Yassir Chair, Founder of Tagine & Grill and Afuego, shares practical tips for getting restaurant-level flavour from a home grill or BBQ.
Growing up in Morocco, cooking over fire wasn’t a trend; it was simply part of life. Whether it was fresh fish from the coast, grilled meats at family gatherings or tagines slowly cooked over charcoal, I learnt from an early age that fire is an ingredient in its own right.
Today, whether I’m cooking at Tagine & Grill, serving thousands of people at festivals or grilling in my own garden, the same principles still apply.
The biggest misconception about great barbecue is that it requires expensive equipment. It doesn’t. Restaurant-quality flavour comes from understanding your fire, respecting your ingredients and cooking with patience.
Start with the Right Fuel
The quality of your charcoal makes a huge difference. I always recommend natural lumpwood charcoal because it burns hotter and cleaner while giving food a beautiful, natural flavour. Avoid low-quality charcoal containing fillers, as these can leave an unpleasant taste.
To take your barbecue to another level, add a few chunks of hardwood – such as oak, apple or cherry – once the fire is established. This creates a gentle smoke that adds incredible depth without overpowering the food.
Master the Heat, Not the Flames
One of the most effective techniques we use in professional kitchens is cooking with different heat zones.
Bank your charcoal on one side of the barbecue to create two distinct areas: a high-heat zone for searing and a cooler zone for gently finishing the food.
Sear steaks, chicken or vegetables over the hot coals to develop colour and flavour, then move them to the cooler side to finish cooking evenly. This simple technique gives you far more control and helps prevent food from burning on the outside while remaining raw in the middle.
Patience Creates Better Flavour
One of the most common mistakes I see is people starting to cook too soon.
Wait until the charcoal is glowing and covered with a light layer of grey ash. This normally takes around 20–30 minutes after lighting. At this stage, the heat is stable, predictable and much cleaner.
Cooking over large flames might look dramatic, but it usually leaves food burnt on the outside and undercooked inside.
Keep the Seasoning Simple
When you cook over charcoal, the fire is already creating incredible flavour, so you don’t always need complicated marinades.
Good-quality meat, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and the natural smokiness of charcoal are often all you need.
If you use sweeter marinades or glazes containing honey, sugar or barbecue sauce, apply them during the final few minutes of cooking or over indirect heat. This prevents the sugars from burning and becoming bitter.
Learn to Read Your Fire
A clean fire produces thin, blue smoke. Heavy white or grey smoke usually means the charcoal isn’t burning efficiently, which can leave food tasting harsh or bitter.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is wait a few more minutes and allow the fire to settle before you begin cooking.
Always Let Meat Rest
Professional chefs never serve meat straight from the grill.
Remove it a few degrees before it reaches your target temperature, then let it rest for five to ten minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you a much juicier result when you slice into it.
My Top Tips for Restaurant-Quality BBQ at Home
- Choose natural lumpwood charcoal over cheap briquettes.
- Build a two-zone fire with direct and indirect heat.
- Wait until the coals are fully lit and covered with grey ash.
- Keep the seasoning simple and let the fire do the hard work.
- Add sugary sauces and glazes only towards the end of cooking.
- Watch the smoke: thin, blue smoke means clean flavour.
- Lightly oil the food instead of flooding the grill with oil.
- Invest in a digital meat thermometer. It removes the guesswork and delivers consistent results.
- Rest every piece of meat before serving.
- Clean the grill while it is still warm so that every cook begins with a fresh surface.
Fire Is an Ingredient
For me, cooking with fire is about much more than creating heat. It’s about patience, instinct and bringing people together around incredible food.
Whether I’m grilling Moroccan lamb over charcoal, cooking Latin-inspired dishes at Afuego Burger or serving thousands of guests at food festivals across the UK, my philosophy remains the same: respect the ingredients, understand your fire and never rush the process.
About the expert
Yassir Chair is a Moroccan-born hospitality entrepreneur and founder of both Afuego Burger and Tagine & Grill. After moving to London at 20 to complete his master’s degree, he built a successful career in hospitality before launching Afuego Burger, the Latin-inspired street food concept now operating across five successful London pub residencies. Passionate about open-fire cooking, flavour-led dining and cultural storytelling through food, Yassir created Tagine & Grill to introduce modern Moroccan cuisine to a wider London audience and champion the flavours and traditions he grew up with.
