Cookin With The Duke

Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ Podcast. I'm by myself today as Erwin has done a me and gone on holiday, but it's okay because we have a great episode lined up for you. I am speaking to tea from cooking with the Juke on Instagram and off YouTube. Now this man has one of the best personalities in barbecue that you'll find on Instagram. He is a hilarious but he also knows his way around a kettle and does some fantastic cooks. So without much further ado, his tea. And this week I am speaking to T so T for anyone who doesn't know of you, please introduce yourself and what you do on Instagram.

Well, first of all, Dan, I just want to say I am very happy to be here. I'm humbled and excited to be on your show, which I'm a huge fan of. You know, some people call me t bone some people call me to do you can find me on Instagram. That's what us right? Yeah. Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm all over Instagram and the YouTube channel. Yeah, yeah. And I'd be

very much fantastic. And I'm sorry, it's just me tonight. But you know, earlier in the season, Irwin had a go at me for going on holiday. And lo and behold, he's decided to do it himself. But it's alright, we'll still have a great time. Of course,

we you guys are working on their barbecue. You got to keep it. Affordable barbecue, you really go anyway. So

before we get into too much, I saw that you made your way across to wing fest, which I wasn't able to go to myself. How was it?

Oh, man, it was it was a long time coming. The because of you know, everything that's been going on recently was wasn't able to go ahead last year like everything but yeah, we finally made it. We went down. So fantastic. Loved it was great excuse to see some old friends as well. The wings were awesome. Didn't have nearly as much as I would like to have. But yeah, it was great. We won't speak about the weather. But I know we had an absolute blast. And I'm already like, can't wait for next year. Yeah, this

this the thing with British weather, you can guarantee that if people have been looking forward to something for over 12 months, it will thunder and rain and pour. But we get on with it. And it's great to hear that people all had a good time.

And that's the thing. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we got there and yeah, the it rained a little bit and we're like and then arrange like haha. And then we just like everybody was like, Okay, this ain't going anywhere. This is like biblical. Randy just came down. Yeah, everybody was very brave. And there were some great little icon for bands and everything going on. And yeah, this you know, nothing could crush that, you know, British barbecue spirit was amazing, was incredible. He loved it. And then he had, you know, the all the win eating competitions and all that. Yeah, it was it was it was great. I mean, it felt after, you know, like, however long it is, since everybody's been out to actually get out there. See some people? I mean, I bumped into some absolute legends of British barbecue. So artists. Yeah, testing me him. I mean, the consummate professional, I still have no idea what he looks like. Voted David. I mean, I know that I can respect with artists. And how's it bumped into the king of British barbecue Jay from open flow? So Oh, yeah, I am standing in the pouring rain and I just see this face coming towards me. And I'm like, No, this guy. So fantastic to meet those guys. So getting meet Mr. Rings WinFast. himself, Richard, who was fantastic. He, he's one man. I mean, he's the key. He is when first guy so I promised him that I was gonna get him a beer next year instead. So, you know,

I was so jealous because Oh, and and I've been saying as you know, from listening, that we've just been looking forward to being able to get out and and see people. And yeah, great to hear that. You've seen all these people actually in the flesh? It's it's been sort of like Yeah, exactly. It's been what, 1516 months and no one's able to get together. But dying is starting to ramp up a bit now, which is fantastic.

Yeah, very cool. Very cool. I mean, like, yeah, it's like meeting. It's like a meeting like a brother and a famous person at the same time. It's kind of like, you know, yes, it's the coolest Irv I picked me some of these guys over meeting you know, like, yeah, I don't know. Who's the best actor ever in the world Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise. If you know me, you know, I'm a massive Tom Cruise fan and nobody really Tom Cruise right. Anyway, so

he's doing something right. He spins what like 200 films or something. Right to be on that much barbecue film. He, like a lot of the stuff that we cooking is probably bigger than him. That's part of the problem.

Smokers in new like, like my daughter's when they're at the fire. Anyway, that's not bad. Anyway. But likewise, I mean, it's fantastic to actually be speaking to, I have to listen to the podcast so many times. See, see you as well, you know, to? Yes, awesome. Awesome. Very cool. Very cool. Well,

let's go back and kind of find out how you got into barbecuing and what it is that you love about barbecuing? Can you go through that with us?

