ONeal - Live fire BBQ and beond: recipes for outdoor cooking with your kamado, pizza oven, fire pit, rotisserie and more

Text and photographs copyright 2019 Wendy ONeal except as noted below. Design and concept copyright 2019 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by:

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-915-0

Acquisitions editor: Bridget Thoreson

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Project editor: Molly Conway

Editor: Renee Rutledge

Proofreader: Lauren Harrison

Front cover design: Malea Clark-Nicholson

Cover photographs: back Wendy O'Neal; front from shutterstock.com burger Brent Hofacker, shrimp Alieva Liubov, ribs bitt24, pizza Jag_cz, pineapple Larisa Blinova, steak Alexander Raths, charcoal background NOPPHARAT STUDIO62

Interior design/layout: what!design @ whatweb.com

Interior photographs: Wendy ONeal except on

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products pictured and mentioned in this book. Take special note of the important safety warnings throughout this book, and always use customary precautions for safe food preparation, handling, and storage.

To Kaylynn and Gavin. I am so blessed to have you call me mom!
Yall are my everything.

And thanks for always eating your supper.

Contents

Introduction

I grew up in a family that loved outdoor cooking. My dad was always firing up the grill for supper, lighting the smoker for weekend parties, and even teaching himself how to cook with the Dutch oven. When I married, my husband had no idea that we could make such delicious food at home. Sure, hed had some of my dads cooking, but most of his experience with barbecue or grilled foods came from chain restaurants.

Shortly after we were married, we bought an inexpensive grill and an outdoor cookbook, and weve been hooked on outdoor cooking ever since. Weve had gas grills, charcoal grills, grills that only use newspaper, travel grills, tabletop grillsweve had them all. But my favorites are a good-quality kamado grill and my large gas grill.

Im a self-taught cook, but I was given a great foundation in the kitchen by my mom and my granny. I remember watching cooking shows on PBS when Id get home from school and writing down the recipes as the chefs cooked. I loved learning about new cuisines and discovering kitchen tips, so when the Food Network started, I was in heaven. I couldnt get enough! I had no desire to become a chef, I just wanted to be able to feed my family good food. The kitchen (and the backyard grill) is the heart of the home, where I love bringing family and friends together over a delicious meal.

LIVE FIRE COOKING

Live fire is the oldest way of cooking, and the fascination with live fire cooking is growing. There are restaurants that only cook with live fire; in fact, there is a local fast food joint that cooks everything with live fire on a gaucho grill, and it is delicious! Now, home cooks and backyard cooking enthusiasts are jumping on the bandwagon.

I use several methods of live fire cooking in my backyard. I have a kamado grill and a wood-fired pizza oven, but my favorite is just a little portable fire pit. Its simple and great for small, quick meals. Having friends and family sit around the little fire pit in my backyard while cooking a meal is priceless.

Live fire cooking doesnt take a lot of fancy ingredients or seasoning as the food is seared quickly, which gives it tons of flavor and caramelization. The moisture held in by the searing is released when you cut into the food just before serving. Also, the wood and/or lump charcoal impart flavor as well.

Live fire cooking is any type of cooking that uses fire as the heat source. Grills, wood-fired pizza ovens, fire pits, and hearths all use fire in some way. Whether you are using an active fire or smoldering wood or lump charcoal, it is live fire cooking. Many people have already tried live fire cooking when using a traditional grill or a fire while camping.

TYPES OF EQUIPMENT

Kamado GrillsA good kamado grill can do everything from live fire cooking and charcoal grilling to smoking and baking. Even delicious, crispy pizza is doable in a kamado. They really are a great, multipurpose piece of equipment to add to your backyard kitchen. There are several brands of kamado grills, such as Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, and Char-Griller. My Char-Griller kamado grill works great and is a lot cheaper than some of the big-name brands.

Charcoal GrillsCharcoal grills come in a variety of sizes, but they all work the same. Its best to pick out one that has enough surface area to cook for your family. A chimney starter is useful in helping get a good fire going; however, most of the time the cooking will be done with hot coals instead of fire. The beginning of the cooking process can take place with the live fire, but as soon as the coals turn to ash they stop burning and remain hot for a long time. Longer grilling sessions require the addition of more charcoal to keep the grill hot.

Wood-Fired Pizza OvensCooking in a wood-fired pizza oven is fun and produces a great flavor. There are a lot of brands on the market, but my favorite is from Forno Bravo (www.fornobravo.com). These ovens are an investment, so make sure to get a quality one that will fit everything you want to cook. I picked one that would be large enough to cook a whole turkey, a pan of lasagna, or enough pizza for my family all at once.

Fire PitsMost of my experience with live fire cooking came from cooking over a fire pit while camping. There are no tricks with a traditional fire pit. Just some fire wood, a grate to cook on, and lots of delicious food. And whats more rewarding than waking up in a tent, starting a fire, and brewing a big pot of coffee?

Gas GrillsA gas grill is probably the easiest (and perhaps even a cheater method to live fire cooking). The fire is extremely easy to control, and it heats up very quickly. A good gas grill is a terrific way to learn how to cook with live fire.

Hearth CookingHearth cooking is one of the oldest forms of cooking. This method uses a home fireplace with a fire. Its wonderful in the winter, but does require some special equipment and a few adjustments to a traditional fireplace. A fireplace crane with a swivel arm can be attached to the inside of the fireplace to make cooking over the fire easier and safer.