coals for cooking

[fella]

what is the best timber to use for cooking. bought some timber from bunnings and even though fire was going for a good 2 hrs as soon as coals went on camp oven were cold enough to touch in 2 mins ?? crap timber or just not enough coals in fire ??? :confused:

[tasmq]

go and buy some barbie bricket thingies just the gear for a bit of cooking same things they use in webber barbies, bunning sell them too

[nilla60]

You need hardwood. Nice and heavy. We were in a pine forst a few weeks ago and I ended going for a drive to get some real wood as the pine was bloody useless, even as firewood (bunch of guys shivering around a measly flame) Forget Bunnings, keep an eye out next time you got driving and throw a few logs in the back, or grab a hardwood pallet from somewhere (the local tip used to sell them for $5 each).

[Tired Triton]

I think it would take more than 2 hours to get decent coals for cooking. Red gum and othr hardwoods are suitable if you can get them. The trusty mallee roots are the best but getting harder to get these days.

[RUT RAT]

We usually use a bag of heat beads. You can buy them from Woolies. They seem to keep heat especially in winter. We always carry a bag just in case we cant find good timber.

[mike_l]

After 50 odd years in the bush, have found by far the best for camp oven cooking, boiling the billy or any other need, is gidgea.
For some strange reason, a gidgea fire requires a good noggin of port just before bedtime to get the best out of it. Many the time as I dropped of I swear I heard the rattle of hobble chains or a neck bell as the mob settled, but in reality it was years ago.
Part of the acacia (wattle) family, the coals just last and last. In the morning just scrape the white layer of ash off and a gleaming bed of coals lie underneath. A hand full of twigs and the days campfire is in full flame.
Just wish I was out in W. Qld. tonight!
mike_l

[mac25]

best timber IMO is Myall, but that wont help you on the sunshine coast, most hard woods work well, heat beads are a good option as they are designed to stay hot for a long time. if your campoven was really cold before you starteed cooking it will suck alot of heat from the coals, i usually sit oven near the fire to heat it up before use.

[Luxster]

After 50 odd years in the bush, have found by far the best for camp oven cooking, boiling the billy or any other need, is gidgea.
For some strange reason, a gidgea fire requires a good noggin of port just before bedtime to get the best out of it. Many the time as I dropped of I swear I heard the rattle of hobble chains or a neck bell as the mob settled, but in reality it was years ago.
Part of the acacia (wattle) family, the coals just last and last. In the morning just scrape the white layer of ash off and a gleaming bed of coals lie underneath. A hand full of twigs and the days campfire is in full flame.
Just wish I was out in W. Qld. tonight!
mike_l

That gets me dreamin of those stary Q'ld nights spent laying on the swag mike_1

[Walt]

Always use hard wood. Coolibaa (sp) is abundant on my property, so i use alot of that. Still hard to split with the axe and hard on the saws, but produces fantastic coals.

[PK1]

Down here redgum is definitely the go!

[GippsSurfer]

We usually use a bag of heat beads. You can buy them from Woolies. They seem to keep heat especially in winter. We always carry a bag just in case we cant find good timber.

and whilst you are there, go round the back to the delivery area and nick some nice hard wood pallets....

[stampy4x4]

Gidgea from S.W. Queensland (Charleville - Quilpie) can't be beaten. It's one of the hardest, slowest burning, and hottest timbers Dog ever created and produces great coals. Failing that, Narrow Leaf Ironbark would have to be right up there as well, the advantage being that it it is fairly widespread being found almost everywhere!