Photos by Tom Reader
eight. My folks divorced when I
was quite young. My father won
the rights to us and he had to do
all the cooking. He knew BBQ
and taught me what I know today.
Whereabouts did you grow up
in the US man? Was there a big
BBQ scene there?
I grew up in Gaithersburg,
Maryland. Every house in my
complex had a BBQ built into
the backyard. And the grills were
fed directly from the gas
mains. Crazy!!!!! So,
there was never a
problem with fuel.
Once I left home, I
learned to do more
work on charcoal and
wood.
So it’s a family tradition
then?
Yeah, I learned from
my father and his father.
I also used to make
snowboarding movies and
would travel the world to
find fresh tracks and rad
spots. We BBQ’d a lot on the
road. Once I got my own place, I
bought my first Weber Kettle and
then I didn’t stop.
You must have cooked with
some pretty special people in
your time. Who’s the best Pit
Boss you’ve ever met?
Aaron Franklin from Franklin’s
BBQ in Austin, Texas. The dude is
a legend.
I don’t know about the rest of
the world, but the UK seems
to be going through a big BBQ
revolution at the moment. The
days of burnt wieners and
cheap burgers seem to be
dying down and people are
getting a lot more adventurous
and skilled with their outdoor
cooking. Why do you think this
is?
Practice makes perfect. The more
you grill, the better you get u
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