Sure. I mean, I've been, you know, it's been around me my whole life. Yeah, I love it. But my earliest memory is standing next looking after my dad. And him standing there. My Earth. Yeah, I know, you asked this question. A lot of people on the podcast, so I'm gonna just go ahead and answer it. I am, yeah, my earliest memory of barbecue is standing, watching my dad next to that grill with the tongues in his hands. And seeing a nice tropical sort of weather day turning into like a tropical storm. Pretty close to what we had on Sunday rain, but but but the whole time. He stood there with those talents. He didn't move. And he carried on barbecuing. And you know, I can't I didn't think he was much older than my daughters. My oldest now. So probably about five or six. And yeah, they always have that memory. Just thinking, wow, this guy's badass. You know, he's standing there out there, this tropical storm and you know, he's gonna finish cooking his food for us. And yeah, that's cool. And, yeah, I mean, so you know, when you you're when you even dude, you know, you learn how to, you know, step up and sort of make that fire as well. And, yeah, my dad actually now doesn't make fires anymore. He's more like where he came from now. He can't be bothered to stand around and make a fire. And he, he just wants to light the gas. And just, yeah, I mean, like a chimney. Team, he started to have this high tech stuff. He's like, why do you want to stand there, you know, messing around with the five, you know, calls or whatever it is 20 minutes, but I could just flick a switch. My steak is done before you even had the code ready. So yeah, he said, No, I can't be bothered to sit there and, you know, fire or something like that, because I'm hungry. Only now.

I think like sometimes barbecuing a bit like life in general, you start off somewhere, you progress, you hit a climax, then slowly you come back down and you tend to return to where you originally started. You can also grow Exactly, exactly that. And as you said, I started more gas myself on my own barbecue. But recently getting a tomato and cooking on that has been an absolute joy for me. And it's just, it's opened up so many doors, but I can completely understand where your father's coming from. If you feel that you're hungry now or you've only got a short amount of time. Why not use the gas barbecue? It's getting you outside? Right? That's the most important thing.

Here. We're related. We're always hungry. But if he's hungry, I know him agree he is getting that steak gun. Well, you know, medium rare, is? Yeah, I can, I can appreciate it. But what I didn't mean to say was congratulations on finally getting your money.

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Oh, instead to me. I don't know if you could still talk about that now because you've gone on about it so long. But it was it was a bit. It was a bit of a journey in the end. But I absolutely love it. And I mean, you hear people talk about cooking on different commodities but I can't believe how well it holds the temperature, how long it holds the temperature for and the results you get compared to what I'd been using before because you've got a third area of cooking. Not only do you have like the convection of the heat moving past you've got the direct heat from the cold. But then you also have like the DOMA the ceramic or the way it absorbs the heat and fires it back at and that just need you to do so much more. Yeah, I am still learning with it. And because of everything I've heard from people giving me tips advice, starting with small amounts of fuel and slowly building it Because apparently it's very, very easy to go full ham on it the first time and just so hard to take a week. Yeah, I've done the opposite, complete opposite. But what's your setup at the moment? What what you cook?

No. I mean, you know, what I would say is, I hope to one day. I'm very simple. I'm a very simple, I have simple needs. I'm a simple man. I don't have anything too fancy. I'm very happy with my where we can just do Rusty is going on probably about nearly 10 years now. And and then you may have noticed, I've just recently built my sort of outdoor area. Yeah. My shack. Yeah. So that has been, you know, boring with how long? How long that journey is. But it's been a long, long, long journey. And, boy, am I happy to have seen that through. So what my shack is, I mean, you know, it's not as to Shake Shack into the traditional sense that it's sort of a wooden sort of box, you know, we, I mean, this, I've seen some beautiful ones. Mine is basically like your pergola construction, which has a service shack with a galvanised sheet and roof on an angle. So the rain hits it and will run off of it, and get away from where it needs to be. And then I've got a brick sort of barbecue station built beneath it, which is in three sections. So you got two sort of tables, sides, surface areas, and then storage beneath it. And in the middle, you got this big sort of chimney, like a fireplace, almost kind of thing, which kind of basically just a blank canvas, you can, you know, take it back to basics, basically. And it's a, you know, it's a glorified fireplace as

well. You've made like, sort of like a fire cage there. So a lot of open fire cooking plans from that. Yeah.

