Big Nose BBQ

Dan - Host: 0:00

Today's episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast is brought to you by iOS outdoor kitchens. They are the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists Hello, and welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. We are so lucky today to be speaking to Chris from big news BBQ who has so many different things going on, which is fascinating to hear in this episode, and also is a big part in sizzle fest as well. But I'll let him talk about that. So without much further ado, here's Chris. So Hello Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us today. For anyone who doesn't know who you are, which I did introduce yourself Instagram handle and all of that.

Chris - Big Nose BBQ: 0:48

Hi, I'm at Big Nose barbecue. Chris Rowland by real name. Okay, big nose barbecue. I'm a father of one happily married trying to do the barbecue life down in South Pole and South Coast. Dorset England.

Dan - Host: 1:03

And what are you for coming on? It's yeah, I was I'd say what what also Are you kind of heavily been connected to recently that own and I have not stopped talking about

Unknown: 1:13

it in the back. Okay, well, let's raise a glass to or Yeti cup to everybody that came along to sizzle fest, as you know, we talk about the barbecue community. And I love that. But actually I've checked I've changed it in my mind because I have to get it past my wife the amount of time. And it's even I've mentioned some names in a minute. But and this is this is a parallel to a lot of people that we've got to accept that we're going to be allowed out the house for the day or we're going to drag them to it. Some or some partners are asking to come now. But also, you know, it's a commitment and sizzle fest. It's like it's a barbecue family for me, because it involves my family because there's a sacrifice that's made which is basically for the study for the three weeks leading up to it. I'm barely at home. And there's a lot of like late night midnight 2am phone calls ideas at six in the morning on the school run. It's relentless, but it is the family that make the festival and the fest festival means people it means it means a gathering of people. So when we talk about sizzle festival, it is the people and we basically just were the aggregators, we kinda like that we're like the, the infrastructure and the people that kind of have to plan about you know, things like toilets and toilet rolls and various like things that you would think of the glamorous stuff being generators and staging How high should the stage be where the backdrops should go banners scaffolding speakers, I mean, that's, that's kind of like my forte, really, toilets and audio equipment. So yeah, that's, that's the thing, but yeah, it's just a massive, massive thing that relies on every single person participating as much as the people and the sponsors. Let's not forget about TMG Bacala as a thing collective Weber Yeti Treyger gozney Who else? Oh, the poetry guys and coffee doorset neat box.com All those guys, you know the queue together guys, the guys that do the Broil King? You know just go on Weymouth 51 It's just It's unbelievable. And then and then the people that come with those people that bring those people that then are attracted to it so yeah, I'm Tom gozney Fine over I mean it's just one of those years where where the guys Tom and party Tom and and that came over from from America. So it's really really good to have and spicy jack so I mean this year like I want to take the hat off put the headphones on top wherever you've tried to from from Totten you know my mate will it you know I went to school with this guy and he's like at barbecue school now like it's brought us back together that's why it's it's family because he was like family to me and it's like this thing the community keeps growing but the longer this community is going is a UK barbecue family. So I'm really hashtag UK barbecue family I want to see that trend. But yeah, first and you guys getting me on to talk about it. It's just blows my mind because you know a lot of these things born out of locked down right? Yeah,

Dan - Host: 4:19

yeah. 100% not not boring. Our wives were talking to them about barbecue the whole time is finding people who want to talk about it is what we've Yeah, why this came from really.

Unknown: 4:29

I mean, we are like there was that there is this sort of, I call it the cooling off period. And it's literally like two weeks after sizzle fest we're not allowed to do any like our family have banned us from getting on those Skype calls and planning next year and they think we're nuts. Actually this year my wife came and enjoyed it so I think I've got a bit of a think I've definitely got the extra support because she bought some friends and this is the point. Bring bring bring your partners because I'll tell you what this thing it's like once they see it and they understand why but it's more have an event the entertainment and and the drinks there. So it's like, but then they understand they get it and they see the community they see the community, which is now a family and yeah, great. It's really an honor to be able to serve, serve, serve everybody in that way and just be in the background getting things done. Yeah.

Dan - Host: 5:16

Yeah, but don't spoil my childcare, like, you know, look after the child all day, that's an option as well.

Unknown: 5:23

People driving on halftime, or whenever this gets played out that they're going to be turning down the radio now. Listen to this later. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 5:34

I think that's what we found, though. Such a change to the other, you know, kind of festivals that we've gone to is that primarily, the people that are going to the sizzle fest are people within the UK barbecue community. So they're super passionate, but in some way, shape or form it almost everyone's already been talking to everyone. And it's the annual get together, or it's just you meeting someone for the first time, but you might have been talking to them on socials or text for months. And I think that's the difference at other places that we've been, which is a bit more sort of general population.

Unknown: 6:09

Yeah, I think I think there's something to be said there. And it's kind of like I've got a lot of respect for for even putting the park and wind festival and that sort of thing. But these guys, they have to run it like a company because people want to go to these events. And I've been involved in events my whole life. And, and it's a corporation, it's a business, and it has to be a business. And we're kind of learning this with sizzle fast is that we can't keep losing money or just about breaking it or borrow it or we borrow so much stuff for people that you know, Goodwill runs for some period. But because it's barbecue community, we're able to keep that period going. It's like Premier League players that don't get paid for a while, they kind of they get itchy. But I mean, if they were if they were brought up in the towel, you know, it's kind of that thing where we're just trying to keep it as reasonable as possible for people, especially in current climate. And I think that the difference between us and them is that the brands know that they're going to reach the people that are loyal to them on that day, I think that it's an exchange of insight, thank you for your support. And obviously all the blogging and the social media and the stuff you guys do. And you know whether you got 400 followers, and you're, you know you're into barbecue, you'll make sense come consistent for us. It's excellent, because these are people that buy these products. And so it's a great thing for the for the industry. So it's an industry meet up where they're not at a trade show, or they're not at a big thing, like having the part where they've got to put a big gate or fence up, you know, where you've got crowd barriers, and you've got a marshal, and he's saying you can't, and it's that sort of thing. I mean, that's why we I always have this health and safety chat. I don't know if you had the night before. So fast. I'm like that, tell your kids or if you do have to bring your kids for a couple of hours. There are hot things there. But I mean, if you grew up around barbecues, you kind of you're aware of it. Whereas if you don't grow up around barbecues, and suddenly you find yourself in an area where there's loads of live fire going on. Yeah, things can happen. So it's really good that we can keep it like that. And it's really good that the people there understand. And I think it's it's that thing where you get together in a car part and you can talk about each other's cooks, you can talk about why you're using that grill that year or who you are, and recipes. And it is that thing where, you know, in the pandemic we were doing we were doing the sizzle stuff and raising money with the likes of with the likes of James and call Ken DOM Hampshire, we're hosting these massive lives raising money for charity. And I think boozed up during one of them quite early on. I said, Look, when this is over, you know, I've got some pa equipment, I've got a few people we you know, we could do something and then Charles is you know, Charles and all the guys that so cow you know, Lindsey, his wife, very tolerant, again, another tyrant barbecue wife, you know, and they thought were mad, you know, Pete and Andy down at the yard, we were like, We're gonna rent it like first year, they're like, What? Now this year, we're like, you need to empty the yard. And we kind of got them on side, but they were still a little bit unsure. But now, I think it's like everybody goes out beyond their remit to put it on. And I think that's the vibe that we've got. And, you know, we're going to try and keep that going. And I think we've got to I think, you know, if we did something for the public, it would be a different thing in a different location. And we would sit differently and maybe, you know, my heart, it would be some of the guys that are involved in the support system. First, you know, we've seen people like still smoking come up, and he's running his pop ups and stuff, you know, maybe they want to be involved in have some sort of concession or do something or sell something. But that is a very different beast. And I take I take my hat off, you know, you look at the history of grill stock, and they sort of those founders that the guys in England, it's so easy for things to go against you when you're hiring land and you're putting infrastructure in on that level. And then you've got the extra levels of security because you know, to make a public event work you You know, you've got a gap. You know, you can't be doing five 600 people, I think we only have 499 for for licensing reasons. But obviously over the day now you kind of have a thing more. But what I'm saying is, is the minute you go beyond that into into, like, commercial licensing and all of that stuff it Yeah, it's a different beast. So it's yeah, it's really nice to be involved it, I'd say, the grassroots level of barbecue. Although the lumpwood level of barbecue were.

