grill, meat and the best grillers in the world meet in Barcelona

You don’t have to go to Argentina to eat good grilled meatsand this weekend we will have some of the best grills in the world —and from Argentina, of course— in Barcelona. The appointment is at the festival Meat & Firewhich celebrates its second edition at the Moll de la Fusta, from June 7 to 9.

“The culture of meat and barbecue It is implanted in almost the entire world, in different cultures, and that generates a unique richness around meat and fire. Here, without going any further in the Basque Country, there is a tremendous culture of grill and txuletónwhich has been an element of social and festive cohesion,” explains the chef and griller Iñaki L. de Viñasprehead of the Sagardi restaurant group and organizer of this festival.

Claim the meat

In a world that is increasingly trending towards veggieeven in the high kitchenWhy is it necessary to reclaim meat? “We are increasingly marked by fashions and it is true that there is a trend towards veganism, but meat must be claimed from another perspective, that of connect with the earthwith the ranchers and with healthy feeding of the animals,” says Viñaspre.

And he adds: “Healthy and well-cared-for livestock makes the environment rich, functional and society harmonized. We have to reconnect with producers, urban people have to learn where the animals we consume come from, eat less meat, much better and in a more responsible way”.

What meats can be eaten?

Very good meats are what we are going to find at Meat & Fire which, on this occasion, has a luxury poster of forty grillers and grillers —importantly— from all over the world, who will cook meats “from all types of animals, races and origins,” says Viñaspre.

There will be beef, pork, lamb, poultry… and different cuts of each of these animals since “depending on the culture, one part or another is eaten, or the animal is cut in a different way, which generates a totally different flavor and experience.”

They can also be experienced different grilling techniques“from a skewer that rises eight meters above the heads of the attendees and roasts a whole 500-kilo calf, to stakes with Patagonian lamb, roasted undergroundArgentine, Basque, elevated grills… it’s going to be a spectacle,” adds the organizer.

Which grillers participate?

The guests are chefs and grillers who come from different countries in Europe and Latin America, such as Argentina. Pablo Rivero of Don Julio (Buenos Aires), recently awarded as the best restaurant in the 101 Best Steak Restaurant 2024 ranking. “It is a source of pride, its cuisine is far above some creative and Michelin-starred restaurants.”

Other international names to keep in mind: Black Riveros (Las Brasas, Paraguay), Michael Belperio (Trattoria dall Oste, Florence), Davide Peca (Km 431 Assaggeria, Alba Adriatica), Marco Valdivia (Nayarita, Mexico) or the grill master Gaston Riveira, which has locations of its restaurant La Cabrera in Argentina, and also in Barcelona and Madrid.

Spanish restaurants are the majority and we find chefs like Javier Brichetto (Piantao), Rafa Zafra (Rural) and David Montes (Prrrimital), all of them in Madrid; Hideki Matsuhisa (IKOYA Izakaya), Joan Bagur (Oaxaca) or Manu Yebras (Chicken and Fish), located in Barcelona; Gregorio Tolosa (Bidea 2, Navarra) or Caesar Mory (Es Arraïtzes, Vall d’Aran).

The barbecue women

But in this edition they are barbecue women those that have a special role: “In the face of increasingly technological kitchens, the grill continues to be the most primitive, wild, intuitive and sensitive. There are great women who have a tremendous grill art, which many times exceeds that of men,” says Viñaspre.

Among the guests are Mecha Ferraro (Franca, Buenos Aires), Genevieve Taylor (Genevieve eats, London), a fire expert and fervent advocate of conscious consumption, Alessandra Cingolani (Dupont Meat House, Rome), which understands fire as a sacred element that must be treated with love and respect, Xandra Luque (Lima & Cayena, Madrid), in addition to Paloma Ortiz (Arrachera) and Cristina Perez (Pork Boig Per Tu!), both in Barcelona.

Beyond eating and drinking, this gastronomic meeting also offers a extensive talk program with experts in the art of grilling and there will be the opportunity to learn about unique experiences from the rural world that recover the environment and the traditional arts of breeding and grazing.

The offer is completed with a market with artisan products related to meat and grill. And, as a novelty, the cocktail bar Dr Stravinsky and cheesecakes Jon Cake They join the festival. // Meat & Fire. From June 7 to 9. Price: €7 (includes 1-day access and non-returnable festival glass); €24 (foodie pack, includes 1-day access, 6 meatcoins (1 meatcoin = €4) and drink).