COWBOY COOKING ON YOUR FIRE PIT
Gaucho cooking is such an honest and simple way to cook, there is nothing you can not cook over a wood fire pit and I feel the honest rustic flavour does something to your senses, it is after all how we all cooked until recent years. Not only does cowboy cooking give you this it also brings a great social gathering aspect to the pit, known as asado, people love to be involved and help with the cooking and this makes for a great atmosphere.
Fire pit cooking is a slow cook, even though the base temperature at the start was over 400 degrees, the heat lowers as the fire pit slows down and that allows the meat to cook firstly at a high temperature and then cook slower as the temperature lowers allowing the meat to rest while cooking, this gives everyone time to talk and share in the cooking. Adjusting the height or distance of the meat from the fire pit is how you control the heat.
I like to lower the meat as the fire pit heat lowers keeping the meat close to the heat, which means I do not have to re-kindle the fire, then on the final pit height I leave the meat to slowly rest over the wood flame adding flavour. This is the most juiciest and flavoursome meat I have ever cooked and the easiest, it is very difficult to over cook the meat, with gaucho style hospitality and service known as rodizio you carve the meat from medium to rare and then place the skewers of meat back over the pit to cook on or keep warm, this is so you can serve to everyone's taste.
The first fire in the pit, I will admit the pressure and anticipation was high for the first fire lighting, concerns were firstly that we had 47 people for lunch and there was no way my oven would handle this amount of meat and secondly the fire pit staying alight and not blowing up when it would probably pass 500 degrees! There was at one point around 30 minutes in to the established fire when we all heard a massive ping and I swear the patio moved! We all looked straight at the pit, but we realised it was still standing and it must have been the fire grates in the bottom of the pit that had probably buckled under the heat, we were right and this gorgeous pit did us proud.
GAUCHO PICANHA ASADO
Whole sides of ribeye steak, cut into half then bent into a c shape and skewered all the way through, this is known as picanha and usually sirloin steak (botton). These took 45 minutes to cook to rare 50 degrees, 60 minutes for medium 55-60 degrees and 75 minutes for well done 70 degrees.
CARNEIRO
Gaucho legs of lamb, this were whoppers, bone in and around 4kg each, These took 55min-75mins to cook over the pit to medium rare 55 degrees, then allow 10 minutes resting away from the heat but on the side of the fire pit.
This is such a great social and calm way to cook for lots of people, it was great fun and I loved that lots of people want to help and be part of the cooking.
GOOD COOKING OVER WOOD
I don't know why gaucho cooking is so inspiring, it is very simple and honest, maybe that is it, no fancy gadgets like water baths or steam jets, it really is honest cooking that produces an outstanding quality of food, the wood flamed crust on the lamb and beef can not be beaten or faked, that crispy but fatty soft juicy smoked crust is a burst of heaven in your mouth, and the succulent tender meat just makes me just want to eat and eat and eat!
GAUCHO DAD'S 70th BIRTHDAY FIRE PIT PARTY
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