Dan - Host: 10:31

The thing is, as well, you all obviously get on together so well, you guys running it. And I remember kind of see it in public, in public in public, on Instagram, the fact that you went all the way out to Texas together, and went around. And that taught us about that trip because it looked like a dream and a dream.

Unknown: 10:50

It's another dream. And I think that was born out of the fact that we the only time we had ever actually met, originally was to put on this festival. And then since then, James has been doing some work with SoCal helping them with with their website and stuff like that. And he flies in and out, you know, once every couple of months, and we'll do a demo day or we'll meet up at a barbecue school. But in that first year, the first time we met each other. And it's quite, it was emotional. Sia, but we felt like and I don't know if you guys feel this and people that listening feel this. You feel like, you know, people, like the first time I met Marcus, for example, like he's a superstar. Like there's, there's people that aren't in the barbecue community at the school that go, you know that you know that fella marks? Yeah, because they've seen and it's the fact that when you walk up to them, you feel like the the ice has already been broken. And that is the power of social media. There's so many negative things about social media. And when people talk about and I've been sat around a table, a big family event. Oh, no, no, no. And then I said, Do you realize how much money we raised in lockdown us doing an Instagram lives for the Royal College of Nursing for Help for Heroes? And all? You know, like, there's too many charities out there. But do you see what I mean? Like social media used in the right way in certainly in in the we've got the bakery crowd. And we've got the barbecue crowd. And some of them are into pizza, which now comes over. And then we've got the food bloggers that go out and cover all the takeaways and go to restaurants, whether it's fish and chips with, like, you know, these guys, they they've put their passion down into, like social media. And it's a network and it's a it's a coping mechanism. It's helped mechanism. And it's great. I totally agree. It's, it's unbelievable. So we actually first out that we'd never met each other until the first sizzle fest. So actually coming back to the Texas thing. Sorry, I go on a tangent because I still can't believe it. I don't want to beat the record for the longest podcast ever. I don't know which one that was, like three episodes. You probably know. But Texas was the face the fact that we we did sizzle first we got away with it. People enjoyed it. It was like a micro version of what we did this year. And it was like the test and it was and then it was like right, we need to we need to have a social we need to get together. And next thing you know I'm getting sent this link with a flight date. And right now I need to get this past the wife bearing in mind at that moment. I'm still running clubs in London. So I'm actually out of the house four nights a week away five days. So I'm living in digs away. And you know, Christmas is the busiest time of year in the West End of London. And then it's like literally back for a week. I think I went up did New Year's Eve came back by the seventh floor on a flight over to Texas and a lot of that was thanks to sort of a few people pushing the agenda. And, you know, at that moment in time it was it was like right, okay, I should be doing the bathroom in the house or I should be finishing the studio that the plaster board is going on this week, by the way. So it was

Owen - Host: 13:54

one of those things but we'll have the we'll have the update in the studio in another episode.

Unknown: 13:59

Yeah. So So basically we ended up we ended up in Texas, we flew in we went to archery county archery country that the awesome guys there. They said, Look, we're we're off to shoot some, some whitetail. So if you come back at the end of the week, they lent us a trigger to take in our van to do some tech to do some tailgating so we took a ranger with us. No, it wasn't a ranger. It was another trigger the small small one. I don't know the full product range I think he does. Anyway, so we didn't we did that. Then Then we got over to two snows. And then we went over to what Hatchie we got to Franklins, Leroy and Lewis, our Derby, Derby, Goldie's, which then become Texas, number one, they were actually recording a documentary there. On that day, some of the guys managed to get on that I was too busy drinking beer and chatting with the locals. So that was great. And to meet Aaron Franklin, he came out of his house. He heard that we were in town and somebody said all these guys from England have made it because it was so fresh out the pandemic. And it was a bit of a risk. And my wife said, Why are you going there lighting textures? Like COVID didn't exist in Texas when we went there? No. Nobody was like going from England where I had to pass three things to get on the fly. And then I had to do all this documentation you get down the other end COVID didn't exist on my wife site. Look, don't be doing that. And I said, Look, I've been working in sub base with a nightclub champ, you're gonna be on a flight and lo and behold, I get a phone call while I'm out in Texas. My son's going a mile up the road court court COVID I mean, obviously, I've done the whole the whole period in in America and abroad it but it was a funny time because not so many people have been there for a while. I still think it was like, Americans go to Austin. And that is like a bit of a destination like Vegas is but for English people to be going out there. I think they go but they don't go as a big group. And they're not like a barbecue a set of guys that blog for barbecue. So we were really, really well accepted. And, and I recommend it to anybody if you go out there. Don't say that. You know us guys, because go out there now go out there and speak to people and it's passionate. And if you get there early enough, like Tootsie cooking over over it snows in the morning, and she smiled at us and she's hailed from England and then she's so busy working like it's it's like, you know, it blows your mind. She's shoving it just like you saw on Netflix. It wasn't you know, sometimes you watch something and it's just like, No, she Tootsie bless her. The queen of barbecue is there through the night in minus temperatures right next to the pit. It's it's hot. And she's literally just using her hand to gauge the temperature doesn't look at the temperatures. And then they said look. So the guys from TMG. They know, like his uncle. His uncle is related to the guy, one of the business partners and they said, Look, do you want to? Do you want to come forward? And like, no, no, no, we want to stay in the queue. And we did the queue. And then at the end of it, we were so lucky that clay and Tootsie came and actually like sat with us and chatted with us for a bit and we got our face. And you know that that was just it's just the whole experience of seeing the sun rising over the back of the smokers. I've got some great pictures, I might repost them, actually when, when this podcast goes up, so people know what I'm talking about. But it's like that spirit, religious ritual. That's exactly what it is. And it was January, you know, and I wouldn't want to be there. I wouldn't want to be there in the heat. I mean, in January, like half minus one early, like four in the morning, we were there half, three, four in the morning. And then you know, by midday, it's getting warm as it is, you know, imagine being there these guys queue like four or five 600 800 deep, you know, on on a hot day, I couldn't do that the people drive for miles and and some of them are picking it up like Saturday morning to take back for their for their dinner on Sunday after church. I mean, it's it is religious religion does come into and it is it's like that that is that is the whole thing, isn't it? It's like church or barbecue. And you know, God, God bless them. And they really do put their heart and soul into it.

