What makes good braai wood?
It can be a struggle to find good wood in New Zealand, especially if you’re used to the rich pickings of South Africa.
When I first moved here, I had a very difficult job finding wood with a moisture content below 25%. Then I found Urban Lumberjack. Wow.
I was like a kid in a candy store, I just wanted to try everything. So I did!
I bought three different types of wood, and tested each. Later, I went back and got three more to test. So far I’ve tried kanuka, manuka, pohutukawa, puriri, oak and gum, and I’m getting a good sense of each.
When it comes to braai wood, I always factor in the following when choosing: dryness, density, hardness, aroma, amount of smoke, lumber size and bag size:
Dryness
Nobody wants to use wet wood. You want wood that has been drying for at least a full season or even a year, with less than 20% moisture content so it burns easier and produces less smoke. Most wood has a moisture content between 20 and 30%, so you need wood that’s been very well dried. This also ensures the fire won’t go out in the middle of a braai!
Density
The denser the wood, the slower and more evenly it burns. The weight of the wood will give you a good idea of how dense it is.
Hardness
Hardness tends to impact the temperature of the fire – the harder the wood, the hotter the fire will be.
Aroma
Aromatic wood, which contains resin, adds a tasty smoky flavour to your meat.
Smoke
You don’t want wood with a lot of smoke if you braai – there’s nothing worse than standing in front of your braai with burning eyes (yes, I know that people who use smokers tend to disagree!) In South Africa, some houses have indoor braai areas, and in this case it’s even more important to keep smoke to a minimum.
Lumber size
It’s vital to use wood pieces of a similar size, or at least start with the smaller bits to get the fire hot before adding the larger pieces. This creates good consistency in your coal size – you don’t want different sized coals as it creates uneven hotspots.
Bag size
The size of the bag you buy gives you an idea of how many people can braai with you. The type of wood also has an impact, but my rule of thumb is that a 5kg bag will be enough for one braai with meat for 2 to 4 people.
If you want to learn more, check out my guide to Kiwi wood. But if you’re new to choosing wood – and I can’t stress this enough – you can’t go wrong with Urban Lumberjack. Great people, serious knowledge, and the best wood I have used in New Zealand. Matt always goes above and beyond, and he’s always available to give advice.