Chef Annie Pettry’s Wood-Fired Fare

Chef Annie Pettry’s Wood-Fired Fare

A selection of four dishes and the wood that gives each its distinctive flavor

By Alia Akkam in the Wall Street Journal

At Decca, a buzzy restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, chef Annie Pettry employs arborist Dave “the Mountain Man” Kannapell to source wood from a variety of local trees to use in the kitchen’s wood-fired grill. Here are four dishes—and the timber that gives each its distinctive flavor.

Grilled steak with celery root and butter

Pettry cooks the steak over black cherry and oak woods because, she says, “The sweetness in the cherry and the tanginess of the oak create a sweet-and-sour effect.”

Pork belly with mussels and parsnips

Pettry uses apple wood for the pork—“a traditional pairing that doesn’t overpower the mussels,” she says.

Asparagus

Prepared with lemon mousseline and Calabrian chiles, Pettry’s classic dish calls for maple wood: “It’s a sweet smoke that’s a little heavier than apple or pear,” she says, “to stand up to the asparagus without overwhelming it.”

Diver scallop carpaccio

Served with pickled Asian pear, sunchoke chips and vanilla, Pettry’s scallops are cooked over pear wood—imbuing them, she says, with a “subtle, fruity smoke.”