Wood-fired cooking adds unbeatable flavour and theatre to your food — but it’s not quite the same as switching on the oven. Whether you’re firing up a pizza oven, BBQ or wood-fired grill, getting it right comes down to the fuel, the timing and a few simple tricks.
Here’s what every beginner needs to know.
Choose the right firewood
The wood you use will shape how your fire behaves and how your food tastes. At The Logsmith, we recommend hardwoods like birch, ash and oak — all kiln dried to under 15% moisture for a clean, reliable burn.
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Birch lights quickly and burns hot, making it great for fast-cooking pizza ovens.
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Ash is a well-balanced, consistent-burning wood that’s ideal for BBQs and longer cooking sessions.
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Oak burns more slowly and steadily, great for smoking, roasting and grilling with indirect heat.
We don’t sell softwood because it burns too fast, pops with resin, and doesn’t produce the steady, clean heat you need for good cooking.
Start with kindling and firelighters
A great cooking fire starts with great ignition. Use all-natural firelighters and kiln dried kindling to build your base. Avoid chemical lighters — they affect flavour and release fumes.
Stack your kindling in a pyramid with a firelighter underneath. Once it’s burning well, add a couple of small logs to build up a good bed of embers. Let this catch fully before adding more wood or placing food.
Give it time to heat up
Wood-fired ovens and grills take time to come up to temperature. Depending on your setup, it could take 20–60 minutes to reach optimal heat.
For pizza ovens, aim for a surface temperature of around 400–500°C. You’ll know it’s ready when a sprinkle of flour on the stone turns brown in a few seconds without burning black.
For BBQs and grills, wait until flames have died down and you’ve got a glowing bed of embers. Cooking over flames causes uneven heat and burnt food.
Learn the heat zones
Not every part of your oven or grill is the same temperature. For example:
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In a pizza oven, the area nearest the flame is hottest — ideal for charring crusts — while the opposite side is better for slower cooking or warming.
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On a BBQ, stack logs or coals on one side to create a hot zone and a cooler zone for indirect cooking.
Use this to your advantage by moving food around for control — especially helpful with meat and fish.
Don’t overfuel
It’s tempting to throw on more logs than you need — but that can cause temperature spikes and smoky burns. Use small logs and build your fire gradually. For cooking, it’s better to keep things even and controlled than to chase roaring flames.
Flavour tips
Want that authentic smoky flavour?
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Oak gives a deep, traditional smoke perfect for red meat, game and slow-cooked dishes.
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Birch adds a light, slightly sweet smokiness that pairs beautifully with fish, vegetables and pizzas.
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Ash sits in the middle — neutral and versatile.
Pair your fuel with your food, and you’ll take wood-fired meals to the next level.
Keep it safe and easy
Always cook in a well-ventilated outdoor space and keep children and pets away from the fire. Store your wood in a dry place — our stackable boxes are easy to lift, store, and burn straight from the box.
All our logs are ultra kiln dried and delivered in recyclable cardboard packaging — so you get clean-burning heat with no mess, no plastic, and no guesswork.
Whether you're new to outdoor cooking or levelling up your garden setup, The Logsmith has everything you need to get it right from the first flame.