BBQ Spring 2017 | Page 62

62

Q.How do you see things changing in UK BBQ scene in recent years?

A. I don't know. The competition scene seems to be thriving in mainland Europe whilst in England things feel quite fragmented. It's a bit like Brexit really. I always believed that barbecue could be a catalyst for bringing people from different ''places'' together but I am beginning to have doubts. There are events such as The Big Meat which look to bring people together socially that appeal to me more these days than competition BBQ. I get excited about backyard BBQ from all over the world, not just American BBQ.

I like to see jerk chicken next to chicken tikka and BBQ chicken. I love night markets with street food vendors from all around the world selling their wares. I'd also like to see more of the huge variety of smoked meats and sausages from Hungary, Slovakia , Poland and the Czech Republic gain some recognition and start making their way into our diets

Q.What do you like to drink alongside your BBQ?

A.Unlike a lot of BBQ folk, I'm not that much of a drinker. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a cold beer on a summer day and I like the odd Scotch or a Cognac as a night cap. I think Budvar Dark would be my preferred beer with BBQ but I would usually prefer a glass of fruit juice diluted with carbonated spring water. If I'm at one of the classic BBQ joints in Texas, I am quite partial to an ice tea.

Q.Best BBQ memories?

A. #1. Sausages off the BBQ at a Methodist Church youth club party during the Mexico World Cup in 1970 aged 9.

#2. Jerk chicken from a charcoal fuelled jerk pan at Notting Hill Carnival 1978

#3. Flaeskesteg, Danish roast pork loin with crackling, cooked over charcoal at Bakken, Copenhagen circa 1980

#4.Various grilled meats cooked on skewers in charcoal fuelled Tandoor ovens. Pakistan and Northern India, 1981

#5. The Wigan Kebab, 3 pies on a stick, King St. WN1 1LP 1981

#6. Various grilled meat and fish dishes cooked on

/recipes/2000-08:pan

#6. Whilst travelling in America in 1984, I found myself without money and had to take a job in Houston, Texas digging holes into which 5ft tall fence poles would be placed.The sun was scorching and the ground was hard like rock. The work was tough and badly paid but at lunch time on that first day. we were presented with the left over brisket from the boss' BBQ the day before and I became instantly obsessed with learning how to cook this great lump of beef

.

Q.Best place you've eaten?

A. For BBQ food? Smokehouse Islington with Neil Rankin.

Q.What next for you and your brand?

A. I'm just recovering from badly breaking my leg and ankle which left me bed ridden for months. Hopefully I will be mobile enough by summertime to get out and travel around the country to see what has been happening in the BBQ world. There are definitely a few restaurants and pop ups whose food I am anxious to sample. Over at BBQ Shack we'll probably continue to go against the grain and start to promote our new line of ''vintage eastern European smoked meats and sausages''.