a normal log a few things will happen. First, the excess water will burn away. Also the tar and other oils that ruin the flavor of food will burn off too. Other impurities found in the wood will also disappear and if you are patient the end result will be a homemade version of charcoal.

Have you ever seen the burnt remains of a campfire? Those burnt black logs like very similar to charcoal don’t they? If you imagine yourself breaking up the wood into chunks you will basically be making your own charcoal. However, unlike the the coals we buy in stores, these won’t be loaded with lighter fluid and other fillers to get them to light. These will light quickly and burn much cleaner than most popular brands.

Remember briquettes are not organic. Incidentally it was Henry Ford that is known to invent them and he used petroleum products to spark them. Even though our burnt wood seems like a horrible byproduct, the burning of wood is natural and the remains can be used as a nice homemade charcoal.

There are several ways to light your coals and some are more healthy than others. I do not like to squirt lighter fluid on my grill and prefer to light my charcoal away from the barbeque. I use an old fashioned chimney starter lit with newspaper to get my coals started. When they are ashy all the way through I carefully dump them into the grill and then throw a fresh layer of unlit coals on top of them. I have no idea if this is the best way to do it but it is something I learned from my father and have always enjoyed doing.

Another thing I like to do that makes grilling a lot easier is to use the Grill Glove. This is and As Seen On TV heat resistant grilling glove made of food grade silicone. It allows you to grab your food off the grill without using tongs or other accessories. It is a brilliant idea because it is the only thing you need to work the grill. You won’t get burned while you are turning your food and can even reach onto the coals without any problem.

Looking to find the best deal on Grill Glove, then find the best advice on grilling gloves for you.