WOMAN: And now, Signature Dish, a WETA original series.

SETH: Today on Signature Dish, we're cooking with fire.

FRANK: You can see the flames are licking now.

We're good.

SETH: Using only wood as our fuel, we'll try a pizza packed with flavor.

FRANK: Smoky, salty, sweet.

It's just a very loud pizza.

SETH: Then, enjoy a communal feast from the hearth.

ROSE: Just tear the bread, rip into the lamb, and see what happens.

SETH: That is amazing.

And sample some barbecue that's a cut above.

FERNANDO: This is our American Wagyu brisket.

SETH: Oh, wow.

That is hot.

FERNANDO: This is what we do here.

All wood, all good.

SETH: I'm Seth Tillman, WETA producer and DC native, and I love good food.

That's why I'm traveling to restaurants across the DMV, at each stop, looking for the one thing you just gotta try, that Signature Dish.

♪ ♪ Food is a fickle business.

Fads come and go.

Recipes and techniques that seemed gone forever, once again become the hot new thing.

But one simple cooking method has stood the test of time.

It's the one that helped our earliest ancestors complete our human evolution.

Our kitchen tools have improved a lot since those early days, but for some DC area chefs, the crackle of live fire brings with it a level of heat and flavor that simply can't be matched.

My first stop on this journey with fire takes me to the historic town of Kensington.

Tucked away among the knickknacks and curiosities on Antiques Row, a pizza obsessive is turning out handcrafted pies from a blisteringly hot wood-fired oven.

FRANK: I love pizza so much.

I remember talking to my cousin when we were like 15, talking about opening a pizza shop.

It was always in the back of the head.

and in 2007/2008, I built an oven in my backyard, just cooking pizza with my wife.

We ate a lot.

I was like, "I want this journey to happen in the world of pizza."

And from there, you know, I just studied my craft.

SETH: After several years spent perfecting his recipes and selling at local farmers markets, Frank opened Frankly Pizza in 2014.

The shop features a custom oven he built himself, piece by enormous piece.

FRANK: I chose to lift everything in with my old man.

So every piece was like 250 to 300 pounds.

There's no room for a jack in here to jack it up, so we had to create a system of leverage to get these things up onto a five foot frame.

And we did that using three by 12 planks of wood, basically.

I'm happy with it, but I don't know if I would build another one.

I think I've taken a few years of my life away from myself doing it.

But I love cooking in it.

It's amazing.

SETH: Today, I'm visiting Frank to try his signature pie, "The Hot Mess".

Frank, nice to meet you.

FRANK: Nice to meet you.

SETH: I'm excited about this "Hot Mess" that I've heard so much about.

I'm already feeling the heat coming off this oven.

I'm excited to find out what this dish is all about.

FRANK: It's about many flavors, it's smoky, salty, sweet.

It's... it's me.

It's no, it's just really, a really, just a very loud pizza.

So, I think we should start with the dough first.

And that's where it really all begins.

SETH: If you don't have good dough, you're not going to have a good pie.

FRANK: Yeah, totally.

And so, this is the dough.

SETH: And you just spread it out with your fingers?

FRANK: Yeah.

SETH: You're never tempted to just toss it up in the air?

FRANK: No, I don't like doing that.

So we use, this is a Durum flour.

When I was researching dough, I learned that a lot of pizzaiolos would get white lung.

This stuff just falls right to the ground, where the Caputo gets airborne.

SETH: Is there ever a moment where it's quiet and nobody else is around, you're ever tempted to just try it?

FRANK: Good deal, yeah, yeah.

SETH: When I was a kid, that's all I wanted to do, was toss pizza dough up in the air.

FRANK: Oh yeah, I catch my crew throwing in the air all the time, man.

But it's cool.

So, the edge of a pizza is called a cornicione.

What I'm doing is I'm taking care not to crush the cornicione, and I'm opening it up.

Then I'll take it, and I'll open it... SETH: So elastic.

FRANK: Even more.

Then you take a pizza peel, put a little bit of flour on it.

At this point, right now, we start with cheese.

SETH: Oh, we're talking about a white pie here.

FRANK: Yeah, we kind of specialize in white pies here.

