This smoky, fire-kissed beef tenderloin with herb butter comes from Canal House

We love the lively heat and distinctive smokiness from cooking over a bed of glowing red and white-hot coals any time of the year, which is why we have a whole chapter on grilling in our cookbook “Canal House: Cook Something.”

We are partial to charcoal grilling in a kettle grill, but if we are short on time or feeling a little lazy, we’ll fire up the gas barbie (less fun, less flavor, but more controllable). Either way we follow a few basic tenets when we get our grill on.

Stick by the grill and pay close attention. Flare-ups happen fast, and the black carbon coating from grilling directly over fire tastes acrid. Tame unwanted flames not with a water spray bottle, but by moving the food to a cooler spot on the grill, or by taking it off the grill until the coals quiet down. Resist fussing with food