Owen - Host: 18:09

Yeah, it's definitely it's definitely a dream holiday for me.

Unknown: 18:13

Yeah. And the guys that Yeti again, the guys that Yeti gave us full access. We filmed there, we chatted, they came out, they met us, not just once, but twice. They took us to Leroy and Louis. Yeah, really, really good to have that sort of support network. And I think if you reach out to people and say we're coming, that you know, they will, they will let you see a bit more or that or they'll be receptive to the point that you're there. And they get excited by it. So I highly recommend it to people. So yeah, let's see if we get another trip. That would be great. Just got to get that passed the family budget at the moment.

Owen - Host: 18:51

There's a couple of spaces.

Unknown: 18:54

Yeah, well, I mean, I mean, this is this is the thing. It's like, do we, I mean, is this a plug on from sizzle fest? It's like, is there something in the future but it's very hard. Now you have to kind of get it you have to get like a tour license and stuff if you want to take people and like hire about and it's very funny rules about how you structure like doing tours. But is this something that we look at in the future, and we say, you know, what we can we can organize something we're gonna get off, there's gonna be a coach there, and we're all going to just go and do it. And I think that is that is probably like a next level dream. But I think, you know, in reality, we got to get through the next couple of years and keep our heads down and stay healthy and work hard. And then I think that could be that dream could be realized. You know, if anybody wants to organize it, because I'm too busy. Count me. Yes. But yeah, America is highly recommended. And actually, that was a chance for us as a team to kind of bond and actually learn about each other. And, you know, cope snores big beast snores. Charles doesn't like sharing hotel rooms. But why should he Leave steam train BBQ is basically Charles his best mate who is the backbone. He He's like our stage manager on the main stage. Great fella. So it's Charles in his best mate. And then an Englishman, an Irishman, a Scotsman, and an Englishman. That's Asian that lives in Copenhagen. So we're right, we're right bunch of right odd bunch. But I mean, you get down to the stockyards and you end up getting free drinks, because everybody claims to be half Scottish or half Irish. Yeah, never go, Oh, I'm half English. Let me buy you a drink. But if you stand with them, you actually get drinks. And it's weird. It's like, you know how guys buy girls drinks. It's like if you go out there with a night, so take an Irish Irish fella and a Scottish fella. And it's like, you get drinks bought for you. I've never seen that I've never felt that love before. It was no strings attached, by the way,

Dan - Host: 20:48

never happens to us. Well, we're the ones who have to buy the drinks most of the time.

Owen - Host: 20:56

So just out of interest in, you mentioned, obviously, that cooling off period where you're you're banned from talking about barbecue for a couple of weeks, just after sizzle fest. And we're, what three weeks, three weeks out from it now. So just after the cooling period ends, well, we managed to get you on. When When does sizzle fest 2023. When's the conversations starting? If they haven't already

Unknown: 21:19

it started this morning. Actually, Bill Bill was on his way somewhere corks shout in a few things. I think we get together in about a week's time, in terms of like a Skype call. And then there'll be further conversations November, I think the main thing that we've got to do this year is just try and find a sponsor that wants to kind of be like a title sponsor, because what it is, is you got to realize that we we've taken so much from everybody now, including the production company that I do a lot of work for, which is kind of leading on to something else that I'm setting up is almost going back into having a production company that that does other things. So that it can fuck is one of those things that I've I've stumbled I kind of moved away from that for a bit. And naturally, I've been brought back into it. So I'm kind of looking at ways that we can kind of do other activities that then generate, like, you know, a lot of events, kind of have smaller events that then sort of enable you to have some cash flow to, to do what you want. So yeah, I think that's what we're looking for really this year is we need to find a way to make it sustainable. And there's lots of ways of doing that. But unfortunately, it's like, especially when, when when we put on the news at the moment, and there's a lot of negativity, you can't keep empty in the same people's pockets, or the or the same. Like, the brands are there for us. But they've been very generous. But what we need to do is kind of like accept that things change a bit. And like loyalty means everything. So we can't rely on them heavily, they've helped us prove a point. So if anybody's out there that wants to wants to, you know, maybe they've got a company or something to do with barbecue, and they feel like they want to come and get involved. And we get you know, if you if you sponsor says this isn't an advert, by the way, but if you sponsor sizzle fest, and you know, this year, we'll put some packs. So it's like a team, like a corporate day out, as well as part of your sponsorship. So that's what we've got to look at do doing to make it sustainable. It's like, you know, I don't want to do it, like a football grounds where you've got a box, and all those guys sit in the box, and they get preferential, but you get a package with a day out. And that that then enables you to warrant spending a bit more on advertising. Because you get the you know, you get the full package and hospitality and maybe a bit of barbecue school thrown in and, and other things from SoCal. So yeah, we were looking at that at the moment. But the conversations are happening. And, and yeah, and you know, we've had a lot of great feedback, I'll be honest, it's like, some of the feedback I bought here to my eyes, some of it made me think I'm gonna say this in a politically correct way. I think sometimes when people write feedback, they forget that we're volunteers. So we can make it really professional. And we only charge what was it 35 This year, I think it was, and it actually cost us 80 pound a head to put on. So that tells you, I think, at 357 or something, it's on a spreadsheet somewhere. I do stuff and somebody else looks at the spreadsheet. And at the end, they say this is the black hole, and I go okay, but we've done it now. Let's talk about the next one. So, ya know, the production guys never want to be in you know, so I just kind of worked within some perimeters. And yeah, so it's like everybody's been very generous. There are things that we can always improve like this year was a big improvement on the previous year. Next year, we know where we can improve things. You know, some of that service stuff some of its like food very, very ating maybe one state was too loud and the other one was too quiet but you know to change those things. You got to put more money in and you know, productive site you guys To the podcasts, you start with something, and then you buy a little bit more, you buy a new microphone, and you think crikey, this is just a podcast, like when you're dealing with with entertainment and, and you've all you know, when you do a festival, you've always got to have something in your pocket for the next year. So that I think that's the stage that we're at now, in the short and simple is we're in the exploring and listening stage. And trust me, we love the feedback even to hear the negative feedback. And that's what we need to improve ourselves. But then sometimes it is a bit disheartening when you think Yeah, but you're getting great value. So so that's just a little bit. So, but I know I know that like 95% of people, they get it and it's great to just share that with you that we really appreciate the feedback that we got and we are working on it. So yeah, we're plugging the holes in the ship.

Dan - Host: 25:51

With all that work you're doing and you know, barbecue being part of the work you're doing as well. What do you do to relax and blow off steam? If you just need some headspace? What do you do?

