Food cooked over live fire makes my heart beat faster. The beauty of glowing embers, the aroma of smoke, the crispy bits on the edges of anything cooked over charcoal or wood — it’s all so enjoyable.

Charcoal is always our preference when we want a big grill flavor. Practice makes perfect when it comes to cooking over charcoal fire. It takes time to become comfortable building the fire and working on its accompanying heat.

Start your training with less expensive foods and work your way up to pricey steaks, ribs and roasts. Thank goodness the homework is so tasty!

Invest in good charcoal, such as hardwood charcoal made from wood instead of petroleum based briquets. The right fuel makes for better tasting food.

Allow plenty of time for the coals to burn into embers for a steady cooking temperature. Stay near the grill during cooking and use a timer. An instant-read thermometer helps eliminate guesswork on doneness.

Pork tenderloin, like chicken breasts and thin chops, is a delicious meat to work on grilling prowess. A zesty gochujang (Korean red chili paste) and lime juice marinade adds flavor to this lean pork in as little as 30 minutes. Be sure to have all the rest of the meal ready before putting the meat on the grill.

Here are some tips for successful direct-heat charcoal grilling:

1. Buy good charcoal. Premium hardwood charcoal is made by burning wood in the absence of oxygen, resulting in pure carbonized wood with no additives. The chunks are often highly irregular in shape and burn faster than briquettes. It takes a bit of practice to use hardwood charcoal if you are used to briquettes, but the resulting flavor improvement in the finished food is worth the effort and expense.

2. Avoid lighter fluid whenever possible. Instead, fill a chimney starter with charcoal and crumble a couple of pieces of paper in the bottom of the chimney. Set in the grill (cooking rack removed) and light the paper. Let the coals burn in the chimney until they are red hot and mostly covered with white ash.

3. Use oven mitts and carefully dump the hot coals over the bottom of the grill. Spread them into an even layer for direct cooking. Leave a section of the grill without coals so there’s a cooler portion.

4. Put the cooking grate in place and cover the grill. Let the cooking grate heat for about five minutes. This preheat helps prevent food from sticking to it.

5. Adjust the vents on the grill to help moderate air flow and temperature. If you have an oven thermometer use it to give you an idea of the grill’s heat.

6. Use tongs to position food on the hot grate directly over the coals. Cover the grill and cook as directed. Resist the urge to open the grill too often — this is important for even cooking and preventing flare-ups.

7. Turn food with spatulas, not tongs, to prevent juices from flowing onto coals and causing flare-ups. Move food to a cooler section (not directly over the coals) if browning goes too quickly.

Serve this pork thinly sliced with potatoes and a steamed green vegetable. Fresh limeade or chilled beer will cool off the cook.

Ginger and Garlic Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Note: To cook on a gas grill, preheat it to medium hot. Turn off the center burners to reduce heat to medium (350 F if you have a grill or oven thermometer). Cook pork directly over the heat for the first 10 minutes. Then continue cooking the pork on the cooler section of the grill.

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

Grated rind of two limes

Juice of 4 limes, about 1/3 cup

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or refrigerated ginger puree

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup

1 tablespoon gochujang or 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 pounds total

Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. For the marinade, mix garlic, shallot, soy sauce, lime rind and juice, ginger, honey, gochujang and curry powder in a food-safe zippered plastic bag or shallow baking dish. Add pork to the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate covered at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Prepare a charcoal grill and let heat until coals are covered with gray ash; arrange coals on one side of the grill. Put the cooking grate in place and let it heat for five minutes. Clean the grate with a wire brush or scrunched up aluminum foil. Adjust the air vents to have a medium grill.

3. Remove pork from marinade (reserve marinade) and place on grill directly over heat source. Cover grill and cook until pork is nicely golden, about 10 minutes. Turn tenderloin over and move to a cooler section of the grill (not over the heat source). Continue grilling until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees in the thickest portion, usually 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

4. While the meat cooks, transfer the marinade to a small saucepan. Heat to a boil and cook 2 minutes. (Always cook marinade for food safety.)

5. Serve pork thinly sliced and drizzled with cooked marinade. Garnished with cilantro.

(JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades.)

©2026 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.