Chef, television personality and author Steven Raichlen is considered by many to be America’s foremost authority on grilling. In Dublin resident Rick Malir, founder and president of City Barbeque, we have Raichlen’s counterpart, at least at the grill.
Rick’s passion for all things meat caused him to have an authentic Argentine Grill fabricated by Fortin Ironworks for use at his home, and he took delivery in late June. An Argentine grill is not quite like the grills we mortals use. It is primal. Nothing elaborate, just meat and fire. But quite a fire indeed.
Argentine grills are wood-fired, rather than natural gas, propane or charcoal. As a result, they cook at extremely high temperatures that would melt most other grills. Argentine grills are built of heavy-gauge steel to withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. They can accommodate huge pieces of meat, whole animals in some instances. Another unique feature is that space between the embers and the grill can be adjusted to regulate the temperature.
Gutsy guy that he is, Rick decided that for his maiden voyage on the Argentine grill he would invite OSU’s Buckeye Barbeque Qlub to his and wife Bonnie’s home. Bonnie, wonderful hostess that she is, provided several delicious salads and side dishes for a very memorable meal and evening.
The club got started by a small group of students who liked to cook and were tired of living on Ramen noodles all week. Since it was formedin 2006, these charitable students have raised $12,000 in donations for food banks in central Ohio.
Cooking on an Argentine grill has been described as primordial, and because of so many variables, such as the ambient weather, kind and quantity of wood used, and how seasoned it is makes it work differently each time it’s used.
For the dinner, Rick selected a bison rib roast. It is all the more challenging since bison is not marbled like beef and therefore dry and tough if overcooked. After some instruction and tutoring, mentor Rick turned the cooking over to the students, and they did an outstanding job.
Alligator and flank steak also found their way to the grill, while the bison was on a rotisserie. The bison, cooked to a perfect turn (no pun intended) was tender and delicious, with just the right nuance of smoke from the fire. Rick has been experimenting with a vinegar sauce that provided an additional layer of sweet-tangy flavor to the meat. It was virtually indistinguishable from beef. The alligator (tastes like chicken) was moist and tender, as was the flank steak.
An additional menu item that stole the show was a pile of fire-roasted sweet potatoes, baked directly on the coals in their natural jackets, and served with an ethereal maple butter that Rick created. Never in the annals of sweet potatoes has anything tasted this delicious. The maple butter had undertones of cinnamon, and the sweet potato picked up great flavor from being cooked on the coals. This was so good that Dublin Life persuaded Rick to share his recipe with our readers.