Global Fire Traditions

Global Fire Traditions

Explore named live-fire traditions through their histories, communities and distinctive techniques.

Barbacoa in Mexico

Pit cooking from the Maya pib to Hidalgo lamb, as the sources describe it.

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Regions of Texas Barbecue

Who draws the map: Central, East, South and the disputes between them.

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Memphis Barbecue

Pork sandwiches, ribs and the people who built the style.

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St. Louis Barbecue

The rib cut, pork steaks and snoots, and whose barbecue it is.

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Kentucky Mutton Barbecue

Owensboro’s mutton and dip, and the unsettled question of its origin.

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Argentine Asado

Explore Argentina’s parrilla tradition and its patient control of embers.

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Korean Barbecue Galbi

Discover the history and technique behind grilled marinated short ribs.

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Jamaican Jerk

Learn about Jamaica’s distinctive seasoning and smoke tradition.

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Hawaiian Kālua

Understand the Hawaiian imu method in its cultural context.

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Santa Maria Barbecue

Explore California’s red-oak live-fire barbecue tradition.

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Malaysian Chicken Satay

Mandy Yin’s Kuala Lumpur-inspired satay, with regional context.

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Yakitori

Just One Cookbook’s negima skewers and tare, plus charcoal notes.

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South African Sosaties

Getaway’s lamb curry sosaties, and the contested history of the dish.

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Greek Souvlaki

Diane Kochilas’s lemon chicken skewers and what makes souvlaki souvlaki.

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Tandoori-Style Chicken

A grill adaptation of the Indian dish, with what a tandoor does differently.

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Brazilian Picanha

Churrasco’s salt-only rump cap, with three Brazilian views on salting.

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Adana Kebab

A Turkish hand-shaped lamb skewer, traditional versus home version.

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Inihaw na Liempo

Filipino grilled pork belly with calamansi marinade and sawsawan dips.

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Greek Grilled Octopus

Diane Kochilas’s ktapodi stin skara, simmered then charred.

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Portuguese Piri-Piri Sauce

David Leite’s uncooked chile sauce, with its Portugal-Angola-Mozambique history.

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Detroit-Style Pan Pizza

Ooni’s recipe for the caramelized-edge square pie, with its Buddy’s Rendezvous origin.

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Korean Gochujang Wings

Fermented chili paste marinade, baked or grilled, from Korean Bapsang.

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Bun Chả Hà Nội

Vicky Pham’s Hanoi grilled pork and noodle bowl, the dish Obama and Bourdain shared.

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Moroccan Kefta Kebabs

Christine Benlafquih’s butcher-shop ground-meat kebabs, skewered or shaped by hand.

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Australian Sausage Sizzle

Low heat, salted onions, and the fundraiser tradition behind a national institution.

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Nigerian Suya

Peanut-spiced grilled beef skewers from the Hausa street-food tradition.

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Korean Bulgogi

Maangchi’s thin-sliced marinated beef, and how it differs from galbi.

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Japanese Yakiniku

Table-grilled meat with Korean-Japanese roots, per Just One Cookbook.

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Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Skewers

Uyghur-tradition chuar, marinated and grilled over a three-zone fire.

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Lebanese Shish Tawook

Garlic-yogurt marinated chicken skewers, with the steam-rest trick for juiciness.

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Greek Chicken Gyro

The stacked, shaved format that sets gyro apart from souvlaki.

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Hawaiian Huli-Huli Chicken

Ernest Morgado’s 1954 original, and the approximation that replaced it.

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Postwar Backyard Barbecue

Tiki drinks, pink flamingos and the 1950s rise of the American cookout.

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Explore the complete collection →