Unknown: 26:05

Basically, I like this time of year because this time of year i i can do the low and slow in the garden and it's very calm and it's not hectic. In the summer. I like to just basically I'm out fishing, I'm out catching see see going for bass or going for anything macro flounder, any anything flatties you know this nice this nice, this nice place in at the moment. So I'm going to be going after those this week. So yeah, that's what I try to do try to Cat fishing I've got I've got a boat with my, with my wife and my my father and all the three of us went in on it. And it was like one of those things where I spent my whole sort of career working in London being away from the family, I'd never went out at the weekends or evenings. So like that little bit that I managed to have a because I wasn't you know, going through a kind of like when I finished in the clubs in London, I was like, right, that's the whole thing was was like, yeah, when I quit, I've got to have enough to to to like, have a decent deposit on a house and be able to have a boat. And I've managed I've managed to do that. So yeah, that's what I do. I just got a go fishing. And it is literally I'm blowing off. I'm blowing off 18 years of steam of working in licensed premises DJing touring, managing. And so yeah, that's my thing. And I think this year has been a it's like a transition year for me. I haven't quit London to be to do barbecue. But I've quit London so that I can have time to be involved in things related to barbecue. And then I'm just sort of freelance working bits and bobs on the side. So it's, yeah, it's definitely. It's great. So I think I think that's it really, it's like get your smoke again, this time of year low and slow. I think in the summer. It's like life's really busy and hectic. So it's like, right, we'll grill or we'll do a tomahawk or we'll do some kebabs or we'll do stuff like that. But yeah, because I don't have time and obviously, the end of August is literally coming into sizzle fest season. So it's Yeah, so all hands on deck. So yeah, it's fishing and smoking barbecue.

Dan - Host: 28:10

That's just one lens into the other as well, surely.

Unknown: 28:13

Yeah, it does. I mean, there's nothing better than catching a bass. Bringing it back. You know, gutting it scaling out on the lawn, I'm banned from scaling fish in the house. And then literally, I'm a bit like, you know, it's it's like, I don't know, like Floyd or Rick Stein or those kinds of guys. They kind of say, you know, fresh seafood langoustines things like that I don't catch I think these things but I am partially it's literally like butter, garlic. bit of olive oil, lemon. That is it scallops the same thing. I don't I don't want to be messing around with it. Like it goes on. It comes off and you eat it with a nice salad. Simple, you know and that's that's a great thing when you catch your own fish you're already in your mind never go out never this is this is a trick if you get if you're thinking about the initial you're going to go out fish don't don't go out and buy all the sides and have your barbecue thing I'm going to barbecue tonight fish because if you think like that you won't catch anything. So you've you've kind of just got a go and catch something then I'm gonna barbecue fish tonight because I've learned that it never works the other way around. You can't you can't invite everybody over and so I'm gonna go and catch some fish today. Because because the boat will probably break down I mean, the power steering went the other day and had to go back in so so so yeah, don't ever promise anybody fish just just be grateful when you catch it that again. That's Biblical, isn't it? It's like, yeah.

Owen - Host: 29:40

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Dan - Host: 29:45

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Owen - Host: 30:43

Visit aos kitchens.co.uk. So kind of moving forward for you then obviously, you know, you've already mentioned that you're looking at you know, Sousa first 2023. He said, You do fish and you work on doing sort of freelance. But you know, in terms of the kind of DJing and that type of thing that you've you've been doing. But on the barbecue side, you know, if you've got any kind of plans for how you move forward into into next year,

