What is the best wood to burn and how to choose it?

Firewood, the fuel of the future.

The calorific value of wood is far higher than other heat sources used for home or professional cooking. While lighting a gas burner is a no-brainer, the choice of firewood with the best bang for your buck needs some attention. There are countless wood species selected according their calorific value.

Best types of firewood for oven cooking.

Usually, the best firewood for cooking in an oven are beech and oak. The smart move is combining the two species to maximise their qualities. Beech is a hardwood, that is with an average dried weight of 700 kg per cubic meters (43 lb/ft³). Its aroma is very intense and when mixed with the oak it provides food with a special flavour. The best choice is to burn oak to reach the high temperatures and then add beech to keep it going before cooking. Olive firewood may be another tip-top solution but its price probably scares customers away. All in all, on a value for money basis, the best firewood is the hornbeam or ironwood, belonging to the family of Betulaceae subfamily Coryloideae, that occurs in the temperate regions of Northern Hemisphere.

Firewood you should absolutely avoid burning.

Not every piece of timber makes good fuel so let’s have a look at some species of wood that you should avoid. First of all, the cherry that sparks more than other hardwoods when burning; then the entire family of evergreen plants like the pine that burns fast, makes a lot of smoke and can coat your flue with soot. In the end, picking the best firewood may seem a daunting task but we at Alfa come to your aid. Contact us for more information.