The Recipe Vault
Iron Cross Suckling Pig
This isn't backyard BBQ. This is traditional Argentine asado — a whole suckling pig butterflied and mounted on an iron cross, cooked low and slow over live fire for hours.
Paired with Wagyu tri-tip finished over the coals. Two proteins. One fire. The complete asado experience.
The iron cross is primal. There's no hiding behind a closed lid or a temperature probe. It's you, the fire, and hours of managing heat, wind, and timing. This cook tested everything I know about live fire — and it's the one I'm most proud of. If you want to understand what Own The Fire actually means, this is it.
Beef Rib Pastrami
Professional kitchens taught me a few things. Corned beef and pastrami—I make my own. Once I learned how to do it properly, I never turned back.
The process works for both. Just don't smoke the corned beef.
This isn't the shortcut version. This is the real technique—learned in professional kitchens, refined over 20+ years. The Guinness steam finish takes it from good to legendary. The kind of pastrami that makes people stop mid-bite and ask how you did it.
The Full Asado
This is traditional Argentine asado — not the American interpretation. Multiple proteins, one fire, hours of managing heat and timing to bring everything together at the perfect moment.
Wagyu Picanha. Tomahawk ribeye. 7-bone plate rib. Each cut demands different technique. This cook shows how they all work together over live fire on a Santa Maria grill.
I didn't learn asado from YouTube. I researched the source — built relationships with Argentine asadores and Brazilian craftsmen who've been doing this for generations. This cook is the result of that obsession. The techniques, the timing, the tools — all of it comes from studying the tradition, not just copying the aesthetic.
Whole Roasted Duck
Twenty years in professional kitchens. Duck always separated confident cooks from nervous ones—everyone wants crispy skin that cracks, but most end up with rubber.
This isn't the medium-rare duck breast method. This is whole roasted duck, Peking style. Crispy skin that shatters, meat cooked through but still moist. Here's how restaurants actually do it.
I burned duck skin for two years before a French chef showed me the honey bath trick. One minute in honey water—that's it. It tightens the skin and creates that lacquered surface that actually cracks when you bite into it. The 3-4 day dry cure isn't optional—it's what separates restaurant duck from rubbery disappointment.
Rigatoni Alla Vodka
Most recipes treat vodka like an afterthought. Splash it in, cook it off, move on. That completely misses why vodka is in this dish.
Vodka is a solvent. It pulls flavor compounds out of tomatoes that water and fat can't touch. When you ignite it, those compounds transform. That's what separates restaurant-level sauce from pink stuff.
Twenty years in professional kitchens and vodka sauce was always a tell. You could spot the cooks who understood chemistry versus the ones just following steps. The flambé isn't theater—it's the moment everything changes. Skip it or rush it and you just have tomato cream sauce.
The Complete Turkey Vault
Three cooking methods. Two brine techniques. One comprehensive guide. Everything you need to master live fire turkey, from prep to carve.
Three Methods, One Philosophy
Whether you're spinning a bird over live fire, smoking low and slow, or grilling hot and fast—the fundamentals stay the same. Proper brine. Compound butter under and over the skin. Pull at 155-160°F. Wrap and hold. No exceptions.
Everything in One Guide
Ten pages of technique, timing, and troubleshooting. No hunting for recipes. No guessing. Just the complete system for turkey that makes people ask what you did differently.
Over 70 Recipes Across 7 Categories
You've seen what went viral. Pastrami with 205K views. Mike Riddle's recipe for how to roast a whole duck with crispy skin—#3 all-time on r/cooking. These aren't flukes—they're the result of 20+ years refining technique. Fire & Steel Academy members get access to the complete archive: monthly technique guides, professional methods across every category, and the instruction that builds real skill.
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.
Real Transformation. Real Results.
" NY Fire & Steel Academy has changed my BBQ 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 grilling. So straight forward. I'm ready to host in my own backyard. Get involved!
You Already Know This Is Different
You didn't stumble onto this page. You came through the content—through technique that made you stop and pay attention. You recognized the precision. The professional standards. The difference between someone who cooks for clicks and someone who spent 20 years in kitchens that didn't tolerate shortcuts.
The Vault wasn't built for casual browsers. It was built for people who want to cook at a level most never reach—and who understand that real skill requires real instruction.
Fire & Steel Academy is where foundation becomes mastery. Over 70 recipes. Monthly technique guides. Professional methods across 7 categories. The complete system for cooking like it actually matters.