Unknown: 31:09

yes. I was very lucky this year. This is another thing. Don't ever agree to do a pop up. And then DJ in the afternoon of a festival then finish your pop up in the evening. Because what happens is, is when you come back from doing your two hour set, everybody seen you there that's the barbecue guy. And then by the time you've walked back with your records, and you've got back behind you, the queue is massive. And you're you basically yeah, and you've had two hours off so you're behind on on everything like getting getting getting another batch of chili on or the next batch of pull port ready to go in the hot cupboard. So yeah, I've been very lucky this year where a couple of guys that random little independent festivals for 500 people on their land over in the New Forest. They were like Chris, can you can you come and do barbecue. So yeah, we did the pop up thing my wife came in helps. I think I think is a family business. When you look at the likes of say still smoking again, all the family involved you can't you can't rely on mates that you can like barbecue buddies, but you can't just and you can't you can't rely on casual you when you start and if you listen to good news barbecue, it's the same thing. He had his son out working for him in, in Oregon this week at the American football game. And it's that same thing where you, you kind of like I really need so you put them on, you put them on the card machine, because they're temperamental man, don't get me started on. So you go down to a site and you test the machine. It all works. And then you put 500 people in the field, and then the sales busy and it's in you're trying to try to do that because they're really trying to do contactless and then you go back to cash and then you've run out of change. There's all this sort of fun that happens when you're starting out in. So it's like pop ups events, little bits and bobs. I've done some stuff at a brewery. Literally I was doing my LACMA hand which is the mana quiche, which is kind of like peed, which is also kind of like mountain pizza Lebanese style. I'll get there in the end. So yeah, it's basically it's basically the spice spice mints on bread, I'm sure I'm sure there's quite a few people out there that have that have seen that about. And I like doing that and kind of. So on one hand, I do that sort of thing. If there's a pizza oven there, I will never try and challenge the Neapolitan pizza guys. I think that's, you know, and making the poolish and all this sort of stuff. It's a real art form. I'm getting there. But I'm not prepared. Like people are peddling Pete I take my hat off to them. Awesome. But yeah, so I stick to my sort of Lebanese heritage. So yeah, and I'll make some shawarma and art so if you want their chicken version if you don't like spice, so I mixed lamb and beef. And then I and then I'll basically put cough the spices in with that. And when people say which which rubs you I'm gonna show you something actually. They go I'll put this out here because people people talk about now I think this is great because what happens is, is I think it's the same with the American actually I'm gonna draw a parallel here. When the Americans were looking at us in the early in the pandemic, we're friends with them all now but then I heard these English guys do an American barbecue. Like they go oh yeah, but then they don't know what they do authentic now they believe it. They believe it because we're important. They're smokers or we're buying their rubs and maple syrup came over. You know, he knows it now that we're really into it. And people say well, what do you use? And I'm like this is his rubs. These are rubs these are rubs these are spices. But you know when you when you look at that says made in Lebanon right when people talk to me about shawarma spices or coffee spices, right if you if you see this stuff by a pedo made in Lebanon right this this is authentic right this has been used by the family for you know for generations and before it was put in a packet by the guys in Lebanon it was the family would make the spice smokes and stuff like that. So I take a bit of my heritage and I kind of anglicized it a little bit maybe I'll put some some extra cheese on there and and things like that and and that's what I tried to do and I make some bad conditions from hummus so that's one sort of menu I do. And then obviously if I'm doing like a festival in the field, I'm doing like pulled pork so I'll spend a couple of days doing the poor carp backpacking it down then basically like Bay Murray hot it, basically hit in the pack, split it but I've you know, you learn you learn how to do it. Only a full cooked barbecue on the day. Do you see what I mean? If you're serving barbecue, do not cook it on. Don't say I'm gonna stay up all night the night before and cook it unless you've got a big team like Chris Rock. There's guys that do that because they got a team and that's their setup. But when you're a small guy, like a one man band, you kind of there's the prep thing. So you kind of like you've got a menu so I did smash burgers as well. always popular. Try and get some really local aged, like Dexter, Dorsett, Dexter beef mince. So I'm kind of doing like, sandwiches American sort of whether it's pork, pork, or beef, I'm looking at getting into doing I want to do affiliate a state Philly sandwich pop up. That's my next thing. I just miss that so much. You know, like the green peppers and like that onion with the cheese and like that. But what I've, what I've decided is I want to smoke the beef, then I like smoke it to medium and or medium rare, and then smash it up, and then do it on the skillet. And I did some the other day. And I just like I blew my mind off in the kitchen. I was like, next next pop up that I get. I'm doing this. So yeah, I like I like that. So I don't know donkey box, potentially there's there's talks of getting a there's a vehicle with a tow bar on its way to me shortly. So yeah, am I gonna get a donkey box or Well, double horsepox and kind of build build a service counter. And I think that what I would like to do with that is kind of like, use it for when I need it. And then also, like, offer it out to people if they need like somebody that starting out and they they need a servicing, they could say, look, pay me like, you know, rent this trailer as your service counters. So helps because not everybody can invest in stuff. Right. So I think that it shouldn't just be sat in a car park, like rusting away, it's things have got to be used. Maybe like team up with a couple of chefs from the local college, give them an opportunity. I think that's my next project really is to like, create, get a few guys that want to work a little bit. But they want to make money rather than me employing them and saying, Hey, did make sure they've got all their credentials. So that's kind of where we're going. I think that I'm going to be doing a bit more like event stuff in marquees and maybe offering a catering thing on the side. I think that's kind of because people are asking that. That's why I think that's yeah, that's where it's coming from people are starting to ask me to do things. And I'm one of those guys that stupidly just says yes. And then I'm like, What am I doing? Then I put it off, and then somebody else asks me. But yeah, you need your family behind you and stuff like that, because you can really rely on them if they want to help. So yeah, that's where we're going. We're going on this journey of occasional popups. And I don't want to do it full time, though. You know, I've worked in I've run fish and chip shop when I when I left school, because I didn't, didn't really do what I should have done at school. And after a summer of tossing around, my dad said you need to get a job. And I just looked in the paper. And there was the chef's chef's job at a place called che Fred's which is a very famous fish and chip shop. People like Ross Abbott used to used to eat there and all sorts of famous people that would come down to Bournemouth like Paul Daniels, they would all go there was that thing where, you know, you go to the restaurant and they get the photo with the with the celebrity during the during the like the circuit of Blackpool and bombs and stuff. So yeah, they used to come in this fish and chips shop. So, you know, I've done that I've done the catering full time. I've worked in public kitchens. And I Yeah, it's much I love it. I don't want that every day of the week. So I think it's this sort of, and this is a great thing about barbecue, right? Is that you can you can do these things occasionally. And you can dip in and out of it around your job and around your other commitments. It's not like having a premises and you've got to be there from like six in the morning till 11 at night like I've done in the past, you know? So yeah, exciting stuff. And there's also talks of me I want to do some sort of, I'm finding that there's quite a there's quite a lot of people that don't want to go to barbecue masterclasses per se but they want to learn how to stop burning chicken on barbecues. So I think that my knowledge is good enough to help that little pocket of people on a local scale whether it's from my garden like having three or four people over like even if it's friends and family to start with. Because people always like you see, they're not an Instagram so they're the guys my wife why unfriend again on a Thursday or Friday nights like because because max out And he's trying to cook this thing and he doesn't know what he's doing. So I'm, I'm talking him through the process on the phone. So I think that's something that I want to do. So I want to I want to do a bit of community work with the people that don't see themselves as pitmasters or into the barbecue community, and kind of get them into into where they could be because a lot of people are passionate about food. They're just scared of it, right?

Owen - Host: 40:20

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Well, I mean, it sounds like there's plenty plenty on the cards for you in the next 10 minutes and stuff. Yeah. So you obviously you were talking about a couple of different cuisines and things that you like to cook when you have done pop ups? What would you say is your favorite thing to cook on a barbecue?

Unknown: 40:45

It depends. So I would, I would probably go if it's for me in the house with my family coming round is probably like my Two Day marinade, lamb, shawarma on the rotisserie and the Komodo and then I'm making I'm making Lebanese mountain braids out of the cosmic dome. And then obviously, I've done some fabric finish by literally just roasting the SH one tea out of some some old machines and getting the getting the tahini out and getting the lemon and the garlic getting some fresh party smashing some to booty together, get the get the crack weed out the night before and stuff like that. And, you know, some nice fresh tomatoes and that sort of thing. I think that's that's kind of where it's at with us and maybe doing some lamb coffers. That's, that's, that's like, that's the family. That's the one where everybody's happy. And they feel like they've been to a Lebanese restaurant without having to go to London and spending 200 quid so yeah. Yeah,

Owen - Host: 41:47

you've only charged 195

Unknown: 41:49

Yeah, so trust me, I've I've had it over the years. So I started. I feel like it's time. And this is part of the thing. I think, see, I feel like I'm paying my family back for all the great things they've done over the years every time I get them over. And I don't know if I'm sure a lot of people relate to this. But it's like, it's that moment where you feel like whether it's cooking a roast actually. And you've got your mother and father in law round or your sister or whatever you feel like you're giving them some love back. And you enjoy it. And that's the thing is some people don't enjoy the cooking bit. They enjoy having people over drinking, but they don't execute the cooking bit very well. So it's good when you can kind of make that difference.

Owen - Host: 42:28

I suppose actually, that probably leads us on to one of our favorite parts of podcasts when you're talking about some people don't execute it very well. What we love to talk about barbecue fails, so everyone's got to have one so what for you Chris is stand out barbecue fail.

Unknown: 42:47

I've got quite a few. I got a couple really. So we got Dave from wild potatoes or the big pork drop. You want both? So it was I'd upset Victoria. I think I'd been out a little bit heavy the night before I think the show was on a Bournemouth so I you know we'll cook this and then we'll go we'll go and watch some of the Air Show. corn fed chicken on a rotisserie I'll make some dough from our potatoes it literally just got the gozleme day put it in sort of follow the recipe stuck in tweaking attempt I thought it's like an oven. I can do this. I can do this and he just comes out. It's like liquidy it's like the potato is still hard. And then I realized that I shouldn't have soaked the the potatoes after they come off the off the mandolin. So basically, I've taken all the bits that help it sort of break down and I knew that I've made it hundreds of times. Yeah. Just like oh yeah, you know just picking away hangover. And you could just be what is this and chicken was nice though. Pork Chop pit barrel cooker.

Owen - Host: 44:02

So just going back to taters like, it's so unforgiving as well. And like when it was hard, it's not even one that you can just politely it's it's just doesn't taste nice hard, right?

