Is there any easy way to Achieve a Wood-Grilled Flavor on a Charcoal Grill?

There are two excellent ways. The first is to build a wood fire using wood chunks instead of charcoal. You can buy these in bags in your local hardware store or grill shop. Place the chunks in a chimney starter and light them as you would charcoal. Once lit, rake out the chunks, let them burn to embers, and when most of the smoke subsides, start grilling. You’ll be amazed by the flavor.

When grilling over wood, you need to keep two things in mind: First, wood embers burn out much more quickly than charcoal—one chimney starter’s worth will give you twenty to thirty minutes of grilling time or even less. It’s a good idea to light an extra chimney starter of wood chunks in another grill. Second, never cover a grill when you’re burning wood, even when grilling using the indirect method. Your food will come out unbearably smoky.