Wood, Fire & Smoke by Michael Smith – Hardback Cookbook

Wood, Fire & Smoke is a hardback cookbook by Canadian chef Michael Smith of The Inn at Bay Fortune and its FireWorks restaurant on Prince Edward Island, with more than 80 recipes and techniques for grilling, smoking, spit-roasting, plancha cooking and cooking over coals. It teaches you how to build and tend every kind of cooking fire, from wood ovens and offset smokers to campfires.

A chef's life spent at the fire

Michael Smith has spent a lifetime cooking with flame, and at The Inn at Bay Fortune wood fire is the whole point of the kitchen. This book bottles that hard-won experience for backyard cooks. It shows how wood, fire and smoke go beyond simple heat to become ingredients in their own right, and why tending a fire is half the pleasure.

What's inside

The book explores the many ways to cook with fire: wood-grilled, wood-smoked, wood oven-roasted and baked, pit-smoked, plancha-seared, fire-kissed, barbecued and charcoal-cooked. Along the way Smith explains how to build and tend each cooking fire, from wood ovens, offset smokers and rotisserie rigs to grills, campfires and wood candles.

Signature dishes include Smoked Cracked Ribs with Old-School Dry Rub, Ember-Roasted Caveman Ribeye Steaks with Board Sauce, Hay-Smoked Salmon with Maritime Mustard Pickles, Iron-Steamed Mussels with Fire Toast and Coffee Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. Even dessert goes to the fire, with Rum Creamsicle Campfire Marshmallows.

Who it's for

Anyone who loves the ritual of building a fire as much as the food. Novices get clear fire-building guidance, and experienced cooks will find fresh ideas for offsets, rotisseries and cooking straight on the embers.

About Michael Smith

Michael Smith and his wife Chastity run The Inn at Bay Fortune and its award-winning restaurant FireWorks in Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island. Wood, Fire & Smoke is his thirteenth cookbook. He has hosted several Food Network Canada shows, judged on Chopped Canada and is a member of the Order of Canada.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Darryl'd stake his cutlass on this one. Michael Smith teaches fire like a language, from offsets to wood ovens to cooking right on the embers, and his Ember-Roasted Caveman Ribeye with Board Sauce is the cook that'll make your mates go quiet. Grab it and you'll never think of the fire as just the heat source again. Pair it with Cooking with Fire by Duncan Welgemoed for an Adelaide accent and The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook for cooking in the wild. Dust a pork tenderloin with Emus Rub Coffee Rub before it meets the coals.

Questions answered

Who wrote Wood, Fire & Smoke?

Wood, Fire & Smoke was written by Chef Michael Smith, who runs The Inn at Bay Fortune and its FireWorks restaurant on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

How many recipes are in Wood, Fire & Smoke?

More than 80 recipes and techniques covering grilling, smoking, spit-roasting, wood-oven cooking, plancha searing and cooking over coals.

Is Wood, Fire & Smoke good for beginners?

Yes. It's written for novice and experienced cooks alike, with guidance on building and tending every type of cooking fire.

Is Wood, Fire & Smoke a hardback, and how many pages?

Yes. It's a 288-page hardback published by Penguin Canada in 2025.

Does Wood, Fire & Smoke cover offset smokers?

Yes. Offset smokers feature alongside wood ovens, rotisserie rigs, grills, campfires and wood candles.