Let there be flavor—the truth about charcoal.
By Ben Eisendrath, CEO of Grillworks
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But where there’s fire, there is not necessarily smoke. Smoke is where the flavor is. And the kind of woody smoke that draws praise to a grill chef requires water.
Live wood is up to 50% water by weight, most of it moving just under a tree’s bark. It carries the goodies that build this year’s growth, fight off disease and feed leaves, flowers and roots. If a tree were an animal, this thin layer would be its flesh and blood.
Freshly cut “green” wood is so wet it is virtually unburnable—so all future firewood travels along one of two paths to become suitable for the grill. Both paths reduce moisture so combustion can happen.
First we go to dry. Really dry: charcoal. ...
Last month, Edible Communities publishers from around the country and Canada gathered in Santa Barbara for our annual publishers meeting. Networking, sharing strategies, and of course eating and drinking the best Santa Barbara has to offer were common themes. Ultimately though, it's the Eddy's that count. Edible publishers submitted their best work from 2012 in 23 categories, ranging from humor to political, to best letter from the editor. Here's a short list of some of the winners!
Best Editorial / Humorous: Edible Austin — “Cooks at Home: Ray Wylie Hubbard,” Story by Robin Chotzinoff, photos by Marc Brown.
Best Editorial / Historical:
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