The Wood-Fired barbecue

The wood-fired barbecue is undoubtedly the one most prized by connoisseurs for the superb flavour it gives to food. Its use requires much more thoughtful management, the embers don’t happen in the blink of an eye and controlling the temperature and flames can also present a handicap. We all have a memory of sausages that were simultaneously burnt and not cooked, singed and bitter from a fat fire… But we also all have the memory of the beef rib cutlet that was perfectly caramelised on the outside and juicy inside, determined to convert the most vegetarian of vegetarians. The wood-fired barbecue offers the luxury of choosing between a multitude of fuels—pine cones, vine shoots, pine needles, tree wood (yes, it exists!)—according to what’s being cooked (ask my friend, he will tell you that duck breasts can only be cooked over vine shoots lit with the rugby pages of a newspaper). A wood-fired barbecue nevertheless presents environmental hazards: a gust of wind, a flying ember, and 10 hectares go up in smoke!