Christmas Catch Up - Special Episode

Welcome back to a special episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Sorry, we've been off offline for a little while. But that's my fault. I've been moving house. And in case you're wondering what the humming is in the background, we have the trigger on cooking some lovely sirloin steak sandwiches. But what we wanted to do is bring you a kind of Christmas special episode of the podcast where me and Dan are together for the first time in what seems like six months. And we're just gonna chat. Talk about basically what's happened this year. It's been an amazing year for us. So yeah, let's let's just talk about it, Dan. First and foremost, can you believe that it's been like nine months since we launched a podcast,

it's been insane, really loved every second of it, but I didn't realise how much it would take over our lives. So we both love barbecue anyway. But at least for six months, it was cooking, recording, learning from the recording, editing, going back applying that to cook so on and so forth. And it's inspired us to do so much more Bob key wise as well, I know it's inspired your wallet to lay out more and more barbecues, too, which is good.

My wife, my wife's not too pleased about that. How much extra cost is this is this is not actually recording the podcast. But everyone keeps telling us about, you know, their fantastic barbecues, and I just want to keep buying them, which is terrible. But I think a good thing to say is, we've met and spoke to some fantastic people this year, you know, all of our guests have been. So yeah, just so much fun, and actually a good source of inspiration for us to learn ourselves. But also, you know, we, we've got some fans, and the listeners, you know, we really appreciate you guys tuning in and of contact that you guys give us some suggestions. And obviously we you know, we feel privileged that we got to meet some of you guys can either smoke and fire Festival this year, and the and the sizzle fest. And we're really excited. We're in the process of planning for our next season, which should drop in spring 2022. And we can't wait to hear what you guys think. So yeah, thanks so much.

It was quite a strange experience for us. I want to touched upon it. But walking around these shows, and people coming up to us and not only recognising us, but knowing our names knowing who we are talking to us. Very strange feeling we originally set out to do this because we were bored of annoying our wives talking about barbecue. But people actually listened, which has been fantastic. And we've inspired one person out there to try something different, give it a go come out of their shell, and cook. That's all we could have wanted to do. But thank you so much for everyone who's been involved. And some of the guests we've had have just blown us away with the knowledge that they've been able to give us. What's some of the favourite and most inspiring tips that you've been given?

Oh, well, I mean, there's there's quite a few isn't that I think first what seemed to really pick up traction was Kirstie from love to cook for people and her potatoes. How to cook the perfect roast potatoes. That's that seems to get a lot a lot of love. And I know you've tried that sense and a few you know a few people contact us which was great. I think I pretty much took something from from every episode in some way, shape, or form. And yeah, it's just been just been really fun. But the the last three months or four months since we last recorded is we've kind of had itchy feet. I'm going to try and get back back to doing this. But I finally moved house now so we're actually set out in my garden as we're recording this as I said, cooking some cooking some steak on a Trager I picked up at sizzle fest. Thanks, Kirsty for pushing it pushing me into it after a couple of days. But it's Yeah. And that's, that's just been amazing to get back on today and talk about this. And the festivals have been really good, right? Yeah,

it's been amazing to be able to talk to people who are as passionate about barbecue as we are but in groups of people rather than just one on one on a microphone in front on Zoom, talking to people and just seeing people's faces light up and get so much more of a feel from watching people cooking person as well. I mean, just the smells and the sights and little things the way that people actually treat the coal and move it around that you can see in person that you you cannot pick up either just to talking through theory. And some of it you might be able to catching glimpses on YouTube, but you can't ask them there and then what they're doing, why they're doing how they're doing it.

Some some of my favourite things this year was seeing your gun calorie demons and the savage barbecue team cooking at smoke and fire festival on them that huge fire cage and some of the food that they were producing, you know, low and slow lamb they were doing you know they hung pineapples and beet roots and they were really you know, slow roasting them, you know over the open fire and that was some seriously tasty cooks. You know, sizzle fest, you know, will in the Big Green Egg team you know cooking some lovely steaks and pork and I'm probably one of the highlights is the Duke not only winning the chilli competition and maybe not within what a what a legend is, but actually serenading us. Yeah. Oh, brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. So yeah.

