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Grilling beyond the norm

Curt McAdam’s livefire repertoire extensive, complements Web site

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By Marie Rossiter, Staff Writer 8:57 AM Monday, July 27, 2009

Curt McAdams says the term barbecue is overdone. The typical family cookout has more to do with grilling than it does with barbecuing, according to McAdams.

“The idea of barbecue is something entirely different,” McAdams said. “Barbecue usually adds flavor compared to gas grilling.”

The art of barbecuing, the Warren County resident said, is taking large hunks of ordinarily tough meat, such as brisket or ribs, and slow cooking it to the point where the connective tissue breaks down and becomes tender and juicy.

But, in another barbecue misconception, McAdams said the traditional description of good ribs needing to be “fall off the bone” is not accurate.

“Ribs should be ‘bite off the bone,’” McAdams said. “‘Fall off the bone’ ribs are overcooked, at least by competition standards.”

McAdams, a Waynesville resident, has recently started participating in barbecue competitions and has also been a judge in contests across the region. But, while he loves barbecue, McAdams has moved toward another form of cooking: livefire. On his Web site livefireonline.com, McAdams defines the term as “the art of taming live flame to cook anything, both foods traditionally cooked over fire and those not traditionally cooked using open flame.”

Forget the franks and burgers. How about pizza, meatloaf, bread and apple pie cooked over an open fire?

McAdams has prepared all of these dishes on the grill and is constantly trying different recipes.

“You can cook almost anything over a live fire instead of a kitchen,” McAdams said. “You get the hot temperatures you need to make artisan breads on an open flame, close to 700 degrees.”

Recipe reviews are on his Web site and often include photos of the completed dish. (warning: looking at these photos while hungry could be too much temptation to take.)

The attraction of cooking on an open flame taps into something deep with our culture, according to McAdams.

“It’s based on something primitive that has been carried down to today,” he said. “Only now, we use high technology in preparing the food and sharing information about it.”

Adding to his food interests, McAdams also earned certification to hold artisan steak classes and tastings.

“It’s a lot like wine tastings,” McAdams said. “The beef has different flavors and textures. It’s a combination of the meat and how it’s prepared.”

The next artisan steak tasting event will be at  6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, at Cooks’ Wares, 756 N Main St., Springboro.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.

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