Eric Werner knows how to cook over fire. He’s been doing it since he was a kid. His father was outdoorsy, so they would grill meats outdoors whenever possible. Dinner at roadside grills, fresh fish, caught by ice fishing, grilled right there over the ice for them to eat. His school cooked meals over an open fire, so he learned to feed students before heading off to culinary school. Although he didn’t finish, he still went on to work in several impressive professional kitchens, where he just kept learning. But when it was time for him to open his own restaurant, he went back to what had always inspired him—cooking over open fire. And now he wants to inspire us to cook over an open fire too in The Outdoor Kitchen.
Werner has a lot of strong ideas about what works best as a grill. His years of experience have taught him what works best to keep the fire going at the temperature that’s best to cook over. He understands how the flow of air affects the flames, how to draw the best flavors of the meats and vegetables, how to work the subtleties of the grill to create rich dishes with an intricate balance of smoke and sweetness. And now he is sharing everything he’s learned with us, starting with his design for the perfect grill and following up with 80 recipes that anyone can use to master the flavor that open-fire cooking can bring.
In order to make Werner’s grill, you’ll need an ironworker, but in an age of artisans, that shouldn’t be too hard to find. And then you can create your own outdoor kitchen to master live-fire cooking yourself. (Wait, don’t stop reading yet. If you don’t want to have your own grill created from scratch, Werner offers ideas for hacking the grill you already have. It’s the cooking that’s more important than the grill.)
Of course there are recipes for meats and fish. But there are also vegetables and sides, desserts, and even some cocktails that can be constructed using these open-fire cooking techniques. You know there is are steaks (Filet Mignon with Herb Butter, New York Strip with Poblano Worcestershire Sauce, Rib Eye for One with Caramelized Onions). And chicken (Butterflied Chicken with Toasted Mustard Seed Oil, Chicken Legs with Onion and Smoked Date Jam). And pork (Hartwood Spiced Spareribs, Cast-Iron Pork Chops with Honey Vinegar).
But there are also recipes for lamb, duck, quail, for chicken stock, for soup. Salmon with Almond-Tarragon Salsa Verde. Jerk-Smoked Shrimp on a Stick. Quick Sauerkraut, Cauliflower Steaks with Beer-Raisin Glaze, Grilled Corn, Sweet Potato Pancakes with Grilled Applesauce. Burnt Strawberry Ice Cream. Concord Grape Cheesecake. Smoked Chocolate Mousse. (I just need to say that one again. Smoked! Chocolate! Mousse!) Smoky 211 Margarita. Bloody Mary. Burnt Blood Orange and Bourbon Cocktail.
The Outdoor Kitchen is a beautiful cookbook. The photography is stunning, picture after picture of beautifully charred foods, vegetables and meats from the breath-taking Whole Fried Fish to the gorgeous eggplant for the Eggplant Dip with Smoked Dates to the mouth-watering Porterhouse Steak with Butcher’s Salt. And if you want to know what kind of cookbook this is, there is a bookmark you can use to mark your place, made of leather. Okay, so it’s probably man-made leather, but to add that beautiful finishing touch to a cookbook makes you understand that this is not just a book filled with recipes. It’s a work of art.
I’ve received a free copy of The Outdoor Kitchen from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