And it's for me as well. Someone we haven't spoken to yet on the podcast, you've been able to see Marcus in person marks Bowden cooking. And it's simple techniques that anyone could do. If you're not afraid to if you think about it, things like when he takes the stakeout, putting the flavour of butter on top of then taking a call from the actual barbecue and placing it on top. So you get that extra kind of the milk flavour that the seer. Little things like that have just been amazing. I loved watching all of the demonstrations that we got a chance to look at thinking about smoke and fire. We also saw Matthew Hoggard do a few bits of cocaine. Oh, he doesn't remember that because he was too busy looking at some of the utopia stuff. But it's just been fantastic. And to see how happy everyone has been as well as a real festival feel, wasn't it, which was great. And speaking to people like we spoke to Dan urban eatery, we spoke to crunch Carnival in quite a lot of depth. I mean, we spent pretty much all of the sizzle fest with Kirstie to be fair, and probably bored the hell out of it. But it's just been great. And thank you to everyone who's spoken to us as well.

Yeah, definitely. And actually, James and cork putting on the sizzle first longer, SoCal barbecue that was, well, we've got our tickets already for next year. And our God, we can't wait hats off to such such a good day,

such a good day, and how no one got hurt throwing those axes with the amount of alcohol involved, I do not know. But if you know, you want to get a group of guys together can throw a party, they should be top of your list, the next year is going to be phenomenal. I'm already counting down the days, the fact that I've already booked a hotel and everything shows how much it meant to us. And I'd recommend anyone who's thinking about it, look into it and try it because you want to experience another show like it.

So what do you recommend for you, Dan is the is your next step? What are you looking forward to as we kind of finish off 2021 and go into 2022.

So I think everyone will probably feel the same way the last three or four months from kind of September onwards, it's got a bit colder and people being able to see each other more. So probably not quite been barbecuing as much as they had been before. I'm probably down to maybe once maybe twice a week, whereas before I could be four or five times a week out there cooking, and I don't want to lose that spark, I can definitely feel it coming back in there up to Christmas. But I also don't want to fall into the same routine of cooking the same things. I've been loving using the monolith more. I've got beef short ribs down absolutely amazing which I need to trio into. We also haven't had the chance really to cook properly for each other. Which I'm looking forward to these steaks now that orange is doing on the trigger. But I wanted to do baking on the quarter I've done a lot of pizzas which I feel I've got more comfortable with and comfort on and there's definitely more technique to using it because you need to get the temperatures really high which you can do, but as soon as you put the heat deflector in before putting the pizza stone on it changes the game and understanding the relationship with the heat to get the most out of it. But I mean there's no reason why I shouldn't be cooking loaves of bread on there and experimenting then with different charcoals and woods and flavours and things like that. And I want to do more baking on there as well. I think smoking some cookies on there should be a basic thing or at least trying to do that it's experimenting or that's what I took from yoga the most is give something a go if it doesn't work at least you know for next time but but try it and I need to be doing more with a cheese as well. Frankly I don't know why I haven't been playing with pineapples after what we experienced smoke and fire with what they did on the fire cage. What are you hoping to do more?

Yeah, pretty much the same? I think you I think you'd I've got to a point where I you know I'm cooking busting but of cooking briskets you know you cook he cooking your chickens etc. He kind of doing the same thing and in and out. So I want to experiment With I mean, I don't personally lamb, but I'm going to be cooking lamb quite soon. And given that a go, you know, fish is not something I like or don't know, my family do. So I want to kind of, you know, get into cooking more fish on the barbecue. But actually kind of taking the experiment, you know, in other ways as well. So, again, I've traditionally which I'm sure I've spoken about before, you know, I use Weber briquettes. And that was my main my main fuel. So I want to try and test out different fuels, different woods, different flavours of woods more so than I have, again, I tend to stick to like Apple and oak. So yeah, that you know, that's the plan, get, get more involved with lumpwood. I've just picked up the big K binter Chan, Japanese style charcoal, which I'm really looking forward to try and see Yeah, and where I've not where I've been able to barbecue for the best part of three months, I've just got off. What you know, whilst moving house, I've just got fall in love of it again. And now I'm kind of settled where I am, I'm really looking forward to actually just getting the getting the barbecues cracked out. And of course, 2022, I want to get a Shaq bill. I've been saying it for a year. Hopefully 2022 is the time I can actually get a shark bill.

