There are , and while some snags can show up out of nowhere, others are easily avoided — and neglecting them just makes things harder for yourself. This includes pitfalls like waiting until the last moment to prep ingredients, or forgetting to make sure you have all the equipment that you need. And when it comes to wood, even if you remember to buy enough and light it up correctly, making the wrong choice can ruin your foods in a big way.
Daily Meal reached out to chef a Brazilian Grill Master with years of experience in the business, to find out which woods are on his no-go list. He confirmed that certain woods add unpleasant flavors to food, no matter how carefully you cook with them. "Softwoods like pine, cedar, and spruce contain high levels of resin and can produce a bitter, sooty flavor," he said.
Not a single person at your barbecue is going to appreciate a piece of chicken or a steak that essentially tastes like a Christmas tree on fire. Taste isn't the only reason to skip out on softwood, either. Why softwoods shouldn't be used for cooking Softwoods don't just make food taste off; they're hard to cook with and could even make you sick.
Hardwoods — and grilling it — are incredibly dense, burn very slowly, and release a smoke that impart desirable flavors. In barbecue circles, the flavor produced by these woods is often called "clean" smoke. That longer, slower burning gives your grilled foods enough time to take on a caramelized, crusty exterior, which everyone .