So we have very unique flavors.

We don't put a white sauce on them.

We throw some cheese on here.

SETH: This is the mozzarella?

FRANK: Yeah, this is the mozzarella.

After that, you get the caramelized onions to go on top.

These are really sweet and really salty.

Then we have the jalapeños, which these are brined for about 10 days.

The thing with jalapeños.

It's called "The Hot Mess" for a reason, because it's supposed to, you're supposed to sweat when you eat it.

We finish it with our house-made bacon.

SETH: Oh, so I'm guessing this is some pretty good bacon.

FRANK: Yeah, yeah, it's incredible.

We cure it and then we smoke it.

My dad, I have to stop him from stealing my bacon.

Now we want to finish it off with a little of our olive oil.

And then from here, it goes into the oven.

SETH: Okay, well I've, I've been feeling the burn from this oven on my back, and it's so mesmerizing watching these flames kind of leap across.

FRANK: It's an Italian domed oven, so it recirculates the hot air over and over again.

You just got to keep adding wood to it.

SETH: What kind of wood are you adding to it?

FRANK: We add oak.

I want a tight grained wood.

The tighter the grain, the harder it is to burn.

It gives off massive BTUs.

It adds a sweetness and a smokiness that you otherwise just aren't going to get in a gas oven.

SETH: I'll let you work your magic here.

FRANK: Sure.

Sure.

Take my pie... You can see the flames are licking now.

We're good.

Throw this in there.

SETH: So what are you looking for on the, how do you say, cornicione?

The crust as I may call it.

FRANK: The cornicione, I'm looking for a nice, like, shade of golden brown, mahogany, and black.

We want char on there.

Char is a bitterness, and that adds flavor.

SETH: It's not burnt, just charred.

FRANK: Yeah.

So, I would say that's it.

SETH: Wow, look at the bubbles.

FRANK: Yeah, it's hot.

And then from here, we'll throw on some gruyere cheese.

It's a great melting cheese.

So I'll raise it to get the heat...

The term is "doming", and what you're doing is kind of finishing the pie off.

You want to just quickly fill in the rest of the colors with the nice mahogany.

Then that's it basically.

SETH: Oh, nice.

A thing of beauty.

Let's head to the table and give it a try.

FRANK: All right.

I've been to Italy.

I've had their pizza, and I didn't want to emulate it because I know that it's not quite possible to get the produce that they have there, here.

I was just trying to create something of my own.

There's a lot of nuances in pizza that people don't really think about.

It's just not what's on it.

It's the crumb, the crust.

It's every little detail.

We really care about the pie, the food.

And I want, I want it to be the best.

SETH: All right, Frank, well I want to honor "The Hot Mess".

I want to try it while it's hot out of the oven.

That is flavorful like you promised, hot, smoky and surprisingly sweet too.

FRANK: I'm, like, sweating looking at you eat the jalapeños right now.

SETH: That is a nice slice of white pizza.

You know, normally, I'm a red sauce kind of guy... FRANK: Yeah, me too.

SETH: This might be able to make a convert outta me.

You know, a Neapolitan pie, you pick it up, it's just dripping wet.

This kind of holds its shape.

FRANK: Yep, that's the goal.

SETH: Not a knife and fork pizza.

FRANK: Definitely not, unless you want to.

SETH: You know, that char, now that I'm getting up near the crust, it does give it that little bitterness.

FRANK: That char is a different...

It's bitter, it's not sour.

It's bitter, so it's got many different textures, the smell.

You can smell it.

And it's a really pretty pie too, you know?

It's got little gems on it.

SETH: It glistens a little bit.

FRANK: Yeah, it does glisten.

SETH: The happy... FRANK: I mean, it's got some cheese on it, you know.

SETH: Well, it's delicious.

It's amazing how much is involved, from the work with the dough, getting that fire just right in the oven, to being able to have this hot, bubbly "Hot Mess" on the table.

Thanks for showing me all the steps and uh... FRANK: My pleasure.

SETH: Looking forward to coming back.

SETH: Thanks, Frank.

FRANK: Absolutely.

SETH: Back in DC, I'm heading to 14th Street Northwest.

