QUESTION: Am I permitted to use flavored charcoal briquettes for my barbecue?

ANSWER: Rav Belsky zt”l held that one may not use wine-soaked wood chips or charcoal briquettes that contain wine flavors. Although the briquettes do not directly touch the food and are burned up in the fire, nevertheless they release an aroma which impacts the food. Not only is it forbidden to drink non-kosher wines but it is forbidden to derive benefit from them as well. Although Rema (Yoreh De’ah 123:1) writes that nowadays if one is facing a situation of loss, one may be lenient with regard to deriving benefit from non-kosher wine, this leniency does not permit one to buy these briquettes lechatchila (in the first instance), since this does not involve a situation of loss. Other flavored briquettes such as hickory and mesquite (which are types of wood) do not pose a problem. They are unlikely to contain any non-kosher ingredients. Even if by chance they did contain non-kosher, Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 108:1) rules that although it is improper to allow a kosher food to absorb a non-kosher aroma, it will not make the food non-kosher.

____________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.