Why Cutting Edge Firewood Offers the Best Cooking Chunks for Restaurants

Do you own or manage a restaurant? If so, you probably know the importance of using high-quality ingredients. From cuts of meats to side items and even sauces, ingredients can make or break a patron's dining experience. Well, the type of cooking chunks you use for smoking and grilling is no different. While you can always smoke food using cheap, low-quality cooking chunks, you'll provide your patrons with a better dining experience by investing Cutting Edge Firewood's signature cooking chunks.

1) Variety of Flavors

We offer cooking chunks in a wide variety of flavors, including pecan, cherry, oak, and hickory. Each variety has its own unique flavor. Oak, for instance, is widely recognized for its mild smokey flavor that complements most meats and veggies, whereas hickory has a stronger and more robust flavor. If you want to experiment with multiple varieties of cooking chunks, you can even order a variety pack. The variety pack includes all four types of cooking chunks, allowing you to see firsthand which variety has the best flavor.

#2) Clean Burn

Regardless of which variety you choose, you can rest assured knowing that all our cooking chunks produce a clean burn. We use a kiln drying technique to eliminate the possibility of mold, fungus and pests. As a result, our cooking chunks burn more cleanly than those offered by our competitors. When you use our kiln dried cooking chunks, you'll create a bright and clean flame that manifests in the form of better-tasting food.

If you try to cut corners by using low-quality cooking chunks, on the other hand, pollutants and toxins may be released in the smoke. As the heavily polluted smoke fills your grill or smoker, it will be absorbed by your food. For the cleanest burn, stick with Cutting Edge Firewood's premium cooking chunks.

#3) Hand Selected and Cut

The benefits of using our cooking chunks in your restaurant don't end there. While other vendors mass-produce their cooking chunks, we take a more methodical approach to ensure a superior level of quality and performance. Each log goes through a detailed selection process. We check to make sure each log is the right size, followed by carefully inspecting the logs for signs of rot. After performing these inspections, we then confirm that the log includes both heartwood and sapwood.

Tree trunks are composed of both heartwood and sapwood. The best possible flavor is only achieved when both of them are together. If a piece of wood only has heartwood or sapwood, it won't offer the same level of flavor. When a piece of wood contains both, however, it will have the right organic compounds needed for the best possible flavor. Once selecting wood that contains both heartwood and sapwood, we hand cut each chunk before sending them to your restaurant. The bottom line is that you won't get any low-quality cooking chunks when ordering from Cutting Edge Firewood. All our cooking chunks are hand selected and cut for quality assurance.

#4) Complimentary Shipping

We offer complimentary nationwide shipping on all orders. Whether your restaurant is located on the East Coast, the West Coast or in a middle state, you can have cooking chunks delivered straight to it. You don't have to take time out of your busy day to drive and pick up cooking chunks from a local vendor, nor do you even have to pay for shipping. When you order cooking chunks from Cutting Edge Firewood, we'll deliver them to your restaurant at no additional charge. This is just one more reason to choose Cutting Edge Firewood for your restaurant's cooking chunks.

#5) Large Size

Some chefs use wood chips instead of cooking chunks, believing it offers the same level of performance. Wood chips, however, are significantly thinner than cooking chunks. They still produce some flavorful smoke when burned, but they burn extremely quickly and turn to ash. Once they've turned to ash, they won't release anymore smoke. Therefore, it's recommended that you use cooking chunks. Cooking chunks are about 2-4 inches long, but more importantly, they are typically over three times as thick as wood chips. Their thick composition allows them to produce more flavorful smoke when burned.

#6) Clear Blue Smoke

It's not uncommon for low-quality cooking chunks to produce thick black smoke when burned. Normally, this is the result of poor seasoning. When used in the context of wood, the term "seasoning" refers to drying. When cooking chunks or other firewood is seasoned, it sits outside for months to air dry and lower its moisture content. Unfortunately, not all vendors properly season their wood before selling it to restaurants or consumers. While air drying can, in fact, lower the moisture content of wood, it pales in comparison to kiln drying. Seasoning is unpredictable and can invite mold, fungus, insects, and decomposition.

What is kiln drying exactly? Kiln drying is a method for drying wood that involves processing wood in a heated kiln. The wood isn't just left outdoors to dry. Rather, it's dried in a heated kiln that removes more moisture from it. As the wood sits in the heated kiln, moisture is extracted from its pores. When wood is air dried, it typically has a moisture content of about 20-30%, compared to just 5% with our kiln dried wood. The low moisture content allows for cleaner fires without thick black smoke. As the kiln dried cooking chunks burn, they'll produce a clear blue smoke.

Furthermore, all our kiln dried wood, including our cooking chunks, are kiln dried for 12 times longer than the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) standard. With a longer drying time, our cooking chunks are easier to light and burn more cleanly than those of our competitors. Wood chunks with a high moisture content are often difficult to light. Even if you're able to light them, you can expect a lot of thick black smoke. The moisture molecules in the wood inhibit its combustion process. Moist wood can still burn, but it will release more particulate matter into the air, which is indicative by its thick black smoke. To avoid these problems, choose kiln dried cooking chunks like those offered by Cutting Edge Firewood for your restaurant.

#7) Better Flavor

Last but certainly not least, our cooking chunks can help you cook better-tasting food for your restaurant's patrons. As previously mentioned, each variety of cooking chunks has its own unique flavor. What makes our cooking chunks stand out, however, is their superior quality that allows for better-tasting food. Your food won't be exposed to harsh pollutants. Rather, it will be exposed to clean and flavorful smoke, allowing you to cook delicious dishes at your restaurant.

It ultimately comes down to wowing your customers. When you cook, you want to give your customers an experience they will remember. Cutting Edge Firewood's cooking chunks do exactly that. They produce a clean flame while releasing lots of flavorful smoke. Whether you're cooking meats, veggies or a combination thereof, you'll attract more compliments from patrons by using our high-quality cooking chunks.

Start your best cook

Experience the difference high-quality cooking chunks make in your restaurant's dishes. Visit our online store to wood chunks for smoking or give us a call at (678) 329-8840 to discuss more about how we can serve you and your restaurant.