Near the intersection with Florida Avenue, a small alley leads you to this giant door.

Through here, you'll find one of the DMV's most spectacular culinary sites, Maydan's raging hearth.

ROSE: I came from a very big food background, a Sicilian father, a Lebanese mother, who kind of showed love and communication through food.

But then, it wasn't until I lived in Moscow for three years with my husband for his job, kind of roaming the earth, not working, loving the traveling, but like really aching for something more fulfilling, that I knew when we moved back to the US I wanted to finally fulfill the dream of having a restaurant.

SETH: In 2014, Rose opened Compass Rose, serving up global street foods, a few blocks away on T Street.

ROSE: And then after a few years, really loved it.

Kind of got the hang of things, and decided I could do another one.

The main reason I chose this building is because I wanted a restaurant where I could use fire to cook with.

So, through a lot of maneuvering and a lot of creativity, we figured out a way to safely put the fire in the middle of the dining room.

Maydan in Arabic means a square or a gathering place, but the idea down there is that we actually have the Maydan, and the fire is in the middle of it.

SETH: Maydan's variety of dishes from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus, are all cooked on the hearth, including their signature lamb shoulder.

ROSE: Lamb, growing up in a Middle Eastern home, you'd bring it for the holidays, for weddings.

You know it's special if there's lamb on the table.

So we were trying to think of how we could represent the sharing style, but still have lamb as the centerpiece.

And this 60 ounce lamb shoulder became the answer, forcing people to tear off pieces with their bread, with their hands, and eat together.

It was the most communal way we could think of presenting lamb.

And we want like every meal here to feel special, and like that special occasion feast that I grew up having with my mom and my aunts, and my grandma.

SETH: But before I can dig into this lamb, I'm first meeting Rose and Chef Darnell Thomas to help get a big fire started.

SETH: Darnell.

DARNELL: Hello.

SETH: Nice to see you.

DARNELL: Nice to see you.

SETH: Rose.

ROSE: Hi, nice to see you.

Welcome.

SETH: What a pleasure.

And this hearth and this hood, what a dramatic centerpiece.

ROSE: Yes, welcome to our little fire.

It is our pride and joy.

It is the most Instagrammed thing in this place.

It was built with the intention of paying tribute to a very ancient style of cooking from an ancient part of the world.

So, we don't have a lot of appliances around here.

All your food is coming from right here.

SETH: I can't wait to see that happen and, Darnell, you're the man who's going to get this fire going?

DARNELL: Yes, sir.

ROSE: Yes.

Darnell is our executive chef.

He is the best with the fire.

Definitely not my department.

No one trusts me with the fire.

So, I will turn it over to him.

Just be careful guys, okay.

DARNELL: Yes, absolutely.

SETH: So Darnell, I have enough trouble getting a fire started in my fireplace.

So, something of this magnitude, I can't even imagine.

So, yeah, what are, what are the first steps?

DARNELL: When we first get in everyday, we take our recycled embers from the night before.

We like to put in a perforated pan so that we can get some airflow going throughout.

We take our nice fans here, and once you start fanning and that airflow gets through, it'll start to catch all the other embers that are in there as well.

It gets pretty hot from the start, yeah.

Sometimes, we take the top off and it just ignites.

Just by itself, just from the air.

SETH: Wow.

DARNELL: We call these our starter logs, which are really small.

So, we just start with a couple pieces of wood here.

I have another fan here for you, if you want to go ahead and start getting that done as well.

SETH: All right, I'll get the fire going there.

DARNELL: Yes, sir.

So, once these burn down, I'm just going to pour these embers right in the middle to create my ember bed.

We'll dump the rest of these embers here as well.

You can grab one of those smaller pieces.

In Lincoln Log style, we can just put that one right on top of that.

SETH: Hey Darnell, you have a fun job, man.

DARNELL: Yeah, honestly, this is the best part of my day.

It wakes me up a little bit in the morning.

SETH: This is work.

You can't flip a switch here.

This isn't a gas oven.

DARNELL: We joke about that all the time, it's like, "Who turned it on?"

It took a good 45 minutes to get this going, you know, and to keep it going throughout service, that's part of the cook's situation, it's part of their job.

