Topic
Fuel and wood
Charcoal, pellets and British smoking wood.
Charcoal is the heat, wood is the flavour, and pellets do both. Get the fire clean and steady and the rest of the cook gets easier. These guides cover lumpwood versus briquettes, British smoking woods from oak to cherry, food-grade pellets and how much of each you'll burn.
Start hereThin blue smokeLearn what a clean fire looks like before you worry about which wood to buy.
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Guides
Fuel and woodCornerstoneSmoking wood in the UK
Which British woods suit which meats, chunks vs chips vs splits vs pellets, how dry the wood should be, what never to burn and how to store it.
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Fuel and woodCharcoal for smoking
Lumpwood or briquettes for low-and-slow, what British-made charcoal offers, how to light it with a chimney starter, and why lighter fluid has no place in a smoker.
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Fuel and woodWood pellets UK
Why heating pellets don't belong in a pellet grill, how to keep pellets dry in a damp British shed, and whether flavour blends or single-species pellets are worth it.
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