Unknown: 44:14

So actually, this is where I've got a shout out. So now I've got the door for my gozney down this week, I am going to actually be able to do it where I can fire up some pizzas that I can make my day from our potatoes, I can put the door in and I can literally just leave it and forget about it. Right. So I'm looking forward to actually doing that. And the problem was I didn't have a door so you either had the burner on or you had it shut down and then it wasn't enough heat and so it was like I was yo yoing it and it wasn't cool. So I'm looking I'm really looking forward to doing that because actually I should have just realized you need a door to do stuff like that, you know anything that takes a long period and consistent residual heat rate I should just put it on the commodity would have been would have been fine. But I think it was fun

Dan - Host: 45:01

though, is it? It's not as fun if

Unknown: 45:04

you got exactly exactly so that was that so thanks guys Lee for bringing out the door it took a while but I appreciate with them that they want to get things right and they don't just release stuff there was a guy that not one up on eBay, which was literally a panel but if you notice that gozney one it's got the proper seal around it. And it's got the sliding vents so I'm glad I didn't waste 50 quid. I'm sure the guy that made it brilliant and it works for a reason. But yeah, now I've got the official one I'm gonna give that guy porkchop was Mother was over doing some we were doing some stuff we did in the garden. Come over did a garden for the day. That makes them that nice pool port. Yeah, so I went up to Webster's butchers see Joseph got a lovely lovely bit of pork Boston but I think it was like it wasn't a cheap piece. It was like a some Gloucester spot special like you know one of these like rare breeds sort of really good quality hand reared, blah blah blah. So get that back. Get the rub on put the mustard on, you know a bit of a bit of bit of I didn't get which Rabbit was I was making rubbish at that point. Yeah, so it's like, great, get it on. All right, let's go to let's go to some garden centers because it's a set and forget right, that's the ID you put it on and, and so come back come up the side of the house about two and a half hours later northeast BBB BBB. Now, I you know, I'm not. I haven't got the whole Wi Fi meter. Whatever, because I just I normally around, right? But I've got my Saurik n which is the real cheap. I've got it off amazon or ebay like 2016 or 2015. I bought this probe set. It's still going I'm down to two probes out of the six work now. And I left it out in the rain the other day still works, but it's not Wi Fi it's Bluetooth. But I come back did my neighbors are compensated. Chris there's something beeping in your garden for the last you know, it's a barbecue site is it meant to do that site smoke coming out. Basically, I I had put the hooks in but because this bit of port was so heavy, I got the two hooks in on the on the rebar you know how the pit barrels sets up? And I think obviously one is slipped the porks rot than the next ones. Obviously it must have been there like dangling for a bit and then it went straight down into the fire pit. Yeah. And it was like 3838 quids worth of pull pork and there was like 12 people coming around to eat like that evening. Just a complete total write off. Yeah. So yeah, just just make sure you hook stuff up properly. Basically, if you are in your house, wire it up properly. If you if you're hooking stuff in your barbecue, just make sure that you actually do the job. So I think I hadn't gone through the muscle properly. And I hadn't like kind of come back around the other side. So yeah, just Yeah, that's a pit barrel fail, but actually, that's the trusted cooker. That's that's like the first American barbecue thing that I got. My brother like recommended it to me, actually. So now I'd get a pit barrel cooker. And I looked at it and I think they were like 300 quid, 330 quid, and it actually got imported from America to my house. And I built I built I built a deck just for it to go on. So I think the barbecue cost 300 quid. And then the deck costs like 1500 quid.

Owen - Host: 48:36

The port on the pork was two grand.

Unknown: 48:41

Yeah, I mean, this is the thing. We do get a little bit mad, don't we? Yeah, like build, like everyone's building shacks. And so this house that we're in now. I didn't even look around the house just went in the garden. I mean, there's a pagoda here. That's the barbecue shack. Not gonna come and look at the house. It's like, no, no, no, we're buying this house. So we we are mad, aren't we totally mad? And she thought it's gonna be like a yoga den. But how old? Is she?

Owen - Host: 49:13

Amazing. I feel absolutely gutted with that as well. But it's one of those things, isn't it?

Dan - Host: 49:23

We all make mistakes. That's how we learn, frankly. And that's why we celebrate barbecue fails. In fact, we did some recording some videos this weekend with a friend with Jody down at aos kitchens, and you aren't interested in 101 because you failed but you saved it.

Owen - Host: 49:40

I did. Yes. Actually, Chris for you. Were you popped in to see us we and so obviously by the time this comes out. It had been a little while ago. But yeah, so after you left we kind of we did a Ready Steady Cook challenge, which which we're preparing for YouTube. So we were basically

Unknown: 49:59

we read tomorrow Is your green peppers?

Owen - Host: 50:02

Well, we didn't do that side of things. But we did the premise or we all went and got bought bag of food and the other people have to cook. I got a bake essential I got all sweet ingredients to baking and I'm not.

Unknown: 50:16

I did see that on the side. And I made a joke. It's like, Oh, somebody's making a cheesecake or something. You knew that

Owen - Host: 50:27

it was. So I decided to do a joint. The worst thing about it as well as Jody bought some scales because he bought he bought the bags, he pre bought some scales. We turned them on the battery had gone. So we couldn't have a battery. So I literally just had to kind of free pour the ingredients to some extent. And I tried to cook a giant cookie on the della vita pizza oven. And as I pushed it in as I pushed it into the, into the oven, one of the one of the logs had actually fallen on top of the call room and started setting it alight. So I had to kind of rush and get it out. And then in the end, I'd say 15% of it was kind of black and then I've managed to flip it over and we ended up having to finish it off in the monolith

Unknown: 51:15

but it was a sunny side up.

Owen - Host: 51:18

Sunny side up. Yeah, cook. Yeah. I think it did look pretty but tasty.

Dan - Host: 51:23

tasted good.

Unknown: 51:24

I think the bait the baking thing wasn't let's go back to the pandemic when we did the Sunday roast. raising money for charity. That was a great one because it's Guelph. Oh no. That was nice weather. I think it was the I think it's the football one that was playing American football. Yeah, so yeah, and I was doing Yorkshire puddings in an old Weber kettle. I think I mentioned that to you guys tonight. And it's like your blind bait this blind baking isn't it? I think baking anything. I'll doff my cap to statement at this time. What a legend. A legend says brownies. Oh my days and she had some at the table. She's like it was my grandma. She's just but yeah, so like it is one of those things that Yorkshire puddings, making biscuits, all sorts of stuff. I think the trick is is like probably like, make sure that you're Komodo. I think that's the trick is use a Komodo make sure it's at a good temperature have your deflector plate in, and maybe your divide and conquer system and kind of set it up a little bit higher. But yeah, I think yeah,

Owen - Host: 52:25

definitely doesn't work in a pizza oven.

Unknown: 52:26

Well, maybe with the door maybe with maybe with a door. I mean, there's maybe you can I'll set myself a challenge. But on the back of this is that I will try and bake a cookie. It was a cookie Did you say?

