If you're ever bored of barbecuing, scientists from Syracuse University in the US have come up with the perfect alternative for your next backyard get together: lava grilling. Just ignore the fact that this is totally not safe to try at home for a few minutes, because the steaks cooked up in this video look ridiculous.
Set-up as part of the Syracuse University Lava Project, this cook-off was a collaboration with experimental UK chef Sam Bompas and the Syracuse University earth sciences team, who have created a car-sized, man-made volcano that melts rock down into lava in around 70 hours.
The researchers use these synthetic lava flows to learn more about the morphology and behaviour of molten rock, but in July last year they decided to team up with Bompas to see if they could create the hottest barbeque in the world. The result? A grill that reached just over 1,000 degrees Celsius (2,000 Fahrenheit) - more than double the maximum temperature of average ovens.
"Cooking with lava is simply the most spectacular way to grill a 10-ounce rib-eye steak," Bompas told Kara Manke over at NPR last year. "You are standing before this molten lava that flowing out, and it is beautiful."
If that's not extreme enough for you, wait until you get to the end of the video, when the scientists also take things to the next level and cook a steak right ON the lava. Just a few seconds on each side is all you need when you've got your meat on molten rock, apparently. "It was the best steak I've ever had in my life," Bompas told the Daily Mail.
No word on whether the project needs any helpers, but we'll just put it out there that we're happy to volunteer as taste testers anytime.