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Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way
James Beard Award Winner
A trailblazing chef reinvents the art of cooking over fire.
Gloriously inspired recipes push the boundaries of live-fired cuisine in this primal yet sophisticated cookbook introducing the incendiary dishes of South America's biggest culinary star. Chef Francis Mallmann—born in Patagonia and trained in France's top restaurants—abandoned the fussy fine dining scene for the more elemental experience of cooking with fire. But his fans followed, including the world's top food journalists and celebrities, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Madonna, and Ralph Lauren, traveling to Argentina and Uruguay to experience the dashing chef's astonishing—and delicious—wood-fired feats.
The seven fires of the title refer to a series of grilling techniques that have been singularly adapted for the home cook. So you can cook Signature Mallmann dishes—like Whole Boneless Ribeye with Chimichuri; Salt-Crusted Striped Bass; Whole Roasted Andean Pumpkin with Mint and Goat Cheese Salad; and desserts such as Dulce de Leche Pancakes—indoors or out in any season. Evocative photographs showcase both the recipes and the exquisite beauty of Mallmann's home turf in Patagonia, Buenos Aires, and rural Uruguay. Seven Fires is a must for any griller ready to explore food's next frontier.
A trailblazing chef reinvents the art of cooking over fire.
Gloriously inspired recipes push the boundaries of live-fired cuisine in this primal yet sophisticated cookbook introducing the incendiary dishes of South America's biggest culinary star. Chef Francis Mallmann—born in Patagonia and trained in France's top restaurants—abandoned the fussy fine dining scene for the more elemental experience of cooking with fire. But his fans followed, including the world's top food journalists and celebrities, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Madonna, and Ralph Lauren, traveling to Argentina and Uruguay to experience the dashing chef's astonishing—and delicious—wood-fired feats.
The seven fires of the title refer to a series of grilling techniques that have been singularly adapted for the home cook. So you can cook Signature Mallmann dishes—like Whole Boneless Ribeye with Chimichuri; Salt-Crusted Striped Bass; Whole Roasted Andean Pumpkin with Mint and Goat Cheese Salad; and desserts such as Dulce de Leche Pancakes—indoors or out in any season. Evocative photographs showcase both the recipes and the exquisite beauty of Mallmann's home turf in Patagonia, Buenos Aires, and rural Uruguay. Seven Fires is a must for any griller ready to explore food's next frontier.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2009
145 people are currently reading
761 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 12, 2010
Bored with your BBQ? Still roasting marsh mellows on your camping trips? If so, it's time to step up to the seven fires of Argentina and ditch your George Foreman grill. Why cook like this? It's all about patience...patience brings wonderful things, like friends with appetites. As the title of the book suggests, there are seven methods to Peter and Francis' cooking madness along with some deece recipes. Pig leg in a salt crust anyone? Yams and red peppers smothered in ash? Wood fired cookery has been a major part of the South American tradition and so is the meat...it's meatopia down there. So check this book out, forget about hot dogs and get dancing with the devil in your inferno kitchen. The food is heavenly.
June 4, 2015
Very simple ingredients offered with a philosophical approach, yielding exceptional flavor. Still exploring, enjoying and savoring the various recipes. Good book to have in the warm weather grilling season.
August 4, 2017
scorch tha worldddd
March 24, 2019
This is hardcore food porn.
After falling into this book's clutches I bought a cast Iron Skillet just so I could chase the dream and char tomatoes in.
After falling into this book's clutches I bought a cast Iron Skillet just so I could chase the dream and char tomatoes in.
July 3, 2016
So smart and better than the quotes on the cover.
July 18, 2018
Welding will be in our future
My son will be reading this book next to put together a list of items he's going to weld as we will make an outdoor activity space for cooking and gathering to enhance the family gatherings. Can you taste the charded meats, smell the ash baked vegetables aromas as they invited us to gather, liquid refreshment in hand, to get the camp experience. The more I read his book the simplest recipes began to intriguing my inner cook to explore the possibility of the grill, pizza oven, fire, smoke oh so nice to be excited to cook beyond the stove top. It surprised me that most of the alternatives Francis suggested are items that I already have either in my camp boxes or kitchen requiring really very purchases to recreate these recipes which are calling for me to make and share as we have access to grass feed livestock for meat and veggies in either the garden or farmer's market. Slow for me to reaf at first as I found reading the Kindle version on my cellphone difficult to really see the pictures clearly with my old eyes, but there were very clearly written instructions for each recipe along with reference to the options Francis Maklmann provided in each recipe. His breads, salads, but most of all his discrimination of how to understand his Argentine culture which influence the recipes, his recipe development, the infusion of other cultures upon his beloved county foods. I may never be able afford to cook a whole steer yet the lamb, poultry, and fish are readily available from local providers or a butcher shop for those who don't already have them growing in the backyard. I'm glad to have found a way for my husband to enjoy the beauty of the outdoor inspired cooking while still being limited to a wheelchair.
