Chef Diego takes on BBQ - and comes out ahead

They say it’s location, location, location.

And if that’s the case, La Hoguera has it all wrapped up.

Perched on the beach in the north end of the Gold Zone, with the sea breeze blowing and Bird Island seemingly within arm’s reach, this new BBQ spot is a cornucopia of sensory delights.

Attentive, smiling, sufficiently bi-lingual service? Check.

Eclectic, contemporary, interesting lay-out and décor? Check.

Consistently well-executed menu of classic, fantastic, slow-cooked barbecue favorites? Check again.

Oh, and one more thing: Happy, competent, experienced, personable chef/owner on the premises? You got it.

Chef Diego Becerra – that’s his likeness in the pig-in-a-chef’s-hat logo – is the guy in charge here, and cooking is his thing. Ever since he can remember, as a child in his grandmother’s kitchen, food and cooking were what he loved. He tried other things, at one point even going to San Francisco to study graphic design.

“When I was doing that it seemed like work,” Diego said. “But when I was cooking, it was fun. That’s when I knew I’d do something with food - that I’d cook for the rest of my life.”

Returning to Mazatlán, he hosted his own cooking show on local TV, “A Comer Con Diego,” (you can still see re-runs) and started Centro’s Deli 28 and a taco/quesadilla place in the GZ. For various reasons he stepped away from those projects and since July has been concentrating his energies completely on La Hoguera.

Actually, it’s been longer than that – Diego, a fanatic for detail, traveled all over the U.S. and Mexico studying barbecue styles, technique and grills – or rigs, as they’re called –before he figured out what he wanted to do and, with the help of his engineer-brother, how to do it. They ended up designing and building an Argentinan-style grill and the giant slow-cooker next to the kitchen, where meats are cooked ever-so-slowly and steadily with indirect heat that’s drawn through the oven chambers. It’s an impressive rig – and, more importantly, it turns out really impressive brisket, ribs, sirloin, pork shanks, chicken and more. All are cooked for 8-10 hours, at a controlled temperature between 225-250 degrees. That’s why, when they run out of something – there’s no more. It can’t just be “whipped up” quickly.

“I like things where there’s a lot of process, where it takes hours and hours to finish,” said Diego. That’s part of his attraction to slow-cook barbecue, but he admits there’s another, more intrinsic appeal, too.

“The whole thing with bones and flesh – I love that!” he said. “Is that a macho thing? I don’t know, but I love it…the idea of a couple of guys around a barbecue pit with beers in their hands – I love it!”

La Hoguera is “housed” under an awesome black canopy that stretches high and wide over a brick patio. Cheery red-and-white checked tables are scattered about, and the staff will move them together to accommodate your group. A Medieval-looking spike-tip wood fence surrounds the complex. (Bear in mind you’re on the beach – dress casual! You’ll be walking in gravel to get to the dining area.)

For right now, prep takes place in a gleaming stainless steel mobile kitchen, and the bar is housed in a similar space. The menu, while big, is all a la carte; ie, you order your meat and side dishes (French fries, cole slaw, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet corn on the cob) separately. Chips and a half-dozen salsas come to the table with your drinks.

Chef Diego is excited about what he’s doing, and it shows. The whole ambience is one of satisfied contentment: The staff is upbeat and efficient, the barbecue is authentic and to-die-for, and the location? As far as I’m concerned, it can’t be beat.

Janet Blaser has been eating for a living and writing about it for more than 20 years. Send comments, suggestions to her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .