Is Cooking Over Wood Safe?

Last Updated on May 30, 2026 by Duncan

Yes, cooking over wood is safe but it comes with a few important precautions. The main risks are heterocyclic amines (HCAs) from high-temperature cooking and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fat dripping onto flames.

Both can be significantly reduced by cooking over embers instead of open flames, limiting red meat, and using properly seasoned hardwood.

Data from anthropologists and paleontologists shows that homo erectus ate cooked food from as early as 1 million years ago.

Every person and their grandma know that cooking over a fire makes food taste incredible which is natural and fun.

According to Dr. Stephen Freedland, the director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle (CIRCL), cooking meat at high temperatures produces heterocyclic amines (HCAs), cancer-causing chemicals.

When fat from the meat drips into the grill, the resulting flames coat the food with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are also linked to cancer.

So is cooking over wood safe? Yes, but you need to take some precautions. Here’s exactly what to do.

 

How to Reduce the Risk of Cancer When Cooking Over Wood

According to Sally Scroggs, the health education manager at MD Anderson’s cancer prevention center, you can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by making a few simple cooking adjustments.

Limit Red Meat

Meat from pork, beef, and lamb contains more carcinogens when cooked at high heat. Where possible, swap red meat for skinless chicken breasts or fish, both are safer options when cooking over wood.

Don’t Char or Burn the Meat

Cooking meat at high temperatures is what triggers HCA production. Here’s how to keep temperatures and cooking time under control:

• Stick to fish when you can. Fish cooks faster than meat or poultry and contains less fat, which means less dripping, less flare-up, and less PAH exposure.
• Pre-cook the food first. Before placing meat on the grill, pre-cook it in a microwave or oven for two to five minutes. This reduces the time the food spends over high heat.
• Control the amount of wood. More wood means more fire and more heat. As a rule of thumb, don’t use more wood than you need. Excess fire produces more HCAs and is more likely to burn the meat.
• Oil the grill. Oiling the grate prevents charred material from sticking to the food.
• Clean the grill after cooking. Once you’re done, clean the grill thoroughly. Residue left on the grate can transfer harmful chemicals to food in your next cook.

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How to Cook Food Over a Wood Fire (Step by Step)

With those precautions in place, here’s how to do it properly.

Step 1: Start with Seasoned Hardwood

Seasoned wood is wood that has been air-dried for at least six months. You can season your own or buy it pre-seasoned.

For best results, use hardwoods such as oak, hickory, walnut, or ash. Properly seasoned hardwood burns hotter and more efficiently and produces far less smoke than green or resinous wood.

Avoid pine or any resin-laden softwood as it burns fast, creates an unpleasant taste, and produces acrid smoke.

Step 2: Build a Teepee

Stack the seasoned wood in a teepee shape. You can create the shape easily using a starter cube at the center, or form the teepee around a small pile of kindling wood if you prefer to go without.

Step 3: Wait for Embers to Form

Let the wood burn and start breaking down into embers. This takes between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the type and quality of wood.

Don’t rush this step as cooking over flames rather than embers is one of the most common mistakes people make with wood-fire cooking.

Once the wood has broken down, use a shovel, metal rake, or gardening tool to break the red-glowing wood into manageable chunks.

Step 4: Spread the Embers Evenly

If there is burning wood toward the back of the fire pit or BBQ grill, use a shovel to spread the embers out into an even layer toward the front where you’ll be cooking. An even bed of embers gives you consistent, controllable heat.

Step 5: Place Your Grill Grate Over the Embers

Lay your grill on top of the embers. A cast-iron grate retains heat exceptionally well; a lighter stainless steel grate heats up faster and is easier to handle. Either works as it comes down to personal preference.

Step 6: Season Food Minimally

Place meat and vegetables on the grill with minimal seasoning. A little olive oil and salt is all you need as the smoke from the wood does the flavoring.

Over-seasoning masks the natural wood-smoke taste that makes this style of cooking worth doing.

