Charbroiled: Roasted meat in Nuevo León

When heating the wood in the presence of air (oxygen), what we know as combustion occurs, but if we heat it in the absence of air there is pyrolysis, the end product of which is coal

Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic matter and all types of materials, except metals and glass, caused by heating in the absence of oxygen. But at present this chemical modification, pyrolysis is used in more processes than just charcoal making. Extreme pyrolysis, which leaves only carbon as a residue, is called carbonization.

Charcoal is a solid, fragile and porous combustible material with a high carbon content (about 80%). It is produced by the heating of wood and vegetable residues, up to temperatures ranging from 400 to 700 °C, in the absence of air.

The calorific value of charcoal is much higher than that of burning wood. A century ago, in rural areas it was common to see the figure of the charcoal maker, a role now in the process of extinction, whose job was to completely cover huge piles of firewood with moss and young branches. Then he would light the firewood and let it burn for days. Then he climbed up to the top of the pile and trampled on it.

When the layer was stable and did not tremble, a sign that everything was dried and hardened, the pile could be opened and the precious fuel obtained. But many died when the pile fell, still unhardened, which made the profession a risky profession. It is estimated that the amount of wood or logs used produces a third of its weight converted into charcoal.

Charcoal is the first chemical transformation material used by man and its use probably dates from the very moment the fire began to be used; since the pieces of carbonized wood remaining in some bonfires can be considered a rudimentary charcoal.

Charcoal is mostly used as fuel, not only for domestic but also for industrial use, especially in developing countries. Charcoal production has a significant environmental impact that needs to be reduced.

Another fundamental use of charcoal is its use in metallurgy. The high temperatures required to melt minerals cannot be reached by simply using wood or iron age fuels.

In addition, the carbon contained in charcoal acts as a reducer of metal oxides that form minerals and with the appropriate technique part of this carbon can be alloyed with iron to give rise to steel, much harder than iron, which was instrumental in the development of more resistant weapons and tools.

You will have to consider that roasting meat is a chemical transformation procedure and that beyond the hand that flips the meat it gives rise to the interesting transformations that the meat experiences through cooking and roasting. 

When roasted, it has a weight loss of 20 to 25% and a crust of coagulated proteins and molten fat forms that prevents the release of certain substances. In addition, aromatic substances are formed from fats and proteins in the juice.

The phosphatids, which accompany the fat, and the acrolein indices from dehydration of the glycerin, released from the fats, are involved in this aroma. From the proteins, histidine, which is transformed into histamine, and glutamic acid, capable of improving the taste of meat and vegetables, mushrooms and green vegetables, are involved.

With variations that distance and time have given him, José Vasconcelos is attributed with the phrase "culture ends where the roast meat begins" or, "where the roast meat begins, barbarity begins."

On the other hand, the author Alfonso Reyes said that in the north there was the "culture of roast meat," He said it with the authority of being from Monterrey and with "knowledge of the cause," because this is how it is, because whoever eats the meat from the north, it is not explained to them why in cities like Mexico City there is so much "bad meat" in general.

In essence, the region preserved throughout its history one of the most ancestral practices of cooking food: cooking directly over the flame. In other regions of the country, pre-Hispanic cultures and colonization, led the cooking from other aspects,
perhaps more elaborate and glamorous.

From the expressions of cooking on coal, which perhaps, as Dr. Camilo Contreras assures, roasting meat is the most widespread collective event in Nuevo León and has a special meaning. Roast meat not only appears when there is something to celebrate or share: birthdays, baptisms, football, etc., but the roast meat itself is the reason.

In this case pride is masculine (more than feminine) and is measured with the know-how around the roast meat: knowing how to buy the meat, knowing how to prepare it, knowing how to light the coal and leaving it while it is burning.

The assembly of the roast meat, the smoke and the smells (let's say the ritual), is a combination that makes a "place", which is understood as one that awakens feelings of belonging.