10 Advantages of Using Bagged Firewood in a Restaurant
Cooking with fire is as ancient as humankind. It probably all started when someone accidentally dropped a bit of raw meat into a warming fire pit. Still, there is evidence of intentional hearths likely used for grilling going back as far as 40,000 years.
These simple Paleolithic stone circles were the precursor to modern-day wood-fired pizza ovens and barbeque grills. Instead of using bagged firewood, humans would have literally had to forage around for sticks and twigs to feed their fires in those days.
Today, things are far more civilized. Sure, you can chop a tree down by yourself and then get out the ax to make firewood. Or you can buy all kinds of local and exotic wood to flavor your food.
If you’re a chef or restaurant owner keen to impart smoky flavor into your food for the least amount of effort, read on to learn about the benefits of bagged firewood.
Table of Contents
Over the past decade, wood-fired cooking has been making a comeback in restaurants worldwide. Lately, installations of wood fired ovens in the kitchen are making a buzz. But it has been over a decade since wood-fired cooking made a comeback in restaurants worldwide.
Some industry watchers believe an oversaturation of the long-lasting trend for molecular gastronomy is to blame. Others think that people started craving a more home-grown, sensory food experience than the plethora of fine dining establishments offered.
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that wood is on the rise. Those smokey, wood-grilled, charcoal flavors are permeating into every corner of the hospitality trade. Restaurateurs are building fire pits in their backyards, converting gas burners to charcoal grills, and installing a wood-fired oven for pizza, baking, and smoking.
There’s even a trend for historically inspired outdoor dining. Renegade chefs are setting up historically accurate backyard kitchens replete with a range of centuries-old wood-cooking implements and hiring out their services for parties.
Of course, cooking with firewood is far from new. Some restaurants, like Napoli-style pizzerias, Southern American barbeque joints, or Japanese yakiniku restaurants, have specialized in the technique for centuries.
If you’re craving that smoky, char-grilled taste, you don’t need to build a fire in your backyard or even fire up the BBQ. There are a ton of restaurants around the world that specialize in firewood-cooked food.
Certain pizza places specialize in cooking their pies in a wood-fired or brick oven. These ovens use firewood to create the intense heat that bakes the pizza tough, cooks the toppings, and melts the cheese.
Typically, wood-fired pizzas feature a thin crust that’s cooked at high temperatures to the perfect char. The wood also releases smoke as it burns, which imparts a naturally smoky flavor to the pizza.
Just be careful because having a pizza oven in the window doesn’t necessarily mean the restaurant uses wood. Ovens can also be heated using gas or even electricity. Look for a tell-tale stack of dried firewood to give you a clue.
Steakhouses are an American institution. They popped up in the mid-19th century, filling a gap for hearty, wholesome food left by the declining popularity of inns and pubs. The oldest steakhouse in the US, Old Homestead in New York City, started in 1868.
The very best steakhouses in the world don’t grill their meat over a mere gas flame. They use a wood-fire oven or grill for cooking that tender cut to rare perfection. These grills can reach a whopping 700° F or higher, and they’re designed to sear the outside of the steak to seal in the juices.
If you want to replicate the steakhouse experience at home, a small charcoal grill or superheated cast-iron skillet should do the trick.
Ah, the fine art of barbecue. You know.
That good ol’ perfectly messy Southern American barbecue. The charred black pork ribs and smoky, pit-style brisket. These days, being a pitmaster is the equivalent of becoming an artist.
These chefs are not only fussy about what they cook, whether it be the cuts of meat, whole animals, or even reviving heritage vegetables. They’re also extremely picky about what they put in their stoves and smokers.
Different wood types impart different flavors, and many barbecue joints have signature tastes based on the firewood they choose to use.
Yakiniku is a style of cooking that originated in Japan. Unlike at a steakhouse, where the meats generally arrive on the table as a sizzling slab, meat for Yakiniku is sliced ultra-thin. It’s then grilled on a wood, charcoal, or gas heated griddle–along with vegetables and seafood–until seared and crispy.
Outside Japan, the restaurants might offer slightly different fare, tailored to suit local palates, but the grilling options are the same. In some places, you can watch the chefs as they grill right in front of you. In others, the food is brought to your table, and you can cook it yourself over a mini wood-fired grill.
Chefs around the world have been busy rediscovering the benefits of firewood in recent years–spurred on by their country’s specific fire-based culinary history. Buying wood by the bag is not only easy to store, but it’s also convenient to deliver and makes less of a dent in your restaurant budget.
If you live in an area that gets really cold in the winter, try to stock up on your firewood in the summer. Since there’s less overall demand for heating during the warmer months, the price for firewood drops. So take advantage of those low prices and save.
And, of course, always keep an eye on your local suppliers for sales. If you see an ad for, say, kiln dried birch logs for sale, buy as many bags as you can. Just be sure to store it somewhere dry and sheltered from the rain.
Whether you make wood-fired pizza for takeout customers or smoke your restaurant meats in-house, there’s no denying that food cooked with bagged firewood tastes incredible.
