The Pros and Cons of Cooking Over Wood-Burning Fire Pits

02. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Wood Burning Fire Pits · Tags: , , , ,

Outdoor cooking has been the current trend in recent years. This came about when home entertainment is being extended outdoors making it quite common for many homeowners to spend more and more time in their outdoor living spaces with family and friends.

There are many outdoor fire pits today that incorporate cooking features which allow an end user to cook on them, making their outdoor experience more practical and fun. However, among the three options available- natural gas, liquid propane and woods- many people find cooking over traditional woods way better. But for the sake of fairness, here are the pros and cons of cooking over wood-burning fire pit.

The Pros:

  1. The strongest argument that works for wood-burning fire pits is the fact that food cooked over it tastes much better. This is largely because the woods used have varying flavours that are being infused into your food. Different woods have different flavours.
  2. Cooking over woods is natural unlike when cooking over natural gas or propane- based fire pits that largely rely on chemicals to generate heat.
  3. Wood-burning fire pits undeniably generate far more heat that any of their gas counterparts. This makes them ideal for cooking especially when you are grilling or roasting meat.
  4. Cooking over woods is way more fun. Not only is the fire more attractive, there’s something about a traditional fire with its dancing fire and changing hues that always charm many people.The Cons:
  5. Cooking over wood-burning fire pits takes longer. This is because aside from the fact that you have to start your fire from scratch, you need to cook your food on glowing embers which usually takes time since an open flame will only end up charring and burning your food.
  6. While there are areas where woods come very cheap and sometimes free of charge, there are also locations where good seasoned firewood can be scarce and therefore costly. When cooking over woods, you particularly want that hot fire which can only come from hot embers and these not only takes time to build but also consume a lot of woods.
  7. There are people who love that distinct smoky flavour and aroma that only wood-burning fire pit can provide. However, there are also people who dislike them especially if they are preparing other recipes that don’t require smoky scents or flavours. In this case, a wood-burning fire pit is not an ideal choice.
  8. Cooking on a wood-burning fire pit may be a lot of fun, adventurous even but it calls for extra caution. As you know, in comparison to their gas counterparts, wood-burning fire pits have a less controlled burn. You have to be on the lookout in case your fire becomes too much to handle. Otherwise, you will not only have to face a badly burnt food but worse, you may even have to deal with accidental fire.
    At the end of the day, the choice you make on whether to cook over woods or not largely depends on several factors like your personal preference, the availability of resources and other crucial elements.

Are Wood-burning Fire Pits Safe?

20. February 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Wood Burning Fire Pits · Tags: , , , , ,

Wood-burning fire pits have often been thought of as less safer compared to their gas counterparts. Various arguments against this type of outdoor heating option have been exhausted but like they say, you can never bring a good man, errr, a good heating solution down. The fact that there are a number of individuals patronizing wood fire pits over the years is a clear indication that they are widely used across the country and have remained popular heating choice until today.

Wood-burning fire pits take pride in having the most authentic outdoor fire experience among the many outdoor fire pits available nowadays. Think about the smoky scent, the crackling sound of burning woods, the dancing flames ad their ever-changing hues. They are simply magical! No matter what critics say, this kind of experience has never been equalled or matched by any other heating options that are flooding the industry today.

Now, let’s go back to the issue on safety. Think about this. When you’re dealing with fire, regardless of the heating device you employ, there is always that risk involved. However, with the right precautions and in many times plain common sense, you can greatly reduce the risk of any unforeseen accident. This is especially true for wood fire pits.

While it is true that they require more attention, this is only because wood-burning fire pits need to be properly cared for to ensure that they perform at their optimal level and are safe enough to be used. For instance, they should be cleared of any ashes and other burning residue after every use.

As to the live embers or sparks that many found dangerous, you can always solve this problem by investing in a spark screen that prevents live embers from popping out of your pit. In many wood fire pits, the spark screen comes with the unit while others, you have to buy it separately. It is also recommended to have a fire extinguisher nearby so that if something goes wrong, you can always put out the fire instantly and effectively.

And even if you want to have a instant fire, it is always advised to start a small fire. Use kindling to slowly create your fire instead of using fire starters that are not recommended and risk getting a huge and unpredictable fire that may end up too much to control. To tend to your fire, invest in fire pit accessories like a log grabber or a poker to move or shift logs in your fire pit. There are also other accessories that will keep yourself protected while you tend to your fire.

Last but definitely not the least, take time to choose the spot for your wood-burning fire pit. Aside from making sure that you maintain the proper clearance, choose a place that has less traffic to protect your pit from being knocked over.

Wood-burning fire pits are great heating options. With just the right care and maintenance plus a lot of common sense, you are guaranteed of a safer outdoor experience just like any other heating options available today.

Different Fire Pit Cooking Techniques

19. February 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Wood Burning Fire Pits · Tags: , , , ,

The nice thing about outdoor fire pits is the fact that they can serve the dual purpose of an effective heat provider as well as a fire pit grill where you can practically cook anything you want. Contrary to common misconception that outdoor cooking is messy, uncivilized and is limited to only hotdogs and marshmallows, nowadays with the right fire pit design, you can enjoy cooking outdoors just as much as you do in your kitchen or even better.

To make your cooking experience a lot more fun, here are some cooking tips to help you out.

  1. Cooking over a wood-burning fire pit can be nice simply because certain types of wood like almond, oak, cherry, etc give off varying flavours. Try different types of woods when cooking to experiment with the different flavours until you find that particular taste and aroma that you like.
  2. One proverb says, “There are more than one way to kill a cat.” This is true in fire pit cooking. There are different ways to cook on this heating and cooking device. Skewer cooking has been proven and tested.
  3. Another common method used in fire pit cooking is by using an iron pan either over the grill or directly unto the fire. This is often used when frying fish or making soup.
  4. Direct heat grilling is also another method where the food is cooked simply by placing it directly into your fuel source.
  5. There’s also the indirect heat grilling where instead of putting your meat or any food right into the fire to cook it, the hot air around the food will do the cooking instead.

Apart from these cooking techniques, there are other options available that you can try like the solid lid, rottiserie cooking and many others. Some of these techniques however can be possible depending on the size, design or style of your outdoor fire.

But in general, most of them can be used as effective barbecue fire pit. In addition, there are fire pit models available where you can even have the option of incorporating other cooking features to allow you to cook more elaborate dishes.