Own The Fire

08/10/2026

Swordfish is one of my favorite fish to cook over live fire.

It's firm, meaty and holds up beautifully over a wood fire. But there's a fine line between a properly grilled swordfish steak and one that's been cooked too long.

In this video, I'm working with some beautiful thick-cut swordfish, taking you through the preparation before it goes onto the grill.

One thing I learned over more than 20 years in professional kitchens is that the preparation is every bit as important as the actual cook.

Start with a quality ingredient. Understand what you're working with. Build a proper fire and manage your heat.

That's the foundation of good cooking, whether you're working with seafood, beef, pork or anything else over live fire.

Follow OWN THE FIRE® for more professional cooking techniques, full-length cooks and the custom live-fire equipment I build.

Chef-Built. Fire-Forged.
OWN THE FIRE®

04/10/2026

02/10/2026

The thermometer should confirm what you’re already seeing and feeling.

I hadn’t taken the temperature yet here. But I could see the bark starting to set, the color was exactly where I wanted it, and I could feel where the meat was in the cook.

Then I checked it: 154°F.

That comes with repetition.

The more you cook, the more you start recognizing what the food is telling you. You notice how the bark develops, how the color changes, how the surface feels and how the meat responds when you touch it.

I absolutely use a thermometer. It’s an important tool. But I don’t want the thermometer to be the only thing telling me what’s happening.

Learn the numbers, but also learn to look and feel.
That’s how you become a better cook.

Chef-Built. Fire-Forged.
OWN THE FIRE

30/09/2026

Fish marinates in minutes, not hours.

That’s something I learned working the grill in professional kitchens.

When an order came in for swordfish or tuna, we weren’t pulling fish that had been sitting in marinade all day. It went into the marinade, picked up the flavor, and then went to the grill.

For this swordfish, I’m using oil and chimichurri. The oil carries the flavor from the herbs and aromatics across the surface of the fish, and swordfish picks that flavor up quickly.

You’re not trying to bury a beautiful piece of fish under a marinade. You’re giving it another layer of flavor before it hits the fire.

The full swordfish cook is on my YouTube channel.
Chef-Built. Fire-Forged.

30/09/2026

Fire management is the cook.

You can have a great grill, good wood and an incredible piece of meat, but once you're cooking over a live fire, there is no thermostat doing the work for you.

You have to learn to read the fire.

Build and maintain the coal bed. Control the flame. Understand where the heat is. Adjust the distance between the food and the fire. Know when to add another split and, just as importantly, when to leave it alone.

That's one of the things I enjoy most about live-fire cooking. You're never just following a temperature or a timer. You're constantly reading what's happening and making small adjustments throughout the cook.

I've been cooking professionally and over live fire for a long time, and I'm still learning every time I light one.

What took you the longest to learn about managing a live fire?

29/09/2026

Live Fire Swordfish. Because the Fire Isn't Just for Beef.

I talk a lot about asado and big cuts of meat over live fire, but that doesn’t mean beef gets to have all the fun.

I walked into the store, saw a beautiful 10-pound piece of swordfish and immediately knew what I wanted to do with it.

Put it over the fire.

Swordfish is one of those fish that works incredibly well for live-fire cooking. It has enough structure to handle the heat, and cooking it over wood and coals gives you an exterior you’re simply not going to get cooking it gently in a pan.

And just like everything else I cook this way, it comes back to fire management.

Control the fire. Control the distance between the food and the coals. Move when you need to move.

No thermostat required.

Would you cook swordfish over an open fire?
OWN THE FIRE®

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27/09/2026

STOP BURYING GREAT MEAT UNDER SEASONING.

You’ve seen it. Rub poured on until you can barely tell what’s underneath.

That’s not how I approach it.

If I’m cooking Iberico pork, I want to taste Iberico pork. I want that incredible marbling, the rendered fat, and the flavor we’re building over the live fire.

These are Iberico St. Louis ribs and baby backs seasoned with Ember & Salt Co. Patagonia.

I’m not trying to make the pork taste like seasoning.

The seasoning is an accent. The meat is the main event.

That philosophy goes back to my years in professional kitchens. Start with a great ingredient, build flavor around it, and know when to get out of its way.

And yes, there are plenty of people who completely disagree with me on this one.

So where do you land? Heavy rub, or let the meat lead?

23/09/2026

There's no single "right" way to cook with live fire.

There's technique.

You develop your technique. You learn your fire. You understand your coal bed. And eventually you understand why you're doing what you're doing instead of simply following somebody else's instructions.

That's the part I want to teach.

Full Fire Management breakdown is on my YouTube channel.

21/09/2026

If you've never had Iberico ribs, you're missing out.

I cooked both Iberico St. Louis ribs and baby backs over live fire, then finished them with my signature honey lime combination.

Fresh lime. Honey. Butter. Back over the fire.

Iberico has so much natural richness that I don't want to bury it under a heavy sauce. The honey gives me sweetness and caramelization, while the lime cuts right through that richness.

These were ridiculous.

Now the important question:

St. Louis or baby backs?

Full cook is up on YouTube. Search Own The Fire®.

21/09/2026

I use cast iron all over my Santa Maria grill.

Small pans like this are perfect for butter, sauces, aromatics and finishing ingredients while everything else is cooking over the fire.

Here I'm starting a chili garlic butter for the shrimp.

That's one of the things I love about this style of cooking. You're not limited to one temperature or one cooking surface. Build your coal bed, create different heat zones, and use each part of the grill for what it does best.

The fire becomes the kitchen.

Command the Flame. Rule the Craft.
Own The Fire®