Now that the fire's doing its thing, this is your signature dish here at Maydan.

It is our lamb shoulder.

We cure it overnight in brown sugar and salt.

Then you rub it with the Syrian 7 spice.

We put it in a vacuum seal bag, cook it into a sous vide, keep it at 200 degrees for about 18 hours.

We take that out, cool it down, we tie them up and we hang it up over our fire to get some of that smoke and nice crispiness coming from the heat.

SETH: My God, my mouth is watering just looking at this thing.

So what are your last steps here?

DARNELL: Pretty much adding one more layer of the log wood to get us some more embers burned down.

SETH: The embers are going to give it that more nice consistent heat, but not as hot.

DARNELL: Yes, yes.

Then we'll start to put the grates on top, let the grates get hot so we're ready to go by 5:00.

Coming into Maydan, jumping on the hearth, jumping right in, it really made me love cooking all over again.

It's not just cooking.

It's managing fire.

It's teamwork.

It's just pretty much using all the things you've learned in any other cuisine, but you still go to make sure that you're not burning your food, it's not getting too charred, you have that indirect heat when you need it, you have the smoke when you need it.

ROSE: I find around a table where you're sharing the food and breaking bread together, you're doing this thing that people have done for generations to survive.

We have to do it to survive.

So, we automatically are a little bit more human and a little more vulnerable.

I think in Washington sometimes especially, it's really important to let your defenses down, maybe not talk politics, and eat together.

SETH: Rose, Darnell, this has to be one of the most colorful tables I've ever seen.

ROSE: Well, we tried to set out our favorites for you.

We set the table with our tawlah presentation.

Tawlah means table in Arabic, and that is because literally, if you will allow us, we will fill your table with food for the entire meal.

We also have our tone bread, which here is really meant to be the utensil for all of this.

So we're going to challenge you to not use your fork, or use it as little as possible.

Just tear the bread, rip into the lamb, and see what happens.

SETH: Challenge accepted.

All right, let me give this a shot.

ROSE: You worked for it, I mean, feel free.

Yeah, you're doing great.

There you go.

DARNELL: There it is.

ROSE: Yeah, you approve of your hard work?

DARNELL: I hope you're really getting the smokiness and that caramelization coming from the sugar.

It's that crust on the outside.

By hanging, that indirect heat definitely perfectly crusted it on the outside for us.

SETH: That is an amazing cut of lamb right there.

So flavorful.

So intense.

And you're right, the caramelization on the outside to get that crust, but still have it be so juicy and tender inside, that is amazing.

ROSE: We're really glad you liked it.

DARNELL: Thanks.

SETH: And now I got to go in for another bite here.

ROSE: Well, you should, but you're still missing something.

The idea here is, we actually want you to figure out your favorite bite, and that requires dipping into one of the sauces.

So, take your pick.

The red one closest to you is muhammara, roasted red peppers and walnuts.

Then right in front of me is the zucchini baba ganoush, and I'm going to dip in that.

DARNELL: My favorite bite is definitely the labneh, the lemon with the mint goes really well with the lamb shoulder.

SETH: I am just learning here, so I'm going to start with this roasted red pepper.

ROSE: You're a quick learner.

You're doing great.

SETH: Oh my God, that is so good and, um, the Syrian 7 spice, I mean, that's a flavor I don't think I've ever even had before.

ROSE: Yes, and, you know, don't make me tell you all seven of them right now, because I always forget under pressure.

Um, but it is a really special combination of flavors.

You know, my poor mom, please don't let her watch this, but Lebanese grandmothers like mine always have a little bit of a competition with the Syrian grandmas about, like, whose food is better, because so many things are similar.

But after traveling, and eating a lot of the food in the region, I have to say some of the Syrian flavors are a little bit more dynamic than the Lebanese flavors.

But again, please mom, don't watch, don't be mad at me.

SETH: Sorry, mom.

ROSE: It's all right.

It's definitely behind some of the amazing bursts of flavor you have with the lamb shoulder.

SETH: That is just dynamite, all these spreads, all the color, all the flavors, just even being able to be part of building the fire with you Darnell, and having this as the payoff, wow.

Thank you guys so much for having me.

