Cooking with Fire Episode 4: Argentina

Josh Cary and Chef Tom Jackson take the Cooking with Fire podcast to Argentina and talk about one of their favorite culinary icons, Chef Francis Mallmann. Chef Tom also gives you a fantastic recipe for Tournedos Wrapped in Bacon and Sage out of Mallmann’s cookbook Seven Fires.

Tournedos Wrapped in Bacon and Sage Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 4 beef tournedos (beef tenderloin), cut 1” thick, about 5 oz each
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the bacon in a saucepan with 4 cups cold water, bring to a simmer, and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Lay out a strip of bacon. Place four sage leaves on the bacon. Wrap the tournedo in the bacon and sage. Trim excess bacon. Tie with butcher’s twine.

Build a wood fire in your charcoal grill. Allow the wood to cook down to coals. You may need to break the sticks up as it burns down. Place a large cast iron skillet over the fire and heat until the pan is smoking. Sprinkle the tournedos with the salt and pepper and stand them on their sides, so the bacon is in contact with the pan. Cook until the bacon is well seared (1-2 minutes) then rotate a quarter turn. Repeat until all sides are seared. Remove the pan from the grill and transfer the tournedos to grill directly on the grate. Grill on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 125°F. Remove from the grill and rest 3 minutes.

Remove the string before serving.