Cooking over live fire at home

People often ask whether our cooking can be done at home. It can. The hearth at Ember & Oak is big, but the principles behind it are the same ones my grandfather used on a steel drum in his backyard in Monterrey. Manage your fire, give yourself zones of heat and be patient.

Choose the right wood

Hardwood is non-negotiable. Softwoods like pine burn fast and leave a bitter, resinous taste. We use red oak for steady heat and cherry for its sweet, gentle smoke. At home, any seasoned hardwood from a reputable supplier works: oak, hickory, maple, apple or cherry. Look for wood that has been dried for at least six months. It should be light, cracked at the ends and sound hollow when two pieces knock together.

Lump charcoal is a good starting point if you are new to fire. Use it as a base, then add a split of hardwood or two for flavour.

Build your fire in zones

The most important technique is creating more than one temperature. Pile embers high on one side of the grill and leave the other side almost empty. Now you have a searing zone, a medium zone and a resting zone in one space, and you can move food between them instead of fighting the fire.

• Light the fire 45 minutes before you cook. You want glowing embers, not flames.
• Hold your hand above the grate: two seconds is very hot, five seconds is medium.
• Keep a spray bottle of water nearby for flare-ups, not for the embers themselves.
• Add new wood to the side, never directly under food.
• Rest meat on the cool side for as long as it cooked.

Cook over embers, not flames. Flames are for show. Embers are for flavour.

Start with vegetables

The single best thing you can cook over fire at home is a whole vegetable buried in the embers. Take a beet, an onion or a small squash, place it directly in the coals and leave it for 45 minutes to an hour, turning once. The outside will blacken completely. Peel it away and the inside is soft, sweet and deeply smoky.

This is exactly how we make our ember-roasted beet, the dish that has been on our menu since the day we opened. Dress it with something sharp and creamy, like cultured cream with lemon, and you will understand why we never turned the gas back on.