This was really a treat.

ROSE: We were so happy to have you.

You worked for it, so thank you.

SETH: Cheers.

ROSE: Cheers to you.

DARNELL: Cheers.

ROSE: Thanks.

(train whistle).

SETH: From the blazing hearth, to the low and slow approach, my last stop takes me back to Maryland, where the star of the show isn't the fire's heat, but rather its smoke.

The DMV has never been a bastion for great barbecue, but in quiet Riverdale Park in Price George's County, a husband wife team is working to change that.

FERNANDO: We used to have a shipping company from El Salvador to the US, and whenever I was heading to Texas, I got really excited about visiting different barbecue joints.

We have no smoking meats traditions in El Salvador.

We are basically grilling or cooking over direct fire.

One day, I went to a propane tank manufacturer in El Salvador, and with the help of a dear friend who happened to be a welder.

I ended up buying a 250 gallon smoker.

SETH: After several years honing his barbecue skills, Fernando and his wife Debby opened a small catering company in El Salvador, serving hungry American diplomats.

FERNANDO: All of a sudden, we were receiving a lot of pre-orders because we happen to have the largest US Embassy in Central America, is in El Salvador.

They were really missing their barbecue.

SETH: After moving to the US in 2018, Fernando and Debby set up shop at the Riverdale Park farmer's market.

Soon after, they opened a brick and mortar in nearby Dumm's Corner, the site of a beloved neighborhood market.

DEBBY: The name Dumm's Corner really does mean something around here.

At the 1930s, this place used to be a butcher shop.

And now we are selling smoked meats.

We preserved the hooks.

We preserved the ceiling.

We've tried to preserve the place as much as we possibly can.

SETH: I'm heading over the tracks today to meet Fernando and Debby, and try a brisket they smoke from American-raised Wagyu cattle.

SETH: Fernando.

FERNANDO: Hey, how are you?

SETH: I'm doing pretty well.

Nice to meet you.

Debby.

DEBBY: Nice to meet you too.

Welcome to Riverdale Park, and welcome to 2Fifty Barbecue.

SETH: Thank you so much for having me, because I've heard about this Wagyu brisket, which sounds just incredible.

DEBBY: We can't wait to show you our signature dish.

SETH: Well, I like the sound of that and Fernando, I believe you are the Pit Master, correct?

FERNANDO: That's what they say and I have some secrets to share with you in the kitchen, how about that?

SETH: Let's go take a look.

FERNANDO: Let's go take a look.

All right, welcome to the prep room.

So this is our American Wagyu brisket.

This is from Snake River Farms.

We love this product.

It has a lot of marbling, and it has a lot of flavor in it.

We have Tony here.

He's deaf.

He's also our sausage maker.

He's an expert on how to trim briskets.

This is really where the skill of the trimmer comes into place, because you really need to focus on making this aerodynamic shape, but still preserving all those good flavors.

SETH: So after Tony is finished, what kind of seasonings do you throw on top of it?

FERNANDO: Salt and pepper.

SETH: That's it?

FERNANDO: That's all there is.

SETH: That seems like a pretty simple mix.

FERNANDO: Are you ready for the smoker?

SETH: Let's go take a look.

FERNANDO: Are you ready to spend 14 hours at the smoker?

SETH: Let's maybe see where it is in the process right now.

FERNANDO: Let's go then.

All right, welcome to the smokehouse.

SETH: Fernando, man, this is not a smoker, this is a submarine.

What is this?

FERNANDO: She's a beauty and a beast.

It's a gray direct flow primitive pits, 1,000 gallon smoker.

SETH: 1,000 gallons.

The Wagyu's, they're cooking right now?

FERNANDO: They're being cooked right now.

SETH: Let's go take a look at them.

FERNANDO: Go check it out?

SETH: Sure.

FERNANDO: All right, check them out.

All right, be ready to cry.

SETH: Oh, you weren't joking.

FERNANDO: That's the good stuff.

SETH: I mean, that crust.

FERNANDO: Yes, that bark is really what we're looking for.

You don't want anything crunchy, anything too crispy on the edges right here.

SETH: And, I mean, you've been doing this for so long.