I mean, this is how simple I keep it. I only find in some of the bricks that are leftover that from construction, I just use them to put a big grade across. So if I want, you know, to be further away from the flames and put more bricks, I'm going to be even further for more breaks are going to be when he dies down to just remove the bricks. It's that yeah, I don't think he get any sort of more simple than that. So yeah, I mean, I've had a lot of fun with it already. And one of your previous guests in front of your show. Juergen from currently game is I mean, he's the fire master. And he he's been giving

me to genius. Yeah, I mean, to him.

How amazing. Yeah, so that's somebody I can't wait to meet eventually. And he he's giving me less. He's been giving me some great, great tips. You know, like, yeah, yes. Yeah, I mean, if you got if you can, if you commit message somebody like him, and he gets back to you like, Wow, that's awesome. I mean, basically, he tells the story behind it. He, he, he recommended this this week from now in the media. The camera with stuff. So I was like, Yeah, I'll get a couple bags of that. And I was like I said to my wife, okay, don't worry, I get I'm just gonna light the fire. We do some I can't remember even what we're doing now. Because it was just a couple of weeks back now. But I said don't worry during the kit and get the kids ready. And we sort of let this fire just the way he did it. So it turns out that it's it's so dense this word that you really have to you have to sort of get let you have to. Yeah, so you have to really, you know, cuz I said, I did get a fight but it took you know, twice, maybe even nearly three, three times as long to actually get that fire gun. We've learned so, so he gave me some cool tips there. So yeah, so I'm having a lot of fun where I you know, trying all these different words that Dackel Voltic stuff as well. Okay, I know you're a big fan of as well, but I'm burning it more for you know, fire then. Flame smoking. Yeah, so I I must admit I don't smoke as much. I mean, I do a full port now and then but if anybody that follows me on Instagram that you might you most likely know that I'm pretty much the only barbecue meat eater in my house. My wife is begging so many challenges. Anybody that's been on your show yet? That's

not yes. Yeah, yes. I've got a few friends who are vegan. Yeah, kind of said to me, you know, Oh, yeah. Oh, come on. Oh, come on. That's as long as we're talking barbecue, stumbling block because for some reason, there doesn't seem to be that many vegans barbecuing. I don't know why. But

I tell you what, I'm pretty getting pretty good at Doing eggplant is pretty, pretty good on the on the on the barbecue for sure. I mean it. Yeah, it really does force you to sort of mess around with this kind of if you're going to be, you know, like making you know, like, like, yeah, yeah, well like yeah, marinated stuff like that. You reaching for that sort of umami like me. So it goes with that as well. So, yeah, so it definitely did you know, like it has forced me to think outside the box, but also it has forced me to, well, okay, if my if my wife says we say the word force, then she's gonna say that sounds bad, but she's like, cuz she's totally cool. That's her. That's her decision and my decision to eat meat. We're totally cool. And she's also not a preachy vegan. I'm nothing against vegans. But I mean, you know, somebody said, oh, you know, you get worried and if you, you know that that's the same, you know, you have a vegan around for dinner, or you know, don't worry, vegan law always let you know that they're vegan. Yeah, so some of my best friends are vegan.

And you know about it.

Thank God, my wife is, you know, she puts up with me. And, no, it's cool. There's mutual love and respect. So, so no, it does open up a lot. So anyway, so we're saying it doesn't force me but it makes me feel that they're, you know, there's a challenge the reason to because if I'm out there barbecuing like now this, especially this time of year, you know, you know, the minute the weather is nice, it's like, well, me, well, you know what I mean? Well, you guys, I guess we eat a barbecue. See, there is no barbecue season. That's why I'm even like, happy now. I'm not out there with the umbrella and everything. But when weather's even nicer, it's without you don't even you know, we're we're quiet. We're pretty upset. We've all we've been together for years. Wars, you know, I say, what's for dinner? When we haven't been doing it, you know that that's the you know, we have breakfast. So

it's so important. It's so important.

