Cooking in the embers

Food laid directly on the coals. No grate, no barrier, maximum char.

Ember Roasted Peppers with Romesco

No grate, no pan. Peppers go straight onto the burning coals, which sounds like vandalism and is actually the oldest cooking technique there is.

20 min · serves 4

Vegetables

Ember Baked Aubergine Baba Ganoush

The smoke is the dish. Baba ganoush made in an oven is a different, lesser thing, because aubergine flesh absorbs smoke better than almost any other ingredient.

25 min · serves 4

Food laid directly onto the burning coals with no grate at all. It sounds like vandalism and it is the oldest cooking technique there is, still the best way to handle peppers, aubergines, onions and whole heads of garlic.

Wait for coals that have burnt down to a steady glow rather than flames. Flames deposit soot, glowing embers deposit heat. Use it at the end of a cook when the fire is dying and would otherwise go to waste.

At a glance

Recipe	Method	Grill temp	Cook time	Pull at
Ember Roasted Peppers with Romesco	Cooking in the embers	290°C (550°F) and above	20 min	Collapsed
Ember Baked Aubergine Baba Ganoush	Cooking in the embers	290°C (550°F) and above	25 min	95°C (205°F)

Techniques used

Cooking in the embers. Food laid directly on the coals. No grate, no barrier, maximum char.

Cookers these suit

Drum smokers. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Portable grills.