While each technique for accomplishing the best results possible can mostly stand alone, it is best to read them all and incorporate them into an overall assault on the grill. Be sure to have your assault well fortified with your favorite beverage! Today's technique is: Coals "Baby" Coals

"Coals Baby Coals" says it all. The best tasting meat comes from hardwoods (or hardwood charcoal) being burned down to coals. Before we get too far along, we would caution you not to use soft woods such as pine, spruce, redwood, fir, etc., are best used for housing and building projects. Not for cooking.

There are many folks who would like nothing better than to take this stack, toss them whole into the firebox and throw on the butts, ribs, briskets or whatever and have them drenched in smoke. That, my good friends is not barbecuing...it is ruining a really great piece of meat. When burning what we call "raw wood" (Logs) by tossing them into the firebox, when they begin to burn, then then begin to release the natural occurring substances into the smoke. Some of those items include such things as: carbon monoxide and dioxide, some hydrocarbons, and elemental hydrogen, aldehydes, acids, ketones, alcohols, tar, furan derivatives, phenolic compounds and soot. Come on, do you really want to be eating this stuff? If you want more information on this, you can visit Smoky's "Burning wood and Blowing Smoke"

Burn your logs down to coals before using them down to coals. This can be accomplished in the pit (before adding the meat), in a separate container made for the purpose (see photo in this paragraph or even on the ground (as in a bonfire arrangement). The last two methods are for folks with shovels that can scoop up the hot coals and add them to the pit. Yours for better tasting meat!