Step 7: Cook Over Embers, Not Flames

This is the most important rule of wood-fire cooking: only cook over embers, never over open flames.

Flames are too hot, too uneven, and too likely to char the food and produce harmful compounds. As you cook, keep spreading fresh embers from the fire onto the cooking area to maintain steady heat.

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Wood You Should Never Cook Over

Not all wood is suitable for cooking. Using the wrong wood can give your food an unpleasant taste or in some cases, introduce toxic compounds into your meal. Here’s what to avoid:

Softwoods

Softwoods from conifers, including fir, spruce, pine, redwood, and cedar which contain high levels of terpenes and sap. These give food a bitter, unpleasant flavor and can make you feel unwell.

Cedar planks are popular for cooking salmon directly on, but you should not burn cedar wood for smoke.

Eucalyptus, elm, sycamore, and liquid amber also produce bad flavors and should be avoided.

Wood Containing Natural Toxins

Several trees and shrubs contain natural toxins that can survive the burning process and end up in the food.

Never cook over wood from: yew, mangrove, tambootie, laburnum, sassafras, oleander, or walnut.

Moldy or Fungus-Covered Wood

Old wood covered in mold or fungus will give meat a bad taste, and some molds produce toxins that make them actively dangerous to cook with. If the wood looks questionable, don’t use it.

Lumber Scraps

Whether new or used, avoid lumber scraps. Lumber is commonly chemically treated during manufacturing, making it potentially poisonous when burned near food.

Chemically Treated Wood

Any wood that has been chemically treated is dangerous for cooking as the chemicals can migrate into the food via smoke. Beyond lumber, this includes wood scraps from furniture manufacturers and some wood pellet operations.

Painted or Stained Wood

Paint and wood stains give meat a bitter taste. Older paint is also more likely to contain lead, which is a serious health hazard when burned.

When You’re Not Sure

If you come across wood you can’t positively identify as safe, don’t use it. The golden rule: only cook with wood you can confidently identify.

For a reference list of safe options, this guide to the best woods for smoking is a helpful starting point.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is cooking over wood safe?

Yes, cooking over wood is safe when you follow the right precautions. The main risks are HCAs from high-temperature cooking and PAHs from fat dripping onto open flames.

You can significantly reduce both by cooking over embers instead of flames, limiting red meat, pre-cooking food before grilling, and using properly seasoned hardwood.

What wood is safe to cook over?

The safest options are properly seasoned hardwoods, wood air-dried for at least six months. Oak, hickory, walnut, and ash are all excellent choices.

They burn hot and efficiently and produce clean, flavorful smoke. Avoid softwoods, treated wood, painted wood, moldy wood, and any wood of unknown origin.

What wood should you never cook over?

Never cook over softwoods (pine, fir, spruce, cedar, redwood), wood with natural toxins (yew, oleander, mangrove, laburnum, sassafras, tambootie), moldy wood, lumber scraps, chemically treated wood, or painted and stained wood.

All of these can release toxic or unpleasant compounds into your food.

Does cooking over wood cause cancer?

Cooking meat at very high temperatures, over wood, gas, or charcoal, produces HCAs, which are linked to increased cancer risk. Wood fire cooking can also produce PAHs when fat hits open flames.

The risk can be substantially reduced by cooking over embers rather than flames, limiting red meat, pre-cooking in the microwave first, and avoiding charring.

Should you cook over flames or embers?

Always cook over embers, not open flames. Flames are too hot and uneven, increasing the risk of charring and harmful compound production.

Wait 30–45 minutes for the wood to break down into glowing embers, then spread them into an even layer before cooking.

How do you reduce cancer risk when grilling over wood?

Limit red meat in favor of fish and skinless chicken, pre-cook meat for 2–5 minutes in the microwave before grilling, avoid charring or burning food, use only as much wood as you need to keep temperatures moderate, oil the grill to prevent sticking, and clean the grill thoroughly after every use.