Barbecuing with Bark

[MrWhoopee]

After early tests burning bark in my chimnea, I noticed that bark (notably heavy slabs of doug fir) produced a very hot, long-lasting bed of coals. This evening I tried barbecuing with bark. I built a fast starting fire in the Weber and stood three large slabs of doug fir bark around it. As the bark burned down, I broke it up, until I had a nice even bed of coals. It was a very hot bed of coals and lasted about 1-1/2 hours.

The chicken cooked up perfectly.



I won't be buying briquettes anymore.

 

[Mr A]

I do know conifers are not good for barbecue. Probably good for quick grilling once well coaled

 

[NH_Wood]

Good deal - I need to stop buying charcoal and try building little fires in the grill and build up coals - would save a lot of money - plenty of cherry to try it with! Cheers!

 

[MrWhoopee]

I do know conifers are not good for barbecue. Probably good for quick grilling once well coaled

Correct, softwood makes lousy barbecue wood, by the time it has burned down there are no coals. It appears the bark is another matter.

 

[BrotherBart]

I do the same thing with big hunks of white oak. Great BBQ wood and I haven't bought charcoal in many years.

 

[lukem]

Shagbark hickory bark, apple branches, and some small splits of hickory cut into chunks with the miter saw is my cooking fuel of choice. Burns down to coals very quickly. I usually get it started in one of those charcoal chimneys and am ready to grill in under 20 minutes.

Edit: Put them in the chimney in that order...bark starts the branches, branches start the chunks.