Wood vs Charcoal for Live-Fire Grilling — Which Is Better?

If you're getting into live-fire cooking, one of the first questions you'll face is whether to use wood or charcoal. Both work. Both produce great results. But they behave differently and suit different situations. Here's what you need to know.

Wood: the authentic choice

Cooking with wood is the foundation of Argentinian asado culture. Hard woods like quebracho, mesquite, or acacia burn hot, produce good coals, and add a distinct smoky flavour to the meat. The process is slower — you need to build a fire, let it burn down to embers, then cook over the coals. That slow process is part of the ritual.

Wood works best on grills with a proper firebox or fire management system, like the Santa María parrilla. You light the fire on the side, let it produce embers, and move those embers under the grill as needed. This gives you continuous heat control throughout a long cook.

In the UAE, hardwood for grilling is available from most large supermarkets and outdoor stores.

Charcoal: convenient and consistent

Charcoal — especially good quality lump charcoal — lights faster, produces less smoke, and gives you consistent heat with less effort. It's the practical choice for weeknight grilling or when you want to cook without spending an hour managing a fire first.

Lump charcoal burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes. Avoid briquettes with chemical binders if you care about flavour — they affect the taste of the meat.

All DD Grills products are designed to work with both wood and charcoal. The Santa María and Santino both have offset fireboxes that work well with wood. La Poderosa works best with charcoal or small pieces of wood.

Which should you choose?

For weekday grilling or camping: charcoal. Faster, easier, less cleanup.

For a proper weekend asado or a long slow cook: wood. The flavour is different and the experience is worth the extra effort.

Many live-fire cooks use both — charcoal to get the fire going quickly, then add small pieces of wood for flavour during the cook.

The grill matters more than the fuel

The most important factor in live-fire cooking is heat control. A grill with an adjustable grate height — like the Santa María — lets you raise or lower the cooking surface relative to the coals, giving you precise control regardless of whether you're using wood or charcoal. Without that control, you're guessing.

If you're serious about live-fire cooking and want a grill built for it, browse our range at ddgrills.com or get in touch to find the right setup for your space.