VOLUME 2: The Steel That Started It All
Fire & Steel Chronicles: Volume 2
The Steel That Changed Everything
How leftover steel from my smoker build became a Santa Maria grill that opened my eyes to live fire
After finishing my dream smoker build, I had a pile of leftover steel. Good steel. Heavy gauge material that cost real money.
Looking at it, I thought - why not build a Santa Maria grill? I knew the basics - adjustable grates over live fire. Figured it was time to see what the fuss was about.
That decision changed my entire approach to fire.
What I Thought I Knew
After decades of smoking, I figured I had BBQ covered. Built my dream smoker. Cooked for crowds. Made competition-level BBQ.
But Santa Maria grilling? That was different territory.
I knew the basics - adjustable grates over live fire, traditional in California, used for tri-tip. But watching those leftover pieces of steel, I saw an opportunity to explore something completely different.
The Build
Started simple - 48" x 24" cooking surface. Just wanted to see what the fuss was about. Heavy gauge steel from the leftover pile. Adjustable grate system for height control. Basic wagon wheel design.
Nothing fancy. Just a grill to explore this different approach to fire.
The key was the adjustable grate system. Not just up and down - we built it with precision adjustment. Every quarter inch matters when you're working with live coals.
Added a separate brasero - basically a fire basket where you burn wood down to coals. That's the Argentine influence. You don't cook over flames. You cook over perfect coals that you manage and move.
The First Fire
First time I fired it up, I realized how much I'd been missing. This wasn't about low and slow. This wasn't about smoke rings and bark formation. This was about pure, primal fire control.
Raising and lowering those grates over live coals was completely different than managing dampers and airflow. Too high and you're just warming meat. Too low and you're cremating dinner. Find that sweet spot - that perfect distance where the heat kisses the meat without assaulting it - and you unlock flavors that smoking can't touch.
Started with a simple tri-tip. Salt. Fire. Nothing else.
The crust that developed was unlike anything from my smoker. Aggressive char on the outside, perfect pink throughout. No smoke flavor masking the beef - just meat and fire.
Down the Rabbit Hole
That Santa Maria grill sent me down a path I never expected. Started researching Argentine asado. Brazilian churrasco. Uruguayan parrilla.
Learned about the brasero technique - building your fire separate from your cooking area. Let wood burn to perfect coals, then shovel them under your meat. Complete control.
Discovered "asado de tira" - cross-cut short ribs that cook completely different over live fire. Found out about provoleta - grilled provolone that bubbles and chars. Learned why Argentines only use coarse salt - "sal gruesa" - and nothing else.
The more I learned, the more I realized: I'd been thinking about fire all wrong.
Building the Real Thing
After that education, redesigned everything. Added proper brasero. Made it iron-cross capable. 66" x 30" cooking surface. The key: that separate firebox lets you create perfect coals, then rake them exactly where needed.
Put the whole thing on wagon wheels with golf cart tires. My wife reminds me daily she'd like her garage spot back. The grill's winning that battle.
What Santa Maria Taught Me
That leftover steel taught me that BBQ isn't just about smoking. There's a whole world of live-fire cooking that most American pitmasters never explore.
The Santa Maria grill forced me to:
- Read the fire differently - coals not smoke
- Understand radiant heat vs convective heat
- Learn patience - you can't rush live fire
- Respect simplicity - salt and fire, nothing more
- Embrace the social aspect - asado is about gathering
This is where OWN THE FIRE™ really crystallized for me. It's not about controlling temperature with vents and dampers. It's about understanding fire at its most basic level and working with it, not against it. The fire doesn't care about your equipment. It cares about your knowledge.
Current Specs
What started as a 48" x 24" experiment evolved into this:
- 66" x 30" main grates
- Separate brasero (24" x 18")
- Iron cross attachment points
- Height adjustable from 4" to 24"
- Wagon wheel frame (mobility matters)
- Built from leftover quarter-inch steel
My wife reminds me daily she'd like her garage spot back. The grill's winning that battle.
Use it constantly. Not instead of my smoker - they do different jobs. But when I want aggressive char, pure meat flavor, and that primal cooking experience, this is where I go.
Your Live Fire Journey
You don't need leftover steel to start exploring live fire. A simple kettle grill with the lid off gets you started. A few fire bricks and a grate can make a basic Argentine setup.
But understand - once you taste what pure fire can do, you'll want more. You'll start thinking about coal management instead of temperature probes. You'll care more about the color of your coals than the number on a thermometer.
That's OWN THE FIRE™ - mastery through understanding, not equipment.
The progression is always the same:
- Start with curiosity
- Learn through doing
- Respect the tradition
- Make it your own
- Own the fire, don't just control it
That pile of leftover steel became my education in live fire. Cost me nothing but opened up everything.
Continue Your Journey
This is what Fire & Steel Academy teaches - not just one way to cook, but all the ways fire can transform food. FOUNDATION members learn the basics of live fire. ADVANCED members get into Argentine techniques and coal management. ELITE members get my complete Santa Maria grill plans and brasero specifications.
Join NY Fire & Steel Academy →
FOUNDATION ($10/month) Master the fundamentals of live fire
ADVANCED ($25/month) Learn authentic Argentine asado techniques
ELITE ($50/month) Get complete grill plans and personal guidance
Next Chronicle: The blizzard that forced me to build a cold smoker from a shipping box - and why constraints create innovation.
Mike Riddle
Founder, NY Fire & Steel Academy
The leftover steel was free. The education was priceless.
P.S. That Santa Maria grill has cooked thousands of pounds of meat since I built it from leftover steel. But more importantly, it taught me that there's always more to learn about fire. Even after decades of cooking, a pile of scrap steel can still teach you something new. That's what OWN THE FIRE™ is all about - never stop learning, never stop exploring, never stop mastering the flame.
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