You don't even need to stick a thermometer in this thing.

You know when it's done.

FERNANDO: We cook by the feeling, mostly.

SETH: And that smoke is definitely, whew.

FERNANDO: You never get used to that.

You're always crying here.

SETH: Where's the fire that's creating all this smoke?

FERNANDO: This is a direct flow.

You have the smokestack on that side, and you have the firebox on that side.

Let's check it.

SETH: That's a heavy duty smoker, man.

FERNANDO: 65 pounds per door.

All right, this is our firebox right here.

SETH: Oh, wow.

That is hot.

So what kind of wood are you using?

FERNANDO: We are using primarily oak.

With the wood, it's always a guessing game when we are determining if this wood log is ready or not, you want to see those little cracks in here.

You want to see some brown edges to it.

SETH: So the viewers at home know, you know it's 92 degrees out today.

FERNANDO: It's hot.

SETH: It's hot.

We're sweating.

But I'm sure you're also out here on days when it's you know, when it's 32 degrees out.

FERNANDO: Absolutely.

Sometimes, you're starting the fire at 6:00 in the morning, and you have 20 degrees.

You have wind blowing through the smokestack.

You have a snow forecast.

It can be crazy around here.

SETH: And so you're not using anything, just besides this oak, right?

FERNANDO: This is what we do here.

All wood, all good.

SETH: I like that.

FERNANDO: Actually, it's time for me to put another log in.

SETH: Cool.

Let's do it.

FERNANDO: I'm getting hungry too.

DEBBY: Cutting the briskets, it's a privilege for us.

Fernando is very adamant on how to do it.

It has to be the right thickness.

It has to be the right knife.

It looks really easy, but then when one of the cutters is learning, they go, "No, no, no.

It's just Fernando that makes it look easy."

In Texas, brisket is king.

We want every single pound to feel all the love that we put behind it, all the craft, all the knowledge, and every single customer has to be able to get it from that first bite.

SETH: Guys, this looks so good.

FERNANDO: Are you hungry?

SETH: I'm starving.

I think it's all the Wagyu, but I see what looked like maybe different parts of the brisket.

FERNANDO: Exactly.

The good thing when you come to our restaurant is, you can ask for, let's say, half a pound of burnt ends, the tip end of the flat, or lean or fatty brisket, whatever you prefer.

SETH: Alright, well, I do like a nice fattier piece of meat, so I'm going to start over here with this brisket.

FERNANDO: Oh, that looks good.

SETH: That is a good looking piece.

I'm excited to try this.

That is so good.

The smoke, it's not overpowering the flavor of the meat.

A nice little layer of fat in that bite too, which I always appreciate.

That is really, really good.

FERNANDO: We're glad you like it.

There's plenty more.

SETH: I'm curious to see how a barbecue professional decides to eat their brisket.

FERNANDO: What you're looking for really is for the lean to fall on it's own weight, or with a nice really light pull to it.

DEBBY: Tug.

FERNANDO: From there, you just want a perfect Texas biscuit, which is a piece of white bread, some pickles, and some pickled onion, and you're all set.

Sauce is optional on Texas barbecue.

That's another subject.

SETH: It's not just the actual cut of brisket here on the plate.

Tell me about some of these sides.

DEBBY: The sides reflect our Hispanic heritage.

The beans are made from Central American beans, with brisket trimmings.

The street corn is a fair snack in El Salvador.

Fried plantains are a hit here.

The caramelized pineapple is baked with cinnamon and honey, and it's great to cleanse your palate.

SETH: I could tell there really are no shortcuts here.

You guys are doing things the right way.

DEBBY: That flavor, it does not come from cheap or easy, or quick.

It really takes a long time, and that reflects on the final product.

SETH: I got to say, I don't think I've ever seen the crew looking this hungry.

So I think we got to wrap, so we can give them a little chance to take a bite of this.

Thank you guys so much for sharing.

I think I'm going to remember this for a long while.

FERNANDO: Thank you for joining us.

DEBBY: Thank you guys for coming and for appreciating the craft too.

(music plays through credits).

♪ ♪ WOMAN: To find out more about great food in the Washington Metro area, visit WETA.org/SignatureDish.