Food by Fire: Grilling and BBQ with Derek Wolf of Over the Fire Cooking

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(as of Jun 30,2021 17:20:49 UTC – Details)

From the Publisher

Join live fire cooking expert Derek Wolf to discover the secrets to great flavor!

INTRODUCTION

If I am honest, my fire cooking journey started while watching television, procrastinating on schoolwork. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but I fell in love with the idea that you could cook more than just hot dogs and hamburgers on a campfire. This style of cooking is so rustic and natural it is almost purely human.

GETTING STARTED: RESPECTING THE FLAME

While growing up, my dad would tell me surfing stories from his childhood. He described days spent driving up and down the California Coast, searching for that “perfect wave.” Every once in a while, he would catch that wave. He said, in those moments, it was almost like time stopped and he was in unison with something that was more than just a wave. It was something . . . uncontrollable.

This is what I feel when I am cooking over fire.

DIRECT FIRE COOKING

Becoming an expert in fire cooking starts with a firm understanding of the fundamentals. In this chapter, we’ll examine the most basic way of cooking: heating meat directly over (or in) the hot coals using limited tools and resources. The tried-and-true direct fire cooking techniques we will explore are grilling, skillet cooking, and cooking on the coals.

INDIRECT FIRE COOKING

Now that you are fully immersed in the world of direct fire cooking, it’s time to discuss cooking over open fire indirectly, meaning the food will not be in direct contact with, immediately above, or touching something that is right above the fire, but, rather, away from it.

This is not an uncommon way of cooking—these cooking styles have been used for a very long time. Cooking food next to the fire using its radiant heat is an approach long practiced around the world for tough, fatty, and even delicate cuts of meat.

VEGETABLES AND SIDES

As a kid, I hated vegetables. I never wanted to eat Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or spinach when I could be eating grilled steak or rotisserie chicken! While I am still no herbivore, I am something of an advocate for vegetables grilled over fire. In fact, whenever I am taken to a fancy steakhouse or a fire-cooked dinner, it is often not the meat I try first but the sides. They can be a true test of a great chef as they take deliberate effort to make them extraordinarily delicious. I believe anyone can cook a great-tasting steak but finding a way to make veggies shine is a whole other level.

SAUCES, MARINADES, AND RUBS

I have found that the unsung hero of many a delicious meal is the sauce, marinade, or rub. True, it is important to get that perfect medium-rare on the steak, or the right cook to enjoy those fall-off-the-bone smoked ribs. However, it can be the marinating process done before a protein hits the grill, the seasoned proportions mixed before it is seared off, or the finishing glaze that makes the difference. Welcome to my world of sauces, marinades, and rubs for fire cooking.

HONEY ESPRESSO–GLAZED PORK CHOPS

For the coffee lovers, this a great recipe for direct grilling. For my noncoffee lovers, you’re wrong . . . just kidding! But you might want to skip this one, or switch out the marinade. As written, this recipe will kick you into high gear. It is a savory-sweet blend with a punch and a nice nutty finish. If you do not have espresso, use strongly brewed drip coffee.

SIMPLE HUEVOS RANCHEROS

One of the first meals I ate around the fire was huevos rancheros. My father, having spent a lot of time in Mexico for work, fell in love with this dish. My take on this favorite meal shows how easy and delicious it can be. Don’t have time to make the Charred Salsa Verde? Do not worry—almost any salsa can work with this dish. For a little extra flavor, roast the tortillas on the coals or grill grate for 30 seconds.

COAL-ROASTED LOBSTER TAILS

When you’re cooking on the coals, it doesn’t get any better than proteins like lobster tails, which have a thick outer layer to protect them from the fire and ash. After falling in love with this from chef Steven Raichlen, my biggest tip for this cook is to make sure you slice them right. Double check that you do not break too much of the shell when cutting them in half. Additionally, keep glazing them with butter sauce while cooking, as the butter melts into the meat—if you do it right, it’s almost as if the lobsters are being poached.

HANGING PRIME RIB

The ultimate family dinner is prime rib—a massive rib eye to feed a crowd. For my take on this classic, we treat it with style, hanging it over the fire, of course. This recipe is straightforward, requiring trussing, seasoning, and cooking over the coals. I usually let my prime rib cook for about 2½ hours before I pull it off the fire. I recommend a simple seasoning: salt, pepper, and garlic. The crispy ends of the meat caramelize so well that it gives off a sweet yet savory flavor all its own. Serve it with Creamy Horseradish Sauce, which gets its spice with a hit of hot sauce in addition to horseradish—double the recipe if you really like horseradish sauce! You can also try this recipe with boneless prime rib (trussing it really well) or a whole New York strip roast.

CHARRED AND GLAZED PINEAPPLE

If you have a fire going and the main event is one of the meat recipes we’ve already cooked, adding this to the cook is a no-brainer. It’s an additional dish that I think pairs so well with chicken, pork, and even beef that I usually cook a few of these pineapples every time we do big fire-cooking dinners. This recipe is an ode to the great Francis Mallmann, and the key to making these is getting that fire vertical (see page 37). Because the pineapple hangs lengthwise next to the fire, you need to have the heat coming at it from the side, not the bottom. This helps caramelize the fruit everywhere, which is the best part, next to the honey butter glaze.

BRAZILIAN-INSPIRED PICANHA

If you are an avid griller, you might be familiar with this superb cut of beef that, in South America, is called picanha. If not, then I have a treat for you. Picanha is a delicious hearty cut hailing from the back side of the animal commonly called the round. What makes picanha so enticing is its fat cap—no, you do not want to carve off that fat! It gives this cut of meat its rich, savory flavor. Pair this dish with a side of chimichurri to cut through that rich fat. Pro tip: When shopping for this cut of meat, ask your butcher for sirloin cap or whole rump cap.

CHARRED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

There is, perhaps, no other vegetable that can be as disappointing—or as amazing—as Brussels sprouts, depending on how you cook them. Done poorly, they can be watery and unappetizing. But by cooking them over the fire, they become crispy perfection. In this recipe, the charred outside takes on a nice tang from a hit of vinegar while the inside of the Brussels sprouts remains tender. When I’m in the mood for something a little different, I swap out the vinegar for lemon juice and top these with Parmesan cheese, similar to the treatment I give the Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus (page 159).

STEAKHOUSE HERB BUTTER

If you didn’t already know it, I’m here to tell you butter makes everything better. Yes, that includes steak! Don’t believe me? Once you make this flavorful butter, cut off a piece, and place it on top of your next steak while it rests to melt all over the crust. After that first bite—you will be converted. If you love it, you can also make a double batch and lather it onto your steak before grilling for extra flavor and crispness. And don’t limit yourself to steak. This butter is also great on eggs, pork chops, and salmon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Derek Wolf is the man behind Over The Fire Cooking: a website, video, and social media phenomenon dedicated to bringing fire, food, and people together. In addition to his original recipes and videos, Derek builds community on his pages by featuring the adventures of other fire-cooking enthusiasts. Derek frequently travels around the world to learn new techniques and recipes, works with various brands from Cowboy Charcoal to Oklahoma Joe’s, and has multiple bestselling spice lines with Spiceology. He has been featured everywhere from Forbes to Southern Cast Iron magazine, made TV shorts with Buffalo Trace, and loves cooking for large crowds at festivals. Most weeks you can still find him working on new recipes, producing and showcasing them on his website and socials. Check out more of his work on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more at @OverTheFireCooking or visit him at OverTheFireCooking.com.