The Al Frugoni Signature Blend, Built for Live Fire Cooking

Al Frugoni is one of the most recognized names in live fire cooking, an Argentinian pitmaster who built a following teaching people how to cook over an open flame the way it's done on a proper asado. When he signed off on a signature blend of Texas cooking wood, it had to hit three marks: a clean-burning base for steady heat, enough bold smoke to stand up to a whole cut over flame, and a rounded, unmatched flavor that works on beef, pork, poultry, and lamb without dominating any of them.

That's what this pallet delivers. 50% Post Oak for the base, 25% Mesquite for bold South Texas smoke, and 25% Pecan for a touch of sweet flavor. All 16-inch splits, all cut from the same Texas hardwood ButlerWood supplies to competition pitmasters and BBQ restaurants across the country.

What's in the Al Frugoni Signature Blend

The pallet is a 1/2 cord of premium smoking wood, blended to the 50/25/25 ratio Al specified:

• 50% Post Oak, 16" splits: the base of the blend, mild and clean-burning

• 25% Mesquite, 16" splits: the bold South Texas smoke Al is known for

• 25% Pecan, 16" splits: a sweet, nutty finish that rounds out the profile

Every split is cut from the same Texas hardwood we age and heat-treat in-house. The moisture content is dialed in for consistent burn, and every piece is treated to USDA specs so it ships safely across state lines.

Why This Blend Works for Live Fire and BBQ

Post Oak carries the fire. It's a slow, dense oak wood that produces the coal bed a real live fire cook depends on. Once the coals are down and glowing, you can lay a steak or a whole chicken directly over them and get a clean sear without heavy smoke overpowering the meat.

Mesquite is what gives this blend the character Al puts into an Argentinian-style parrilla. Mesquite burns hot and fast with an unmistakable smoke flavor that Argentinian cooks recognize, as their traditional quebracho fires have a similar bold profile. In this blend, mesquite is dialed back to 25% so it accents without overwhelming.

Pecan is the balancer. It's technically not one of the fruit woods, but its sweet, nutty smoke behaves like apple wood or cherry does in the softer registers, adding a fruity smoke note to the top of every cook. That sweet flavor is what makes this blend land equally well on beef, pork, and poultry.

What This Blend Cooks Best

This is a live fire blend first, built for cooks who host guests over an open flame and pitmasters running long weekend sessions. It shines on:

• Whole cuts over open flame: ribeyes, tomahawks, whole chickens, spatchcocked turkey, tri-tip, lamb shoulder

• Asado-style cooking: skirt steak, short ribs, chorizo, provoleta over a coal bed

• Long cook sessions on the smoker: brisket, pork shoulder, pulled pork, beef ribs

• Grilling everyday cuts: burgers, chops, thick-cut pork ribs

• High-heat searing on a screaming hot grill, followed by finishing over indirect coals

If your regular cook is a low-and-slow brisket on a stick burner, this blend runs the way you'd expect a premium smoking wood to run: steady coals, clean smoke, and no scrambling for wood mid-cook. If you're pulling the cast iron over the fire for a reverse sear, the coal bed off this blend gives you the heat and the flavor to do it right.

Where to Get BBQ Wood: Local Pickup and Nationwide Shipping

If you're looking for BBQ wood near you, there are two ways to get this pallet. Local pickup is available at both of our Texas yards Seguin (12527 FM 466) and Gonzales (820 Oil Patch Ln), Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 5 PM. Central Texas customers can order online and pick up in 24 hours or drive in and load up the same day.

If you're outside Texas, we ship to all 50 states. Pallet orders go LTL freight with safe shipping and tracking, and shipping gets significantly cheaper on multi-pallet orders. See our states serviced page for what's shipping to your area, or contact us for a quote.

Order the Al Frugoni Signature Pallet from ButlerWood

We cut, age, and heat-treat every piece of this blend on our own Texas land. All of our wood products go through the same in-house process, so you get the same consistency in this pallet that our restaurant customers get by the truckload. Unlike firewood competitors who buy wood from suppliers like us and resell at a markup, we own the whole chain from clearing to loading, which is how we keep competitive prices on high quality cooking wood without cutting corners on the product. That solid reputation is what brings restaurants, competition cooks, and backyard pitmasters back to us for their next order.

If you're feeding a restaurant or running through wood every week, ask about our bulk order and truckload pricing. Order early so you're covered for the next time you fire up the pit. If you also cook pizza, our wood-fired oven splits are cut to size for pizza ovens. Prefer a straight variety pack instead of a live fire blend? Check out our B.Roy's Mixed 1/2 Cord Pallet, which gives you all four Texas woods in both 8-inch and 16-inch splits.