The high temperatures caramelize and char the food in a way that seasons it. It’s close to impossible to recreate these flavors in a regular oven.
Firewood contains unique, organic compounds released in the smoke put off by the wood as its burns. These fragrant fumes permeate whatever gets them, imparting herby, umami-like undertones to everything from bacon hocks and salmon fillets to vegetables and tofu.
Different types of wood create different flavors, too, but we’ll get into that more later.
When it comes to improving a restaurant and its operations, head chefs and restaurant managers are always looking to make things more efficient.
Bagged firewood offers total convenience. You can place your order by phone or online (or even set up regular deliveries on a pre-pay schedule. The bags are then delivered right to your door at a time you prefer.
Once the bagged wood arrives, there’s no need to sort and stack the logs. Simply pick up the bags and place them in your storage area. Some companies might even do that part for you as part of their delivery service.
As we mentioned above, different types of wood impart different flavors to the food. Gone are the days when you were limited to whatever you could find in your local area.
If you run a Southern-style barbecue restaurant, you’re not going to want to use just any old wood. You’ll need some authentic hickory. Likewise, pizzeria owners usually prefer a milder oak for making wood-fired pizzas.
A bagged firewood company can source the wood you need and provide it to you cut and ready to go.
Most companies also offer bagged firewood in particular cuts, such as wood chips and sawdust for smoking, or pizza cut wood for pizza ovens.
If you’re tossing up between buying bagged firewood or charcoal, consider that wood usually burns a lot longer than charcoal. For example, briquette or lump coal only stays very hot for about thirty minutes. That’s not going to be long enough for a restaurant frantically turning tables for a busy lunch or dinner sitting.
If you’ve bought wood designed for cooking, you can expect a prepared fire to burn for at least an hour, if not longer. And if you keep stoking it, you’ll get an entire evening of heat. That’s perfect for everything from grilling hefty cuts of steak to meeting the dinner demands of a large restaurant.
Bagged firewood isn’t just used for grilling meat. You can burn it in a smoker, use it in a pizza or bread oven, fuel a fire pit with it, or even use it in a chiminea to keep guests warm while they dine al fresco in the spring. Charcoal, by comparison, is really only helpful in barbecuing.
Not only that but having a live fire in your restaurant turns the dining experience into something exciting. Particular if diners can actually see or even interact directly with the fire.
It’s essential for anyone designing a new live-fire restaurant to incorporate interactive elements into the interior decoration. Guests should have a view of the fire from anywhere in the dining area.
Wood is much more pleasant to handle than charcoal.
Those familiar with starting up a barbeque will know just how quickly your hands and clothes get covered in charcoal dust. The stains are difficult to remove from the fabric, and the residue is hard to wash off your skin.
If you’re not careful, charcoal dust can even contaminate the food you’re cooking with it.
On the other hand, wood is soot-free–at least before it’s added to the fire. And if you buy bagged firewood, you really only need to handle the wood when you start adding it to your oven, grill, or smoker.
Humans have an innate fascination with fire.
There’s something deeply nostalgic about those dancing flames and that distinctive smoky aroma. Scientists believe we feel this way about fire because it’s been essential for our survival for millennia.
Chefs who cook with fire know the positive effect a hint of wood smoke has on our appetites. It stirs something inside us, simultaneously compelling us to chow down and seek out hospitality. And what could be better for a company in the business of serving food than that?
So if you own a restaurant that cooks with fire, make sure your diners can smell it.
If you (or your customers) are concerned about eating clean, firewood as fuel is an all-natural cooking option. Bagged firewood is simply chunks of wood cut from a tree trunk. It hasn’t been heavily processed like charcoal or briquettes.
Restaurateurs can take it a step further and choose woods sourced sustainably from managed forestry. Alternatively, select a wood that’s collected and bagged locally to cut down on transport miles.
Not all wood is created equal.
Wood destined to be used in building or storage (for example, pallets) is treated with dangerous chemicals. Painted wood or old railway sleepers are also unsafe to burn. If you transport wood from an unknown source to your restaurant, it might contain pests like cockroaches or rodents–both creatures you don’t want near food.
When buying bagged wood intended for cooking from a reputable source, you can be sure it’s been sorted through and uncontaminated.
Buy a bag or three of firewood, and you will!
Do you own a pizzeria that specializes in wood-fired pizza? Are you the purveyor of fine cured and smoked hams, hocks, and bacon?
If you work with live fire and food, bagged firewood is likely to suit your needs. It smells mouthwateringly seasoned, imparts unmatchable flavors into a wide variety of dishes. It’s also convenient and safe to buy, store, and use.
For more tips and tricks for restaurateurs, chefs, and hospitality managers, read the other articles on our blog.
In the digital age, where information flows ceaselessly, big data stands as the cornerstone of…
It is a common saying that after you get old, you have to refrain yourself…
In today's world, mastering time management is crucial. Juggling numerous tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities often…
A groundbreaking new app is changing how people find friends, make professional contacts, and even…
In the world of automobiles, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) serves as the genetic code…
In an era where convenience meets cutting-edge technology, the evolution of audio devices has reached…
This website uses cookies.