I think as well, there's a lot to be said about the kind of mindfulness of being outside and cooking outside and enjoying that. And it's been an extremely stressful two years for everyone. But let's not pretend that it's just a very new talk, everyone has been through a hard time. And if you're having a bad day, just try and get outside by yourself, even if you do a cook for half hour, 40 minutes or something. And you will be surprised at how better you feel for just getting that time outside by yourself being nominated or playing with fire. Or if you're with a trainer playing with kind of the flavours and the feel of it. And just your own mental space is phenomenal. That's another reason why it's so pleasing to see so many people responding to what we've been doing.

As you're just to jump in, going back to an earlier point we were saying about, you know, some of the things that we will enjoy from this year, I really enjoyed meeting Craig, barbecue wise, he was our competition winner that Boss Hog barbecue had picked his surf and turf to win tickets to the smoke and fire festival. So that cooking challenge he won. And it was absolutely great to meet him and his family. And again, he was you know, talking very complimentary about the podcast, which was fantastic. But it was good to have a beer with him, it was good to chat to him about barbecue. And you know, the Kate, you know, the kind of firepits that he uses and the grills that he's got. So yeah, that was another thing that I've just remembered. It was a it was really good to me.

Yeah, and also very nice when lots of people buy you drinks and things as well, which is really enjoyable. And hopefully, depending on what happens in the future people be able to go out and celebrate more and make barbecue, the focal point of those celebrations, whether it be with family, whether it be with friends, and play with things.

So don't you think you've obviously well documented through the loss, you know, through through season two, when we kind of started making a bit of a joke about it that you you were buying a monolith. Do you think next year you're going to you're going to take the plunge and look at buying something else as as an addition to your to your family.

At the moment. I don't feel like I need anything else. Since I've bought the monolith and been using it. I haven't actually touched my kettle at all. I just feel like it's so versatile. I'm not saying there will never be a time that I wouldn't want something else.

I don't need all of those that I have. It's about wanting.

Yeah, but I think the difference is I want to master what I'm doing, rather than being like 24 Barbecue.

So Jack of all trades, master of none. Is that Is that what you're trying to say?

I'm not saying that. I'm suggesting suggesting it. But in all seriousness, I've always wanted a tomato. For me that has always been the pinnacle. And frankly, the space that I've got to play with isn't that big at the moment maybe that will change if it does hopefully won't mean that we stopped recording again for like three or

four months in my bed.

But this just so much more that I can do and play with on that and I'm hoping to pick up more accessories for it in the next 12 months is what I'm looking at, rather than necessarily thinking of I need to get more different barbecues. But I am still very much interested in some of the gravity fed stuff. To be frank. Ever since we spoke to Ross episode one. I don't know if it was the magic of it being off this episode, but I keep going back to looking at those machines and other kind of vertical fed machines, pellet grills and things and I think long term at some point I might pick one up, but I'm absolutely loving playing with the monolith at the moment and different words. Also different charcoals recently I've been playing with Napoleon's maple charcoal, which has been great just to see what different sort of flavour and burn you get I'm finding burns a lot faster, quicker than some of the lumpwood that I've used but the flavour that actually gives a surprise me considering that it's the actual charcoal, not wood that I'm smoking with. I didn't also flavours and things you've been experimenting with or hope to.

I haven't asked the thing. The last, as I said the last three months surgery, nothing but next year for sure. I think to be fair next year, we were planning to have a really exciting year, aren't we a we're going to you know, be recording lots more. You know, as I said, we're in putting, you know, plans for season three at the moment, we've got some fantastic guests lined up. We want to hear more from from from you guys that you know everyone that listens. We want to interact more, you know, answer questions, get advice, I think we'll probably you know, we're gonna look to do more videos as well on our YouTube channel, actually cooking as well as the, you know, releasing the episodes of the podcast. But I think probably through Instagram, we could, you know, we could probably be a bit more visible through you know, reels, and perhaps Instagram lives. So yeah, 20 I think 2022 is going to be a really exciting year. And, you know, again, I think there's going to be lots more events and festivals and things that we can go to. So yeah, all in all, I'm really looking forward to it.

