Tips from Asador Etxebarri’s Victor Arguinzoniz on grilling over wood

In the Spanish Basque country, grilling over wood is an ancient tradition. And at Asador Etxebarri, Victor Arguinzoniz has taken the technique to new heights.

• A hot fire puts a char on meat, but for fish and seafood, Arguinzoniz works with a much gentler fire. Try letting wood burn down to embers. Cooking over a slow fire allows the ingredients’ flavors to bloom without being obscured by the wood’s smoke.

• Some things he doesn’t put directly on the grill. Fish or shrimp go in wire baskets. And he’ll cook wild mushrooms or bufala milk for his mozzarella and burrata in a pan set on top of the grill over a slow fire or the embers.

• You won’t have enough control over the fire with a fixed grill. It’s essential to have a barbecue with a grill that can be moved up and down so the distance from the fire can be adjusted. A Santa Maria-style grill has that capability, and so do some others on the market.

• Keep in mind that everything doesn’t need a char or grill marks. A subtle touch with the barbecue can be magic.

• Experiment. Have patience. That’s how Arguinzoniz, a self-taught cook, got to this level. And he didn’t do it overnight.

—S. Irene Virbila