Two key inspirations are what Donald describes as "the primitive, soulful way of cooking" over fire in Uruguay, and the grilling wizard Victor Arguinzoniz, of Asador Etxebarri, in the Basque Country.
For this reason, my backyard is a bit of a smoky fantasy: I have a Weber gas grill I love, a large smoker for doing authentic slow cooked barbecue, and a large homemade Argentinean parillada grill for traditional open wood firecooking, as well as authentic Santa Maria-style barbecue.