All of our products are heat treated. This means that we heat treat our wood to dry it, which lowers the moisture content to an average of 18 to 22%

By drying all of our wood, and lowering its moisture content consistently, you’ll be using quality cooking woods and can count on achieving the same performance and results every time you cook.  Heat treatment also gets rid of anything living in the wood without the use of chemicals.  

Chips tend to burn faster than chunks, so they’re perfect for shorter barbecue times, and add a delicate, smoky flavor to your food.  You can use them in gas or charcoal grills and smokers.

Place dry chips close to the fire, allowing the wood to smolder. This method produces a sweeter smoke, however, keep a water bottle available to control flare ups.

Unlike chips, chunks burn slowly, providing steady smoke for longer cook times and a more robust smoky flavor. Different types of wood can impart unique smoky flavors to the food.  You can use chunks for smoking and as a primary cooking fuel:

Smoking

You can use wood chunks as a smoking product. The wood block is typically burned with charcoal. Some BBQ chefs prefer to place 1-3 presoaked wood pieces around the fire so it can burn and smolder; others prefer to layer the wood chunks with briquets. Either way can provide a rich, smoky flavor to your food.

Fuel

Wood chunks are gaining popularity as a primary fuel source. You can use them instead of charcoal. Place wood chunks in a pyramid, set afire, and let them burn down to coals. You’ve effectively produced your own lump charcoal with this method. This is a bit of a tricky and lengthy maneuver, and is usually done by BBQ aficionados. Note: if the wood is not thoroughly burned, the fire can give food a heavy smoke taste.

While taste is a very subjective thing, we generally recommend the following pairings:

Hickory – A bold and hearty flavor for beef, pork & poultry

Mesquite – A robust and southwest flavor for beef, seafood and poultry

Apple – A sweet and smoky flavor for pork, seafood and poultry

Cherry – A distinctive and fruity flavor for pork, beef and lamb

Alder  – A sweet and light flavor for fish, vegetables and chicken

Maple  – A mild and sweet flavor for pork, sausages and vegetables

Peach  –  A sweet and savory flavor for vegetables, sausages and seafood

Pecan  – A strong and sweet flavor for beef, pork and lamb

Post Oak – A subtle and mild flavor for beef, chicken and lamb

You can use Western products in all types of outdoor cooking appliances, including basic open grills, classic kettle style barbecues, barrel grills & smokers, and kamado-style ceramic cookers.

All these appliances allow for multi-purpose grilling, including direct grilling, indirect grilling, and smoking, but each type helps you control cooking temperatures in different ways:

Kettle grills, such as the Weber grill, include a lid that has multiple adjustable vents to help you control cooking temperatures, for quick searing of smaller cuts of meat, to lengthier indirect/direct grilling of larger cuts.

Smokers, such as the barrel grill, are perfect for smoking flavorful cuts of meat. Smoking methods involve indirect grilling with low to moderate temperatures over a longer period of time, using the smoke from charcoal, wood chips and/or chunks to infuse foods with a deep, smoky flavor.

Kamado-style ceramic cookers, such as the Big Green Egg, are optimal for high-heat roasting, grilling and smoking. With a deep egg shape and thick, ceramic walls, the heat from the coals radiates off the walls, resulting in a cooker that can maintain low temperatures for a long amount of time.

Please store in a cool, dry location.