And also maybe more recordings like this, to be fair, where it's the two of us musing, talking, maybe even commenting on some things that we've seen or read or just having a general conversation, because one of the things that surprised us talking to you is we found out you guys actually really liked these types of episodes as well. And maybe we should be doing more about that. But the more people we can speak to and learn from the better, I think

yeah, definitely, I think one of the, you know, one of the main bits of feedback that we got is, you know, when we were when we had the the cut, you know, the sessions with with a butcher, and talking a little bit more about the meat and you know the do's and don'ts and what to look out for. So you'll be pleased to know that we're we're we're going to be we've got we've got a special episode as part of our next series that's going to be with the village Butcher. And what we want to hit to do is actually to hear from you guys, and the village witches team, we're going to actually do a q&a. So you guys send us in some questions. We'll be posting this through our socials as well a little bit close to the time in January to get your questions but if you send in any questions that you want to know, and you know, the village butcher team can answer about you know, cuts of meat or what to look out for what not to look out for, you know, what type of beef does this you know, that does this suit for etc. You know, the guys will be happy to, you know, to answer your questions and give lots and lots of really good advice. I think, you know, let's be honest, there's some key erlaubt key areas around barbecue is in there. First and foremost, you've got to have the right charcoal, you know, you've also then got to have the right type of meat for what you want to do. So I think it's important for us to then give some advice through our episodes. So that's the plan for season three is actually we're going to talk to some experts in different areas across the barbecue spectrum. But yeah, just just as a reminder, get in touch with us through our Instagram Twitter, Facebook and meat & Greet BBQ podcast, email us meat & Greet BBQ podcast@gmail.com. Any questions that you want the village butchers team to answer for our series three, we'll be launching in spring get in touch now we'll get those questions set up. And we'll ask that we'll ask the team when we when we record.

Not only that if Oh is particularly nice to me, I might also edit those bits and pieces in throughout the next series just as we did with the cut, and then also one off special which is just them talking about it. I'm also hoping again if people are nice to me to put together almost like a best orbs from the first or second series. Now that being the barbecue bingos as an episode of Series One or series two, the barbecue fails as well take me a bit of time, but I'm hoping to be able to give you guys that soon. So you have more content coming out from us because we are all conscious of the fact that we've not been active in the last three months because we haven't been able to. It's also nice to see oh in doing a live cook while recording as well. Because the seller is going out smell absolutely gorgeous. Also on another point of getting in contact with us. Almost every single person that we've interviewed which has made Bobo and I laugh have said that they're surprised that we've asked them, they don't feel important enough, they don't feel relevant enough. And they're very flattered by us reaching out and saying, Look be on the podcast. So if you are interested in talking to us and being on the show and you have something you feel like you want to talk about or even just ask us questions, flip it back on us for a whole episode, we would love to speak to you, again, reach out to us, through our email, through our Instagram or even to either of our own personal Instagrams, you can get in contact with us. And we'd love to schedule something in the more recordings we can do in this upcoming year, the better even if it is more work for me to edit them together. But hey, hello, he doesn't mind that.

Yeah, so it's just, you know, quite a short episode for us today. But we just wanted to, you know, take the time to appreciate, you know, everyone that's been involved in the podcast this year, listen to us, follow us engaged with us. And we're really excited to see you all next year and you'll hear from us again in the spring when we launch the next season. And until that time, keep on grilling.

And I'm just going to go and come for own while he starts to cry and getting all emotional about this but it's been great putting these together and we've got much more coming out for you. We haven't forgotten you have a great one guys. You've been listening to a special episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. We have Season Three coming up hopefully in spring 22 And we'll be recording shortly. But do stay in contact with us you can find us on Instagram meat & Greet BBQ podcast. You can google us find our website and get in contact with us you can email us as well. Meat & Greet BBQ podcast G Gmail you'll find it on the website. Also. If you want to reach out to us individually you can also get us both on Instagram as well whether it be well sure on barbecues for myself, or back on monkey for Oh in and guys keep on growing