My son will be reading this book next to put together a list of items he's going to weld as we will make an outdoor activity space for cooking and gathering to enhance the family gatherings. Can you taste the charded meats, smell the ash baked vegetables aromas as they invited us to gather, liquid refreshment in hand, to get the camp experience. The more I read his book the simplest recipes began to intriguing my inner cook to explore the possibility of the grill, pizza oven, fire, smoke oh so nice to be excited to cook beyond the stove top. It surprised me that most of the alternatives Francis suggested are items that I already have either in my camp boxes or kitchen requiring really very purchases to recreate these recipes which are calling for me to make and share as we have access to grass feed livestock for meat and veggies in either the garden or farmer's market. Slow for me to reaf at first as I found reading the Kindle version on my cellphone difficult to really see the pictures clearly with my old eyes, but there were very clearly written instructions for each recipe along with reference to the options Francis Maklmann provided in each recipe. His breads, salads, but most of all his discrimination of how to understand his Argentine culture which influence the recipes, his recipe development, the infusion of other cultures upon his beloved county foods. I may never be able afford to cook a whole steer yet the lamb, poultry, and fish are readily available from local providers or a butcher shop for those who don't already have them growing in the backyard. I'm glad to have found a way for my husband to enjoy the beauty of the outdoor inspired cooking while still being limited to a wheelchair.
July 22, 2025
While not exclusive to wood fire cooking, recipes using this cooking method certainly gets pride of place here. The first part of the book is all about fire-building, safety, and specific techniques (parilla, chapa, infiernillo, horno de barro, rscoldo, asador, and caldero). Most of the recipes use one of these techniques, but they are not exclusively Argentinian (although that is the dominant food culture). Recipes that don't employ wood-fired techniques are generally sauces or sides that go well with dishes that do. I pulled a bunch of recipes from this book for future use and may bump this up to 4 stars after I do. Currently, I'm going with 3.5 stars.
January 11, 2021
This is a very interesting cookbook that was gifted to me and my partner by a fellow food lover and friend. Lots of the recipes are staples in our home now. I have to take off one star for the fact that it’s very meat-centric, and that’s not good for me. However, it is an important part of his story and recipes.
April 9, 2023
In my next life, I’d like to inherit Mr. Mallmann’s island in Patagonia, and have adventures as he has. Oh, the recipes are astounding, and his philosophy on cooking and nature is well worth the read. ¡Buen Provecho!
May 25, 2017
FIRE! Yes, Francis Mallmann all the way.
Great cookbook.
Great cookbook.
October 3, 2017
So inspiring to take cooking back to the traditional method. The recipes are simple and delicious.
May 9, 2018
Passionate book for outdoor cooking lovers, recipes may be complicated for common people to do...
May 31, 2019
I have to admit I do not like Francis Mallmann, because I think he is an arrogant snob but....his book is awesome.
May 13, 2020
Rustic beautiful philosophy on cooking.
January 2, 2021
Very Informative
Awesome recipes and ideas. Great ideas on how to control your embers with how to set up the foods for proper cooking
Awesome recipes and ideas. Great ideas on how to control your embers with how to set up the foods for proper cooking
April 16, 2022
What's not to love?
September 3, 2023
Definitely an elemental book. He uses fire techniques and fire tools I have never even heard of. Too much focus on meats for me. The bread section is wonderful.
July 24, 2025
I've recently re-read this.
My initial review was high, but was maybe muted because at the time I had limited experience with outdoor cooking, and also limited equipment.
Over the past year or two, I've expanded my outdoor kitchen, and can now cook relatively confidently using nearly all of the "seven fires"
The recipes themselves are arguably less interesting than the techniques - the recipes are heavy on beef, understandably for an Argentinian cookbook, and a lot of them show an unmistakably Italian influence, and all the ones I've tried have been great, for sure.
What's more interesting though, is the technique - the "seven fires" - which are split between:
Chapa: I know this as "plancha", but is essentially cooking on a flat plate (iron, steel, whatever). As best I can tell, the difference in terms is strictly regional, but it's the same thing. The majority of recipes in the book use this, and this was new-ish to me at the time.
Parilla: a grate above coals, which is what I think most of us think of as BBQ - sausages, burgers, etc, a very simple way of cooking, and pretty standard. This is like the most basic cooking on top of fire.
Infiernillo - translates apparently to "little hell", but refers to a cooking technique whereby the heat is both below and on top (eg. by having another level above the food which is covered in coals, radiating downwards). I personally cannot do this yet, except by maybe stacking coals on top of a cast-iron dutch oven, or maybe with a suspended grate above the food.
