How to Grill and Roast on a Buschbeck Outdoor Fireplace

Grilling is where most of us start with a Buschbeck, and honestly, it's where a wood fire really shows off. That mix of fierce radiant heat and a whisper of smoke gives you a crust and flavour that no gas barbie will ever manage. If you've just had your Buschbeck grill installed and you're wondering where to begin, start here.

This isn't complicated cooking. It's old, simple technique done properly. Once you understand how heat moves across your Buschbeck grill, and when to use direct versus indirect heat, you'll cook better steak, chicken and vegetables than you ever did on gas. Let's get into it.

Getting your Buschbeck grill ready before you cook

A cold grill is the enemy of a good sear. Get the rack over your coals a good 10 minutes before anything goes on it. A properly hot Buschbeck grill gives you clean grill marks and stops your dinner welding itself to the bars.

Clean it while it's still hot, with a wire brush or scraper, then run an oiled cloth over it held in tongs (your fingers will thank you). If you want a full rundown on keeping cast iron and grills in good nick long-term, I've covered it in detail in my cast iron care guide.

Take the fridge-chill off your meat by leaving it out for 20 to 30 minutes before it hits the grill. It cooks far more evenly that way. Then pat it properly dry. Moisture is the enemy of a good crust, every time. Oil the food, not the grill, and season with a generous hand.

Searing and flipping on a Buschbeck grill

Put your food down over the hottest part of the coals and then leave it alone. Resist the urge to fuss. It will release from the grill on its own once a proper crust has formed underneath.

For steaks and chops, I flip every minute or so once that first sear is locked in. It builds a better crust and cooks more evenly than the classic "flip once" rule most people grew up with. For delicate things like fish and burgers though, stick to flipping just the once, or you'll lose half of it to the grill bars.

If you want the specifics on getting a proper edge-to-edge crust, my steak on a Buschbeck guide walks through it step by step.

Reverse searing thick cuts and roasts

For a thick steak, say 4cm or more, or a small roast, the reverse sear is the trick that changes everything. Set up a two-zone fire and cook the meat gently on the cooler side until it sits about 10°C below your target temperature. Then move it across to the hottest coals to sear the outside properly.

The result is even colour from edge to centre and a crust that a straight sear just can't deliver on a thick cut. It takes a bit more patience but it's worth every minute.

Dealing with flare-ups on your Buschbeck grill

Fat dripping onto hot coals causes flames that blacken your food and leave it tasting of soot, not smoke. Trim the excess fat before it goes on, don't overdo the oil, and always keep one cooler zone free so you've got somewhere to shift food the moment flames jump up.

One rule I'll repeat forever: never, ever douse a cooking fire with water. It throws up steam and ash that coats your food, and it can crack hot masonry. If you're new to fire management generally, my guide to using a Buschbeck outdoor fireplace covers lighting and wood choice from scratch.

Roasting in the Buschbeck fireplace

Roasting is a different game to grilling. It relies on indirect heat, with the food sitting beside or above the coals rather than directly over the hottest part, so the reflected heat bouncing around the firebox does the real work.

Sit a roasting tray or a cast iron pan on the grill to one side, bank your coals to the other, and turn the tray every 15 to 20 minutes so it colours evenly all round. A whole chicken, a leg of lamb, or a tray of vegetables all roast beautifully this way. If lamb's on your mind, I've got a full method in my slow-roasted lamb shoulder recipe.

Resting meat and getting doneness right

Don't skip the rest. Steaks and chops want 5 to 10 minutes resting, loosely covered, and big roasts need 15 to 20 minutes. The juices settle back through the meat and the internal temperature keeps climbing a few degrees, so pull everything off the grill slightly before your actual target.

As a rough doneness guide for beef and lamb: rare sits around 48-50°C off the heat and rises to about 52°C after resting; medium-rare comes off around 52-54°C and rests up to 57°C; medium comes off at 57-60°C and rests to about 63°C; well done comes off around 68°C and rests to 71°C. Minced meat, burgers and sausages need to be cooked right through to 71°C, and poultry needs to reach 74°C. My book has the full heat chart with every cut and cooking method mapped out, if you want it pinned to your shed wall.

If in doubt, pull it off the heat a touch early. You can always put meat back on the grill, but you can't un-cook it.

Cooking straight in the embers

This is one of the oldest tricks going, and it never fails to impress: food cooked directly in the coals, no grill required. Whole sweet potatoes, onions, eggplants and capsicums can be nestled right into the embers and turned until the skins blacken and the inside goes soft and sweet.

Thick steaks can even go straight onto a bed of clean, hot coals that have been blown free of loose ash. It sounds a bit mad, but it works, and the result is genuinely delicious. For a full written method, have a look at my dirty steak cooked straight on the coals post.

Bringing it all together on your Buschbeck grill

Grilling and roasting on a Buschbeck grill comes down to understanding heat zones, being patient with your sear, and resting your meat properly before you cut into it. Get those fundamentals right and everything else, flare-ups, timing, doneness, becomes second nature pretty quickly.

There's a lot more detail in the book than I can fit into one post, including the full temperature charts and all 89 recipes I've developed on my own Buschbeck here in Geelong. If grilling and roasting has you hooked, it's worth a look.

Buschbeck recipes to try next

• The Perfect Steak on a Buschbeck Outdoor Fireplace
• Lamb Chops with Rosemary & Garlic on the Buschbeck Grill
• Chicken Souvlaki on the Buschbeck Grill
• Barramundi Parcels with Lime & Herbs on the Buschbeck
• Fire-Blistered Tomatoes with Burrata on the Buschbeck

FAQs

What's the best way to get grill marks on a Buschbeck grill?

Heat the grill rack over the coals for about 10 minutes before you put anything on it. A properly hot grill gives clean marks and stops food sticking.

Should I flip steak once or multiple times on a Buschbeck grill?

For steaks and chops, flipping every minute or so after the first sear actually cooks more evenly and builds a better crust than the old flip-once rule. Delicate fish and burgers are better flipped just once.

How do I stop flare-ups when grilling on a Buschbeck?

Trim excess fat before cooking, don't over-oil your food, and always keep a cooler zone on the grill so you can shift food away the moment flames jump up. Never pour water on a cooking fire.

Can I roast a whole chicken on a Buschbeck outdoor fireplace?

Yes, using indirect heat. Sit the chicken in a tray to one side of the grill with coals banked to the other, and turn it every 15 to 20 minutes so it colours evenly all over.

What temperature should meat be before resting on a Buschbeck grill?

Pull meat off a little before your target doneness, since the internal temperature keeps rising while it rests. For example, medium-rare steak comes off around 52-54°C and rises to about 57°C after resting.

Get all 89 recipes in The Wood Fire Kitchen

This guide is one of 89 recipes in my cookbook, The Wood Fire Kitchen: Recipes for your Buschbeck outdoor fireplace. It covers everything from lighting and reading the fire to pizza, grilling, the rotisserie, camp-oven dinners and desserts baked in the embers, with a Buschbeck kit note on every recipe so you know exactly which accessory to reach for.

Get the paperback ($49 USD)

Want a look inside first? Grab the free sample on the book page, or browse more Buschbeck recipes.