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October 14, 2025
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How to store your braai wood and firewood: the Let’s Braai Guide
You want a quick mid-week braai. Or maybe you want a massive weekend fire. Properly storing your hardwood matters. It gives you great flames and a clean burn. So our team put together some good practices. Here is how to store your wood.
Where to Keep It 🤔
Store your logs outdoors. It’s simply the best spot. If you must keep wood indoors, keep it away from heat sources. You don’t want it catching fire early. Only bring in the wood you plan to burn over the next couple of days. And keep that stash safe if it sits in the same room as your fireplace.
The 48-Hour Rule: Customers are explicitly advised by UK forestry and fire safety groups to only bring a maximum of 1 to 2 days’ worth of wood indoors at a time to mitigate fire risks and prevent pests.
Keep It Off the Ground ⚠️
Always store your logs off the ground. So grab a wooden pallet or a raised log rack. You want air moving underneath. This stops ground moisture from soaking in. It keeps the bugs out too.
Stack your wood loosely. Don’t jam the logs tightly together. You want gaps between the pieces. Air has to move through the whole pile. Even Ready to Burn wood can soak up moisture sitting outside. Good airflow dries it right back out.
Protect It from the Weather ⛈️
The main goal is keeping your logs dry. You have to protect your firewood from the weather. Uncovered is great in theory. But we all know the British winter makes that hard.
Look up before you stack. Make sure no gutters or trees will drip water right onto your pile. Put your logs in a sunny spot if you can. Try to block them from high winds. That stops rain from blowing straight onto your wood.
Get a good cover for the top of your woodpile. A waterproof sheet works perfectly. Just leave the sides completely open.
Don’t wrap your wood in plastic. Never seal it in a tight box. Wood needs to breathe. And if you stack it next to a wall, leave a gap of a few inches. Air needs to flow back there.
MAKE IT PRACTICAL OR GET CREATIVE
Watch the Moisture 💦
Your hardwood needs a moisture content of 20% or less. High moisture means a bad fire. You can buy a simple moisture meter to check your logs. If you need tips on getting that fire going once your wood is perfect, check out our guide on how to light the perfect braai fire.
Always buy from a supplier with Ready to Burn certification. You can learn more about why low-moisture wood matters for air quality. All the wood at Let’s Braai is certified. We stock Kameeldoring, Sekelbos, Rooikrans, Mopane, and Bluegum.
Certified Ready to Burn
Legal to burn at home in compliance with the new Air Quality Regulations.
We are certified which proves our wood is actually dry. It guarantees the moisture content is under 20%. Wet wood just smokes out your guests. It ruins the air quality and barely gives off any heat. But certified wood is completely different. It burns hot and clean right from the start. And you don’t have to fight to keep the flames going.
Rotate Like a Pro 🔄
Treat your woodpile like a fridge:
- Use the old stuff first.
- Put your newest delivery at the bottom or the back.
- Keep the older logs on top where you can grab them easily.
IMPORTANT: Do you live in a Smoke Control Area?
Many UK towns and cities have these rules in place. It means you cannot legally release smoke from a house chimney.
Breaking these rules is expensive. You can get hit with a £300 fine just for releasing smoke. And you can face a £1,000 penalty for buying unauthorized fuel for a non-exempt stove.
How to stay completely within the law:
- Check your postcode. Look up your local council's website to see if your house falls inside an SCA.
- Check your indoor stove. If you burn our Bluegum firewood indoors, you are legally required to use a Defra-approved (exempt) appliance.
- Keep the braai outside. Open-air barbecues and fire pits are totally exempt from SCA rules. You can braai outside all you want.
- Watch out for summerhouses. If you build an enclosed outdoor braai room with a chimney on the roof, the strict chimney rules suddenly apply.
conclusion
Store your wood right. You get high-heat burns. Now it’s time to get the fire started and keep those flames burning strong! It doesn’t matter if you are hosting a South African braai or an Argentinian asado. Grab a box of premium Sekelbos and get the fire started. Keep those flames strong.
🌧️ Keep it dry
🌬️ Let it breathe
🧱 Lift it off the ground
🔄 Rotate the old wood to the top