Horno de Barro - wood-fired oven; think outdoor pizza oven. I get the principle, but not something I can afford nor can try.
Rescoldo - very basic; cook it in the embers, I've done potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, and others. I prefer to wrap in foil, but traditionally you'd cook it bare.
Asador - suspend a large piece of meat or fish on an iron cross, lowering or raising above the coals to adjust the heat. I've not done this yet, but is on the list.
Caldero - a large cast-iron dutch oven, for making stews, beans, or anything else that requires liquid. I've experimented with both nestling into the coals, and with hanging it from a tripod and raising and lowering it to achieve the required heat.
Mallman gives substitutes for most of these for cooking indoors (eg. use a flat griddle instead of a chapa, or literally a casserole for caldero) - what's interesting is that this can obviously be reversed, so if you have a dish that you'd normally fry, you can use a chapa/plancha, or a caldero for a slow-cooked casserole.
There's some obvious omissions for open fire cooking, which I can only assume are because they're not part of Argentinian culture (and I personally didn't see them in my various visits), so the "seven fires" is clearly not exhaustive.
The most obvious one is kebab, or skewer cooking, which I'm most familiar with from various forms of Asian cooking; smoking - both cold and hot - which I associate largely with the US, Texas in particular for brisket etc, but also with northern Europe for cold-smoking; and karahi, which I associate with India, and with which I am most familiar.
Overall, I think this is a very good book for the opening section on how to build, tend, and look after fire; the several methods are all excellent, and should give you ideas on how to use them.
The recipes are good, but not outstanding, and it's probably better to reverse-engineer them, and to work out what else you can cook; with also an eye on the other types of cooking that (inevitably) Mallman doesn't cover.
Obligatory satire of Francis Mallman himself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBaBv...
---------------
Previous review:
Very simple cookbook, but also very inspirational - there's very little here that seems complicated; however most of the recipes need access to (you guessed it) an open fire and fairly specific accessories. Some can be adapted to indoor cooking, and these are easy enough to cook.
I've cooked maybe half a dozen of the recipes and all were excellent, but it feels like one to inspire rather than one that can be worked through methodically here in the UK.
My initial review was high, but was maybe muted because at the time I had limited experience with outdoor cooking, and also limited equipment.
Over the past year or two, I've expanded my outdoor kitchen, and can now cook relatively confidently using nearly all of the "seven fires"
The recipes themselves are arguably less interesting than the techniques - the recipes are heavy on beef, understandably for an Argentinian cookbook, and a lot of them show an unmistakably Italian influence, and all the ones I've tried have been great, for sure.
What's more interesting though, is the technique - the "seven fires" - which are split between:
Chapa: I know this as "plancha", but is essentially cooking on a flat plate (iron, steel, whatever). As best I can tell, the difference in terms is strictly regional, but it's the same thing. The majority of recipes in the book use this, and this was new-ish to me at the time.
Parilla: a grate above coals, which is what I think most of us think of as BBQ - sausages, burgers, etc, a very simple way of cooking, and pretty standard. This is like the most basic cooking on top of fire.
Infiernillo - translates apparently to "little hell", but refers to a cooking technique whereby the heat is both below and on top (eg. by having another level above the food which is covered in coals, radiating downwards). I personally cannot do this yet, except by maybe stacking coals on top of a cast-iron dutch oven, or maybe with a suspended grate above the food.
Horno de Barro - wood-fired oven; think outdoor pizza oven. I get the principle, but not something I can afford nor can try.
Rescoldo - very basic; cook it in the embers, I've done potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, and others. I prefer to wrap in foil, but traditionally you'd cook it bare.
Asador - suspend a large piece of meat or fish on an iron cross, lowering or raising above the coals to adjust the heat. I've not done this yet, but is on the list.
Caldero - a large cast-iron dutch oven, for making stews, beans, or anything else that requires liquid. I've experimented with both nestling into the coals, and with hanging it from a tripod and raising and lowering it to achieve the required heat.
Mallman gives substitutes for most of these for cooking indoors (eg. use a flat griddle instead of a chapa, or literally a casserole for caldero) - what's interesting is that this can obviously be reversed, so if you have a dish that you'd normally fry, you can use a chapa/plancha, or a caldero for a slow-cooked casserole.
There's some obvious omissions for open fire cooking, which I can only assume are because they're not part of Argentinian culture (and I personally didn't see them in my various visits), so the "seven fires" is clearly not exhaustive.
The most obvious one is kebab, or skewer cooking, which I'm most familiar with from various forms of Asian cooking; smoking - both cold and hot - which I associate largely with the US, Texas in particular for brisket etc, but also with northern Europe for cold-smoking; and karahi, which I associate with India, and with which I am most familiar.
