Fire and flavor.

The Fire, So innate in all of us, for cooking to warmth we have a deep connection to this chaotic event.

People have cherished this event for thousands of years and there is undoubtedly a list of reasons why. My favorite reason is simple, to cook! There’s something so magical about the sound of Meat searing on hot metal heated by a beautiful bed of coals, or the smell of nice dry apple wood slowly catching aflame creating this unexplainable fragrance, or the beautiful contrast of grill marks on fresh green Vegetables. Fire has the ability to activate all of your senses but there’s one in particular that is most important and that’s TASTE. In my opinion there’s nothing that compares to the flavor that fire provides, whether that’s direct grilling or low ‘n’ smoking, it’s all good.

But why do humans have such a connection to fire and cooking over it? I think it’s simple, SURVIVAL. Fire keep us warm when it’s cold, it gives off light so we may see in the darkest of moments, the crackling of the wood as it combusts into a charred black log provides peace and a therapy for our mind. More important than all of this is fires‘ ability to not only warm our face and hands but to provide a warm meal for us to warm our soul and to take something inedible and make it into something that tastes amazing and reminds you that this is why you work hard.

The innateness of our obsession is not only ingrained in our DNA but there is a real chemical reaction when fire meets food that chemical occurrence is called the Maillard Reaction. The Maillard Reaction is something beautiful and is primarily the reason food taste so good whence it comes in contact with fire. Essentially what happens is when particular food is cooked at a fairly high temperature (above 285 degrees), a chemical reaction occurs between enzymes and reducing sugar which creates hundreds of different flavors. So not only is our connection between the flame and food deep within our DNA, but there is a real scientific understanding as to why food taste so good over flame.

With that said the real beauty lies in simplicity. We work hard all day to bring food to our tables, and to provide something for our families that brings joy and happiness into their lives. Through the simple act of cooking, we are able to provide that. My call to action to you, as the reader is to try this barbaric method of cooking, maybe go camping and hand chop wood for your fuel source, sit around a fire grilling meat and vegetables, and conversing with others about the beauty of life underneath the stars. Fire not only provides a way to prepare food but a really profound way of connecting with the ones we care about and that is something special.