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ash. Because charcoal is mostly carbon, it lights more easily than raw wood and produces less smoke. But about 60 percent of the fuel’s potential energy is spent during this charring process, so charcoal fires don’t burn as hot or as long as wood fires. One exception is bincho-tan, a dense Japanese hardwood charcoal made from oak that burns at 1,100° to 1,200°F. Most other charcoal burns at 700° to 800°F.

WOOD. Logs, branches, twigs, chunks, and chips of wood all produce smoke when burned. That’s the primary advantage of this fuel source for grill and barbecue lovers, because wood smoke infuses foods with its alluring aromas. Wood smoke aromas vary from tree to tree. As grill fanatics, we are fortunate to have hardwood trees in our backyards, including oak, pear, and apple trees. When branches fall off the trees, we use them as fuel or to provide wood smoke in our grills. Large wood chunks or split logs (or whole logs, for that matter) can be used as the sole fuel source in wood-burning grills. Large pieces, branches, or chunks can be used for smoking and as a secondary fuel source in charcoal grills. Wood chunks and chips are also widely available at hardware stores, home improvement centers, and online grill gear stores. You may also find wood pellets and sawdust that can be wrapped in foil or put in a metal container for smoking. Wood planks, yet another form of wood for grilling, are used primarily for flavor and convenience, not fuel. Planks ease the handling of thin, delicate foods such as fish fillets on the grill and add the smoky aromas of the wood itself. You can buy wood planks for grilling at hardware stores and home centers, or you can use untreated cedar shingles. For that matter, you can use any untreated ¼-inch-thick plank of wood.

Note that freshly cut wood is about 50 percent water and doesn’t burn easily. It slowly smolders and smokes instead of quickly burning up. “Seasoning” the wood or letting it dry out reduces the water content to about 20 percent so that it burns more easily. See “Adding Smoke” on page 37 for directions on how to use wood chips and chunks for fuel and flavor when grilling.

FIRE STARTERS

LIGHTER FLUID. Made with liquid butane, lighter fluid ignites easily and speeds the combustion of charcoal. Some charcoal is impregnated with a form of lighter fluid so that you don’t have to squirt it on. We prefer not to use lighter fluid or impregnated charcoal because petroleum products can lend an off flavor to foods. But the truth is that if you use lighter fluid carefully, squirting it only onto your fuel source, the petroleum will burn off by the time the coals are ready. We resort to lighter fluid only for large mounds of coals in big grills. If you use it, be careful not to squirt any on the sides of your grill because petroleum fumes will burn off more slowly there and may give your food a distasteful aroma.

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GAS GRILL SAFETY

All gas grills work a little differently, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions for safe setup and use. If your grill catches fire, turn off the burner valves and the gas supply. If the fire is anywhere near the fuel source (propane or natural gas), evacuate the area and call the fire department. For other grill safety information, check these sources:

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 800-638-2772. They have a grill safety fact sheet available online at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml01/01185.html.

Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association. 703-522-0086. Access their grill safety Web page at http://www.hpba.org/consumer/bbq/safety.shtml.

Propane Education and Research Council (PERC). 202-452-8975. PERC has a handy overview of grill safety tips available online at http://usepropane.com/select/safegrilltips. Or you can download PERC’s more extensive PDF handbook at http://usepropane.com/consumer_safety/safety_small_html.

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LONG-STEM LIGHTER. Another form of contained butane, long-stem butane lighters make it easy to light wood fires and chimney starters full of coals. Keep at least one on hand for easy fire-starting.