The mechanisms controlling laminar flame anchoring on a cylindrical bluff-body are investigated using DNS and experiments. Two configurations are examined: water-cooled and uncooled steel cylinders. Comparisons between experimental measurements and DNS show good agreement for the flame root locations in the two configurations. In the cooled case, the flame holder is maintained at about 300 K and the flame is stabilized in the wake of the cylinder, in the recirculation zone formed by the products of combustion. In the uncooled case, the bluff-body reaches a steady temperature of about 700 K in both experiment and DNS and the flame is stabilized closer to it. The fully coupled DNS of the flame and the temperature field in the bluff-body also shows that capturing the correct radiative heat transfer from the bluff-body is a key ingredient to reproduce experimental results. (C) 2016 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.