Fire & Steel Academy
What if every cook you made was guided by someone who's been cooking their whole life — 20 of those years in professional kitchens?
This is culinary education that actually works. Technique you can use tonight — at the stove, at the grill, or over live fire. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just systems that make you better.
Choose Your Path to Mastery
From fundamentals to championship techniques — find your level
FOUNDATION
Build your base with chef-driven fundamentals and core techniques
Learn More About Foundation →ELITE
Championship mastery. Membership breaks even with gear drops
Learn More About Elite →ADVANCED
Master international fire methods and advanced variations
Learn More About Advanced →Meet Mike Riddle
Chef Mike Riddle
Executive Chef • Live Fire Specialist • Founder
20+ years in professional kitchens.
Real credentials. Real technique.
This is culinary education that works.
Executive Chef with 20+ years in high-end NYC restaurants. Specializing in Argentine asado, Brazilian churrasco, and live fire culinary techniques refined over decades of professional service.
Every method taught has been pressure-tested in kitchens where precision and consistency weren't optional — they were survival. Now translated for your kitchen, your grill, your fire.
"Most online 'experts' learned from other YouTubers. I learned behind the line in professional kitchens where every plate mattered."
— That's the OWN THE FIRE™ difference you're investing in.
Mike Riddle Chef Teaches Asado
Professional technique. Accessible instruction. This is Fire & Steel Academy.
The Full Story
How 56 Years of Cooking Became Fire & Steel Academy
The evolution, the lessons, and why this was never just a BBQ brand.
Read Volume 6 →Why Fire & Steel Academy Works
Professional Kitchen Foundation
Dishwasher at 15. Executive Chef by 35. Twenty years in professional kitchens where every plate mattered. This isn't YouTube theory — it's technique earned behind the line.
Restaurant Techniques, Your Kitchen
The same methods I used in professional kitchens — translated for your stove, your grill, your fire. Mise en place. Heat control. Timing. Systems that make you better every time you cook.
No gimmicks. No fluff. Just chef-driven mastery — delivered every month.
Whether you're building your foundation or going all-in for championship-level mastery, the Fire & Steel Academy delivers pro-level techniques, gear perks, and tangible rewards that pay for themselves.
FOUNDATION
Build your base.
- • Monthly Foundation Technique Guide – Core techniques in written format
- • Access to "Unlock the Vault" – Growing recipe library
- • Fire & Steel Chronicles – Storytelling emails with insights
- • $10 coupon every month – Stackable on orders $100+
- • 24-hour early access – Be first in line for drops
Or save 20% with a yearly membership
Start with FoundationADVANCED
Sharpen your skills.
- • Everything in Foundation plus
- • Advanced variations – Master fire control, cuts, and fuel
- • Second monthly technique – Double the skills, double the results
- • Equipment deep-dives – Insights from pro-level builds
- • $15 coupon every month – Stackable on orders $100+
- • 48-hour early access – Beat the crowd
- • Own The Fire™ Tee at 3 months – Loyalty reward
Or save 20% with a yearly membership
Upgrade to AdvancedELITE
All-in mastery.
- • Everything in Advanced plus
- • Quarterly gear drops – $75+ value delivered every 3 months
- • Championship techniques – Competition-level precision & strategy
- • Founding 500 Challenge Coin – Limited-edition member badge
- • $25 coupon every month – Maximum monthly savings
- • 72-hour early access – Get first pick on every release
Or save 20% with a yearly membership
Join ELITE – Get the EdgeNOT READY TO COMMIT? TRY BEFORE YOU JOIN.
Experience Mike's teaching style with our free Volume 0 technique guide.
Download the complete Brisket Lasagna Stuffed Potatoes technique—the same depth of instruction Fire & Steel Academy members receive every month. No credit card required. No strings attached.
Download Volume 0 FreeFull technique guide • Professional methods • Zero cost
THIS ISN'T A MEMBERSHIP
IT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT PAYS YOU BACK
Every tier delivers real, tangible value from Day 1. Elite members break even while mastering championship techniques.
FOUNDATION
$10/month or $96/year
Your membership pays for itself
- Monthly cost: $10
- Monthly coupon: $10 off $100+
- 24-hour early access ✓
Make one purchase over $100 and your membership is free.
ADVANCED
$25/month or $240/year
Double the content, real savings every month
- Monthly cost: $25
- Monthly coupon: $15 off $150+
- International methods ✓
- 48-hour early access ✓
- Own The Fire™ tee at 3 months ✓
Coupons cover 60% of membership cost every month. Plus exclusive gear and international techniques.
ELITE
$50/month or $480/year
Membership breaks even while you master championship techniques
- Annual cost: $600
- Monthly coupons: $300/year
- Quarterly gear drops: $300/year
- Founding 500 coin: ✓
- Championship techniques: ✓
- 72-hour early access: ✓
Elite members break even on tangible value while getting competition-level training and exclusive gear.