Dan - Host: 52:38

Yeah, it was a giant cookie that you put in a cast iron pan.

Unknown: 52:41

So it wasn't a very merry land was it?

Owen - Host: 52:45

Hey,

Unknown: 52:45

I'm here all night. No, not people tune out at that moment.

Owen - Host: 52:53

Oh, again, this has got to be the perfect opportunity now to move into our barbecue bingo. Segue. Segue segue segue so natural Yeah. Right so I'll share my screen as ever we've got our spinning wheel of ingredients where we'd love for you to cook whatever it lands on however, I think it's a new season so this is now the fourth season we'd like to make a slight change

Dan - Host: 53:28

without killing each other

Unknown: 53:30

you guys know you guys are awesome. Yeah, no No Season Well done guys. I know. I know what that means in podcast I want to say that actually guys, I've been involved in production I think one of us works in radio broadcast is a lot and like obviously the guests but yeah Well done guys well done.

Dan - Host: 53:47

It's been it's been a journey.

Owen - Host: 53:50

It has there was a stat when we were launching actually that most people most people find it difficult to get past episodes six. Yeah. Yeah, not listeners isn't the actual people recording it six episodes.

Dan - Host: 54:03

don't realize how much actually goes into it with like the planning what you're going to do the recording, the editing, the uploading and all of that, but it's also thanks to people listening. You know, we wouldn't be here if it was like three people listening every week. Maybe Maybe we weren't.

Unknown: 54:20

I've done DJ shows literally for three people on SoundCloud back back in the day, but ya know, well done.

Owen - Host: 54:27

So, what we'd like to do is do a slight change. And in one of the episodes that we recorded pre this was we kind of did it by accident, but it ended up being one of our guests had kind of give us inspiration to put something on there during the actual episode. So now we'd like to make that a permanent fixture in that we're going to spin this and whatever it lands on we'd love you to cook however what we'd like you to do is give us one ingredient or dish to add to the list in hope that the next to guess that we record, lands on that, and so on and so forth. So we'll get people to add to it every every week. So there's my signature dish. And that is hopefully, well, if that lands on that we'd like you to cook what you're famous for. I'm wondering if it's just warming you spoke about earlier?

Unknown: 55:21

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right now, right now got this

Owen - Host: 55:29

set in the post here.

Dan - Host: 55:33

Is there anything about that wheel that either you're allergic to? Or like you couldn't touch for some reason?

Unknown: 55:43

Pineapple is not allowed on pizza. But that's not barbecue. Now, I think I'm I think I'm all right. I mean, the ice cream is obviously a bit of a. That's that's the banana skin, isn't it? Yeah.

Dan - Host: 55:59

But again, it can be used as an ingredient or part of something you're putting together so it can be served on the side. You've talked about the cookie already. It's just interesting to how people's brains work when they start thinking about this. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 56:11

Okay. Okay, I'm gonna give it a spin, and then in the back, in your mind, have something ready for us to add in. Okay, 321

Dan - Host: 56:24

was the awkward moment of the quiet spin. Ah, we know it's like going on a pizza.

Unknown: 56:33

You have a winner pineapple? Ah. Yeah, I mean, this comes back to my sci fi thing where you want to, like sometimes you want to keep things so you want me to tell you what I would do with it. But yeah, please do? What strikes

Owen - Host: 56:47

are initially that just gives your initial thoughts. And then obviously, when you actually get around to doing it for us, all we ask is that you just tag us in on Instagram, and Facebook or whatever so that we can we can just kind of repost it and share it.

Unknown: 57:01

Okay, yeah, yeah. So there's two things that I could do with that. It's like a pineapple upside down sort of steamed pudding sort of thing and the Komodo my son would would probably my mother in law would definitely enjoy that. So I would probably be consulting her tomorrow morning about that. Not I don't wake up with my mother in law for the record. I parked around there after the school run just make sure they're alright

Owen - Host: 57:31

that's another shout out to

Unknown: 57:32

watch the other show. The other thing that I do like is obviously when when you're doing you know something like some poor compartments and or some rump cats in Kenya or you're doing some Cerrito what you want is something at the end of that dish to basically kind of cut back from that sort of meal that you've been having almost presenting barbecue so I would actually be rolling that pineapple just skin it ran this ramp ran the ran, ran the rotisserie right through the middle as they say and then basically coat it in, in cinnamon and sugar, brown sugar and just give you that nice little thing. And actually, you could actually top that with maple and pecan ice cream. So I really just smashed it. Well I mean that those are the two things and actually I could probably I could probably Yeah, I'd given both ago at some point in the coming weeks actually because my son's on this map thing at the moment. He's six that I want a mango. You see the price of mangoes now but you don't want to discourage your child from from from putting fruit or putting or vegetables in the basket. So it was blueberries for a wild crikey that got expensive now it's mangoes but obviously mangoes is quite a bit you don't it's not like you know you don't get a solid you got the middle bit that's got to come out. So it's not the most economical fruit so but yeah, he loves the pineapple so we're in a pineapple phase, Mango face to face at the moment so yeah, I'm gonna do something with that wicked Okay.

Owen - Host: 59:17

What about what about the ingredients to add to the list for our next guest we're going to add for us

Unknown: 59:25

sumac

Dan - Host: 59:26

oh a lovely bit of spice mix.

Unknown: 59:29

sumac

Owen - Host: 59:31

Nice.

Unknown: 59:32

Do as you will with it. I'll be interested I'm going to say anything as to what I do with it. It's probably quite obvious what I do with it. But I want to I'd be really interested to see to see what people come up with and maybe they'll go away and research it now just in case there. Oh, there we go. It's really on the wheel

Owen - Host: 59:48

wickets on the wheel is.

Unknown: 59:50

So you guys have got good production values. And I've been I've been I've got great I've got visuals up behind on the Greens For me, I've never been there with you know, one of my biggest barbecue fails is actually I don't know how to do the the Instagram giveaway Well I've always failed it every time we do a giveaway i announcer on person I don't ship the things to the right person or I just I've given up on them but I probably should do one soon anyway but maybe maybe I could give him I should give away a sizzle fest Yeti flask by the way there

Dan - Host: 1:00:25

are people would go for that people Yeah,

Unknown: 1:00:27

I think I might do that when you let me know when the when the episodes go now I'm gonna do some sizzle fest swag. Because I know a few people got a bit hazy and didn't get around to purchasing it on the day.

Owen - Host: 1:00:38

Yeah, sounds good to us. Oh, brilliant. Weather. Yeah. So basically, if I look forward to him, you know, seeing what you do with pineapple. So just tag us in on Insta and socials. That'd be fantastic. Is there? Is there anything perhaps that we haven't covered yet? Or, you know, that you'd love to kind of talk to us and and obviously our listeners about?

