A fire safety engineer by day and a grill master in his spare time, Alexander Castellanos is the founder of AC Smoke Yard and one of four chefs behind the successful Latin pop-up, Panamericana. Here he tells us about what ignited his love of the grill, his favourite cuts and most mouth-watering dishes
Please tell us a bit about yourself
I was born in the U.S. in Washington DC. I grew up and went to school in the neighbouring state of Maryland and spent my summers in El Salvador, which is my parents’ country of origin.
My work as a fire safety engineer has allowed me to live around the world in New York City, London and Macau. In 2012, I came to Dubai for the classic reason - “an offer I could not refuse.”
What sparked your love of grilling/smoking and what is your first memory of it?
When I stayed with my grandparents in Latin America we would often eat at their farm where the primary method of cooking was with wood fire. Interestingly, it was mostly the vegetables from the farm, tortillas and bean stews that they were cooking, with the occasional piece of meat. As I got older I started to help making fires and cooking and grilling meats. Back in the US, it was burgers and hot dogs that shaped the local culture of grilling and marinated steaks from the Latin American side.
But it was around 2002 when I first went to Argentina and got a glimpse of their way of grilling that I fell in love with the craft. My friend’s godfather talked me through the process and explained the different cuts. I learnt that three ingredients are needed - quality meat, wood fire and salt - nothing less and nothing more. After that, grilling was a completely different experience for me and I started hosting and taking over the grill at gatherings.
All of this culminated in me starting my Instagram page @ACsmokeyard here in Dubai and later teaming up with my chef partners to start the pop-up Panamericana concept.
Can you tell us about Panemericana - your pop up concept?
Panamericana is a Latin flavours pop-up by myself and three other chefs. Our first event was out in the desert with Cucina Del Sul, which is a platform that brings foodies together. From there, we partnered with Tabchilli to put on a more intimate experience where we could also showcase the role fermentation can play in food.
We also recently collaborated with Streetery in JLT and one of the biggest hits of the night was our Lamb Barbacoa Bao. We used pulled lamb meat that we would usually put in a taco, along with charred tomato and jalapeño salsa, and replaced the tortilla with a bao that was slightly toasted on one side. It looked like a traditional Asian bao but had the taste of the streets of Central America or Mexico.
What is your favourite cut of meat to smoke?
I am a true creature of habit. For many years, my favourite was the rib-eye steak, and I certainly went through a phase where tomahawks were my undisputed best. These days, a boneless striploin (also known as a strip or sirloin steak) is the one I like the most. But irrespective of the type of steak, it has to be a hearty thick cut that can be shared. Sometimes I change things up with beef short ribs cooked Argentinian style which by far have the beefiest flavour of all the cuts.
What is your go-to grilling process?
It’s the reverse-sear method where I slowly cook the steak with indirect heat in my Komodo grill (ceramic egg grill) and finish over the highest heat possible over an open wood fire. The same process can be mimicked indoors when you don't have a grill by using the oven to slowly cook the steak and then sear it in a hot cast-iron pan. The beauty of this method is that you get a uniform cook across the entire steak.
Any final thoughts on the current BBQ scene in Dubai?
The BBQ scene is on fire in Dubai right now, no pun intended! A big shout out to Chef Brando at 71 Steak and Grill who has popped up in Dubai for the winter season and Chef Gonzalo at Fiya who has brought some nostalgia of the old-school Argentine Asado to Dubai.