Most culinary courses cost you money.
Fire & Steel Academy pays you back.
Real Transformation. Real Results.
" Mike is an excellent teacher when it comes to learning the techniques and tricks of cooking. There's lots of information out there — this is the next level.
" Fire & Steel Academy has changed my cooking experience. I am confident and willing to take risks when I cook. The step-by-step instructions is exactly what I need in order to build my skills in front of the grill. The Fire & Steel Academy restored my faith in outdoor cooking. So straight forward. I'm ready to host in my own backyard. Get involved!
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. PERSONAL RESULTS.
After 20 years as an Executive Chef and 25 years as a Marketing VP, I've learned one truth: excellence isn't accidental. It's built through systems, refined under pressure, and delivered with consistency.
Fire & Steel Academy is for those who refuse to settle for hobbyist results. This is for serious enthusiasts and professionals who know that mastery takes more than YouTube tips — it takes real expertise, proven methods, and precision thinking.
If you've read this far, you're not looking for shortcuts — you're looking for transformation. Join the Academy, master professional techniques, and never cook the same way again.
Ready to cook like it matters.
— Chef Mike Riddle
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Appetizers & Small Plates
Where fire meets finesse. These are the opening statements of your culinary repertoire — elegant compositions that demand precision, technique, and an understanding that every element matters.
From Drago's-style oysters with live-fire char to competition-level smoked deviled eggs, these recipes showcase the intersection of restaurant technique and outdoor mastery. Each dish is engineered to impress, teaching you the temperature control, timing precision, and plating standards that separate memorable meals from forgettable ones.
These aren't just appetizers. They're the signature opening that signals to your guests: this meal is happening at a different level.
LIQUID FOUNDATIONS
Soups
Soup is the signature of a skilled kitchen. From the succulent lobster bisque crowned with crisp shiitake mushrooms to the roasted butternut squash finished with candied pecans, blue cheese, and sage, these are compositions that demand precision, layered technique, and an understanding of flavor architecture.
Each recipe teaches you the foundations of professional cooking — building flavor through patient layering, achieving silky refinement through proper technique, and finishing with intentional contrast. These aren't casual weeknight broths. They're statements of mastery.
Master soup, and you've mastered the fundamental building blocks that elevate every meal.
THE CENTERPIECE
Main Dishes & Proteins
This is where mastery reveals itself. From the fire-kissed elegance of grilled lobster tail swimming in cowboy butter to the bold sophistication of coffee-crusted tri-tip with charred edges and smoke-kissed interior, these recipes demand precision, temperature control, and an understanding that every protein tells a story.
Each dish in this collection teaches you the relationship between heat, timing, and technique. How to build flavor through intentional char. How to achieve restaurant-level doneness without hesitation. How to transform a simple cut of meat or seafood into something that commands the table.
These are the recipes that define your reputation. Master them, and you're not just cooking — you're commanding fire.
THE FINISHING LAYER
Condiments & Sauces
The difference between good food and unforgettable food lives in the sauce. From fire-roasted tomato jam with cowboy jalapeños to compound butters that elevate every protein, these recipes teach you that condiments aren't decoration — they're the punctuation that completes the sentence.
Each sauce and condiment demonstrates professional technique: proper emulsification, flavor layering, acidity balance, and the strategic use of fire to develop depth. Understanding sauces means understanding how to finish every plate with intention.
Master the sauce, and you've mastered the final layer that transforms a meal into an experience.
THE FOUNDATION OF FLAVOR
Rubs & Signature Blends
A rub is not seasoning. It's architecture. From The Foundation — the all-purpose powerhouse engineered for perfect crust — to Fire Kiss Chimichurri with its Argentine soul and New York fire intensity, each signature blend teaches you the precise balance of spice, smoke, and technique.
These aren't generic spice combinations. Each blend is engineered to interact with fire, develop bark under heat, and build flavor layers that evolve as your protein cooks. Understanding rubs means understanding the foundation of every masterful plate.
Master the rub, and you've mastered the first fundamental principle of world-class fire cooking.
Questions About Fire & Steel Academy?
Everything you need to know about membership, culinary training, and benefits.
What's included monthly?
Chef-led video training, professional technique guides, and $10-$25 gear coupons that make membership pay for itself.
Can I cancel anytime?
Total flexibility. No contracts. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel instantly from your account dashboard.
Which tier is right for me?
Foundation for fundamentals, Advanced for international techniques (best value), Elite for gear drops and priority access.
What are Quarterly Gear Drops?
Elite members only. 4 premium boxes per year with custom rubs, pro tools, and exclusive gear. Members-only access.
Need More Answers?
View our complete FAQ covering membership details, culinary training, gear coupons, returns, shipping, and everything Fire & Steel Academy.
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