Overall, I think this is a very good book for the opening section on how to build, tend, and look after fire; the several methods are all excellent, and should give you ideas on how to use them.
The recipes are good, but not outstanding, and it's probably better to reverse-engineer them, and to work out what else you can cook; with also an eye on the other types of cooking that (inevitably) Mallman doesn't cover.
Obligatory satire of Francis Mallman himself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBaBv...
---------------
Previous review:
Very simple cookbook, but also very inspirational - there's very little here that seems complicated; however most of the recipes need access to (you guessed it) an open fire and fairly specific accessories. Some can be adapted to indoor cooking, and these are easy enough to cook.
I've cooked maybe half a dozen of the recipes and all were excellent, but it feels like one to inspire rather than one that can be worked through methodically here in the UK.
August 4, 2010
Francis J. Mallman is the King of Live-Fire cooking!
Seven Fires outlines more types of cooking over wood-fired coals than I could even have dreamed existed. It puts every other book on grilling I've ever read to shame . . . to SHAME! If you haven't read this book and currently think that cooking over your Webber grill (or even an open campfire) brings out your inner caveman, then go get this book immediately and find out what you've been missing.
If you feel up to the challenge of taking your live-fire grilling techniques to the next level, then give this book a read. Just remember to wipe your drool off the pages!
Seven Fires outlines more types of cooking over wood-fired coals than I could even have dreamed existed. It puts every other book on grilling I've ever read to shame . . . to SHAME! If you haven't read this book and currently think that cooking over your Webber grill (or even an open campfire) brings out your inner caveman, then go get this book immediately and find out what you've been missing.
If you feel up to the challenge of taking your live-fire grilling techniques to the next level, then give this book a read. Just remember to wipe your drool off the pages!
July 1, 2010
This inspiring book will help you take your grilling to the next level. Meat is the main event, but I was surprised by all the incredible vegetable dishes, salads, and sauces/dressings that are also included. Many of the recipes (breads, soups, etc.) can also be done indoors, even in the winter. The photography of the food and the Patagonian landscape is fantastic. I don't think I'll be cooking a whole cow on an open fire anytime soon, but I'm glad to know how it should be done. Just in case the opportunity presents itself.
October 5, 2009
It felt like an adventure! It also definitely brought back memories of the good old patagonia days. In some ways, it felt like I was reading a man's cookbook--not just because it's about grilling, but the sheer quantity of MEAT made me want to pound my fists on my chest (an entire cow--I mean really?). Although, if I can just get my hands on a mandoline slicer, I WILL make myself some Potato Dominoes...
July 24, 2016
A beautiful cookbook, with lovely pictures of the patagonia area of Argentina. Descriptions of (primarily) outdoor cooking methods, some of which are useable, and some a little out of my league (al asador-whole animal-lamb, pig). I borrowed several recipes including a pork tenderloin with burnt brown sugar, orange confit and thyme, that I am going to try this week, and burnt orange halves with rosemary and sugar with yogurt drizzled over.
Read
November 14, 2010This is a book that I could use over and over again for cooking. First sign? They are all about the potato. Patagonian Potato Galette, Salt-Crust Potatoes, Potato Dominoes, Potatoes Anna, Smashed Potatoes. Its like they said "how can we make Sam fall in love with us?" and then wrote this book.
January 2, 2016
Like cooking with fire? Mallman is a master, be it open hearths, chapa, coals or what have you, he has tried it and thrived. Great recipes, mostly not for vegetarians, but if you love your meat and fire, this is one of the best books available. It will even teach you how to roast a complete steer over and open fire if you are up to the challenge.
June 3, 2013
This is an amazing book, much more than a cookbook. I got a chappa - actually a lodge logic reversable griddle - because of it, and have been having great fun with the recipes. Not a loser among them!
February 15, 2015
Almost too good to be true.
Very well written - entertaining, informative and hard to put down. I read it on my Kindle and will buy it in print as a birthday gift for our son's s birthday who loves to "cook with fire."
Very well written - entertaining, informative and hard to put down. I read it on my Kindle and will buy it in print as a birthday gift for our son's s birthday who loves to "cook with fire."
June 15, 2009
ohhh im soooo excited about this i wish i could have fancy grililng parties with different kinds of wood for different flavors....mmmmm meat
Currently reading
August 12, 2009amazing and inspiring. Must move to Patagonia. Pork chops with honey gremolata converted a pork-chop-hating friend into a pork chop fiend.
April 2, 2010
Fantastic. Now I just need to execute.
January 9, 2014
A well written book regarding wood cooking (on a grill) and its history and application in Argentinian cooking. A really well written book for the grilling enthusiast!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews