The Smell of Fire

AUTUMN BBQ

I was once asked by a journalist about the best flavor for autumn, the question was difficult because it had to be general, but also detailed. My best memory of autumn is in the garden with yellow leaves, friends gathered around the fire, on that homemade stove there were many rustic dishes: grilled meat, grilled corn, grilled potatoes. BBQ culture (Barbecue) - or grilling is a type of culinary culture that appears in all seasons of the year but is most wonderful in autumn, when the weather is not too cold or too hot.

Barbecue comes from the Spanish word “barbacoa”. According to some people who told me, this type of cooking has been around for a long time and was created by an explorer when they set foot on a new land, where cooking utensils were too luxurious, a simple stove placed on fire was the best option. With that stove, you can create a cooking method that is beyond expectation when meats and seafood are cooked directly by fire and smoke, creating a very attractive flavor that no other cooking utensils can bring.

I have had many autumns abroad, and it is difficult to find those memories in Vietnam, especially in Saigon where the weather is often too hot to have the opportunity to burn a bundle of firewood outdoors. I sought out a friend of mine - a foreign chef working in Vietnam - to find that autumn picture.

George is the best fire chef I know. He works at Stoker - Woodfire Grill & Bar in Ho Chi Minh City, where there is a wood fire and BBQ culture in the food. George was born and raised in Australia, where there is a huge BBQ culture. I think Australia enjoys BBQ very differently from other places in the world. It may be a bit like the way Americans or Spaniards do, but for Australians, BBQ culture is also part of family, children and social relationships, especially during holidays or long holidays.

FLAVOR OF FAMILY

Among the hundreds of thousands of flavors created in the world, to me there are 3 types of scents that always bring the most familiar feeling of home: the smell of coffee in the morning, the aroma of bread in the oven and the scent of burning wood. In cooking, “woodfire” is a word that refers to the method of baking using wood. The aroma from burning wood will give off a “haunting” scent in a positive sense, haunting from the baking process to when the dish is brought to the table. Diners will feel their stomachs rumbling when they accidentally pass by this scent, I think it is the most characteristic and stomach-stimulating scent in all forms of cooking.

For George, the perfect fall meat to grill is a beefsteak cooked directly over a wood fire. The fire creates a beautiful crust and that incredible aroma that you can only get from grilling. It also creates the perfect texture: charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.

This method requires the chef to have a closed room that complies with the principles of temperature and humidity. The selected meat will be hung for a specified time to help the water to be drained but still moist enough, the ratio of lean fat is balanced and the outside of the meat is slightly wilted. When grilled, the meat will achieve a rich, sweet aroma, moist and melt in the mouth.

“What about seafood?” I asked and George said, “When it comes to seafood, it has to be octopus, slow cooked until tender, then grilled on the outside, to get that delicious sea feel. This is a dish from my childhood in Australia. It reminds me of the autumn days when we would have lunch on the patio every weekend because it was too cold in the winter to have barbecues outside.”

“Simple” is the key word in cooking that never goes out of style. For dishes that require appreciating the wonderful qualities of fire, you need to remember the following principles: quality meat, a little sea salt and sour (lemon, apple, citrus...) to create the most balanced grilled dish. Many people like to add pepper when marinating grilled meat but George finds that it burns and turns into a different flavor that should not be there. It is better to add pepper after grilling to keep the full flavor of fish, pepper and meat.

BRING FIRE TO SWEET DISHES...

George surprised me by using the wood-fired flavours not only on meats and seafood, but also in desserts. For example, the baked apples served with dulce de leche and lemon mascarpone cheese are a visual treat, with the smoky flavours of the dish mixed with the warm autumnal flavours.

I think BBQ culture doesn't just need fire or food, but also needs familiar people to enjoy the magic that fire brings: food, family emotions, warm flavors.

Fall wouldn't be fall without dishes like these!

Culinary expert Bui Thu Thao