Unknown: 1:01:02

Yeah, I mean, I want to actually I want to thank I want to thank a few people. Obviously the guys the guys at SoCal But actually she started my family pick up my family. You know, I start I started barbecuing at the age of probably five or six because my mom's Lebanese and my dad's English but he lived out in the Middle East. So if we didn't burn, you know, he said don't touch that and and obviously he came back from the kitchen I burned my fingers. And then next time I was like, Daddy, I could do this not burn myself. And so yeah, I just like that initial thing and my heritage, my culture my family out in the Middle East. You know, that's that is the foundations of why I'm into cooking for sure. And then obviously, all the guys it's so cow, the staff the people that actually worked there that have that have been supportive, that probably still think that me and Charles in Jameson meet fire whiskey and, and, and cork and Hampshire, all those they all think we're nuts. But you know, those guys. And also just like this, the opportunity that I've had this summer that came about as a bit of an accident, where I was up in Peckham, probably last January or February, at an art exhibition, and I was buying some some artwork for my studio here. So I've got the artwork, but I haven't got the passports. And lo and behold, it was the day that I first actually met Christian Stevenson, DJ BBQ, and we were just, we were just chatting away and I was wearing this hat or No, I was wearing. I was wearing a snows hat and he's like, Hey, man, you've been there. You're gonna lose guys. It was on that tour. I've been following. I followed him but he doesn't follow me. And he must have seen it through a repost. And he's like, ah, blah, blah, blah. And I actually his friend was selling art. And they run this thing called Cool wall posters. And so they're all like x vintage, original prints that went out to like cinemas and film. So this I've got like this David Bowie thing, a daft punk thing. But these are like original publicity prints. And they're very limited run. So actually got chatting to him. And I bought some from his friends business, and he happened to be there. And we were chatting away. And I mentioned camp Bestival. And he just sort of said to me, no, he said, Hey, you're from Dorset, right? From thoughts. He's just so you're from those. You said, I'm doing camp festival. And I was actually I'm going to share with my family. And he said, and then we start talking about music. He said, hey, just just bring some records, come and spin some tunes for us at Camp festival. And then obviously, like, I'm like, what? And so I go to camp as well. I take my records. And next thing, I'm DJing with him, and Olivia is French. He's a French DJ that works with John's pizza. And people like, you know, these guys have been around the business for a while. And they liked it. And it was kind of like, that's where I'm at T bone T bone shots. Hey, Hamish, that works with him. David fannings there's a whole crew there that that and that is the day that I realized that doing barbecue at big events. I don't know if you've ever seen their setup where it's like, four massive smokers. You know, they've got they've got the whole leg of beef on the rotisserie. These guys are legit, they are the real deal. And I didn't realize until I got there that day, that operation and the professionality of the chef's these pitmasters they are UK pitmasters and they are they're smashing out you know, like 3000 Smash burgers over a weekend and, and I felt guilty because I want to go there and help them cook but they don't even talk to each of these guys can just literally, they cook. It's not I've been in the kitchen at the Dorchester and I've worked at cocktails on doing events but I've been in their kitchens and I see the way they work these like well drilled like high class First Michelin star restaurant chefs. And they, and it's just and it just moves, it moves, plates move, they don't talk, they don't need to talk. They shout like me. Okay, service bang. But these guys that it's like watching ballet when you see these guys work, and I just want I just want to go and get involved. And I'm like, because I finished it I was there anything I can do. So now it's cool. And then And then obviously, I get the phone call, like do you want to come and come and DJ for that big festival. And so I've left DJ, because of barbecue and a weird sort of bumping into somebody. I've ended up DJing for barbecue for DJ barbecue, but, and that's been a really cool journey. So I do want to thank them this year, because actually, when I left, left London, there was a massive hole in my thing where I was used to going out and just getting the party going and stuff like that. So that's another sort of journey that has kind of like evolved as a result of barbecue. And like say it's like a family and, and the cool thing is there is that they are they are like a really nice team humble guys. He's probably one of the busiest guys in barbecue, but the way that to watch somebody actually come and like when people come and talk, he always got the time. And it's people like this that are teaching, all showing that barbecue is possible. And like people, they buy a book, then they go and try a recipe like we did in the early days. I mean Jamie Oliver's 20 minute cooks came out and somebody gave it to me as I can do all of this anyway. But nice one that you end up doing them anyway, it's the same with this barbecue that it just takes you up a level. So and the likes the likes of Genevieve, the likes of Marcus, I want to thank those guys, obviously, for pushing the agenda for getting on TV for making people believe that they can, they can go out and do this thing in their garden, and not even charged with like spice punches coming down this weekend. Absolutely awesome. Actually, it might not be this weekend when this goes out. I'm saying is you've got to thank these people that are hosting events that are opening barbecue schools. And then all of us guys that do the Instagram thing and the people that are sharing their cooks, because I get inspired every time I go through Instagram. I just wish I had more time to like copy or follow other people's cooks. But yeah, I just want to thank everybody basically, that's a small part of my journey this year, which I would have never believed that happened would happen, but it's happening. But it is a big thing. And it's like you know, before I go, I just want to bless the whole the whole barbecue family. I want to thank everybody for being involved all the way up. And just like you know, keep keep looking after each other keep cooking. Keep inspiring, you know, and you know, let's have this conversation. It'll be just as amazing to have in another two years time because I believe that this is not just the face. This is a this is this. This is a lifestyle. It's longevity. It's a community. It's a family. It's, it's got everything and yeah, black bless everybody. Thank you so much for your support system first. And my own personal pick nose barbecue page. Yeah, keep listening to this podcast because you guys honestly give up your time to listen to people like me right along.

Owen - Host: 1:08:11

We wouldn't do it if we didn't love it, though. So yeah. Before,

Unknown: 1:08:15

before I drink any more scotch and go on anymore. I want to I want to thank everybody for for giving me the time to share to share everything. My journey, my platform, and long may long may continue for all of us.

Dan - Host: 1:08:29

Yeah, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. I'm sure we will speak to you again on here. But you're you're 100% Right. And you can only look like two three years ago or what UK barbecue is compared to what UK barbecue is now. Yeah. And it's because of all those inspiring people that whether you turn on the TV, whether you're on Netflix, whether you're on Instagram, and you see the progression, and long may it continue and yeah, thank you as well for everything you do for the community because it's a lot.

Unknown: 1:08:55

Yeah, Cheers, guys. Now that's cool. And as I say it's a very it's very humbling to hear that man and be a big respect guys. Thank you so much. God bless you all really appreciate really appreciate your time.

Owen - Host: 1:09:07

Thanks for coming on Chris. And yeah, well let's let's try and catch up again soon in person. Yeah,

Unknown: 1:09:12

we'll see you soon. We'll see you soon. Cheers.

Owen - Host: 1:09:16

That's it for another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. It was great to catch up with Chris aka big nose BBQ. Obviously, plans for sizzle fest 2023. There's lots of things that Chris is looking to do. And we can't wait to hear and see more of that over the coming months. As ever, we'd love to hear from you. So please get in contact. Tell us what you want to talk about. Go and visit our website where we've got the meat & Greet BBQ podcast shop where there's products things where we're working on an affiliate basis with the brands like thermal pen to where you're cooking to temperature and not time. You've got some merch from the podcast, and other bits and pieces. We hope to go on there soon. Until next time Upon grilling Today's episode is brought to you by aos kitchens, the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists