Why Andrew Zimmern Loves Grilling With Fruitwood Chunks

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, everyone that plans to host a cookout needs to start planning to break out the grill. When you need to serve up a selection of steaks, burgers, hot dogs, and more for guests, you need to use the right kind of wood for the occasion. For example, juniper wood gives off a resin-like flavor perfect for pork, while you can burn straw for a delicate aroma that compliments grilled fish. If you use a charcoal grill and really want to show off, you have to get your hands on some fruitwood chunks, Andrew Zimmern's fuel of choice.

In a recent tweet, Zimmern laid out his love for the wood, which works perfectly if you want to grill up chicken, fish, and even fruit. When you want to take your grill game to the next level, learning how to use fruitwood in your cooking apparatus and knowing which sizes of chunks to pick as fuel, can make the difference between the ultimate piece of chicken and an overly smoked meal. For everyone with minimal experience handling this special wood, Zimmern laid out exactly how to handle this fuel source in a dedicated video.

If you count yourself as a grilling novice, Zimmern has you covered. In his latest tutorial video, the host breaks down exactly what kind of charcoal you need in your grill and how to use fruitwood to keep your fire going. Fruitwood gives your food a distinct, pleasant smokey taste and helps regulate the temperature of your grill, keeping your items from burning. If you want to use the wood to simply imbue a smokey flavor, Zimmern recommends that you should use a handful of fruitwood wood chips that have been soaked for several hours. After they dry out in the hot grill, they slowly release enough smoke that perfectly permeates your choice of protein. 

Don't feel like you can't use chunks of the wood as a fuel source either. After soaking blocks of the wood for several hours or overnight, the wood helps cook your chicken or fish, while slowly giving off smoke just like it does in wood chip form. When you want to impress friends, family, and neighbors with your grilling prowess this summer, you have to get your hands on some fruitwood. This special wood can transform your cookout game and ensures you end up with some seriously delicious meat. After one bite, anyone tasting your cooking can't help themself but line up for seconds thanks to this fuel source that Zimmern swears by.