So if I'm going to be out there doing all the BBQ all the time, I don't know what she's not going to be. She gave me missing out. So it does, you know, it does, you know? Challenging, you know, like, Okay, well, you don't want to exclude the vegan you know, so you got to be grilling lots of vegetables and pet you know, peppers. And there's nice long big pepper, red pepper grill, and cloudy said and all starts in. And tough foods. Well, my. Yeah. Well, we'll get to that later.

Well, you've talked about a lot of different kinds of ways of cooking and what you'd like to cook, particularly with the family dynamic, and the fact that you might need to do kind of vegan stuff as well. What is your go to cook? When you're cooking? I've seen a lot of chicken which on your feed, but do you think is that your go to? Or do you like to do something else?

Yeah, I'd say go to a it's, it's just, you know, like, like, we're speaking about you know, what's my history barbecue is just always just, there's always been a, you know, be about birdie going on? Oh, he's you know, since, you know, since I could turn my nose up, and it's been going on, you know, because, you know, when you're young, like my daughters, are they, you know, they kind of getting, you know, my, my eldest is four and the other the youngest is two and, and their youngest is actually a bit more like, she's, you know, what's under the hood, I'm sure like, as a chicken, you know, they're like, whoa, that's awesome for put it on the plate, and they're like, no nuggets, you know? Every night, you know, by bringing them around. Definitely, since we're out there, like I said, we get the little stool out now. I've got them each one of them long ladders, you know, they've each got one in the same colour. They don't fight about it. And they stand and it was given me to fire. It's one of those. I've started since moving out here to West Country. Families firelight it's like eco friendly or whatever the ones that you buy, you know, used to get in London. Yeah, you smell it and it's like you know, the,

the white blocks of chemicals.

They don't like to waste it's a little bit of a challenge to to get them you know, so So anyway, so they like these and then I throw them in the fire and then the fight goes on and then straight away. They just want to burn marshmallows so so my wife says go anyway, so good. You know, learning to respect the fight is saying for the price. It's a cool thing like so the next step is to get them to actually eat the food that comes off of it. Yeah, my wife's a bit like you're giving them dessert before you do that. So, so, yeah then but they love Marsha. I mean they could eat a whole pack of marshmallows. There you know by now I limit them to just one now because they're they're very they're very very sassy. Very smart. These kids. I tell you how small my kid but my my eldest she knows she she knows when she does something wrong. She says Daddy I love you. Yes, that's why my second your dad as well. Yeah, this is my my two year old and she says to me, she's in trouble. She says, Daddy, I love barbecue sauce. He knows he knows that I'm gonna get she's gonna get barbecue sauce. Even if it means just literally pouring half of a ball of balls out because you know look away just poured nothing else? Different nuggets in there or anything in that so anyway, yeah, yeah, good times.

It's all about getting the family involved, isn't it and you know that Oh, and and I are very passionate about trying to get children involved. It's a great way for them to understand food, respect, food, respect, the fire. Definitely. And lighting the barbecue is just a great way of doing that.

Sure. Absolutely. And that's why I've got them you know those things? Because if they use one in a couple of times, I got that little like web related to nigga. Like a little flame sort of thing. Yeah. Given the long nozzle because are you having a beer? Oh,

to say Do you mind if I have a beer? No, please please crack crack wide open.

I've got a little what you call a little esky here next to me There we go. Well, you got let me just let me just do the shares

any any old listeners might know I've got two drinks on tonight. All right. So excuse me for a second cool frog my throat so I've got my alcoholic coffee. Which I've not talked about. Hazelnut the cure in there tonight? Cheese. Great way of relaxing when the little one would not go to sleep. And then beer wise, I'm drinking a club Tropicana from A to club tropic I should say now from tiny rebel. Absolutely love that beer. Absolutely love. Yeah.

Yeah, I you know, it's I'm almost ashamed to admit this. I haven't had that. I see it all over online. And you know, even the barbecue community. But yeah, I've yet to. I've yet to try it. I mean, I guess they don't sell it in stores. So

you can sometimes now find it in a Tescos road. So yeah, if you go in the craft section, they'll they've started to get having tiny rebel areas where they've got a few different drinks. So they'll have clip Tropica they do encore carry pail. Sometimes you get Pump up the jam, which is like, yeah, that's the one thing I would say. I love this drink. And also pineapple express a hell on the weekend, which is great as well. But there's quite a few beers they do which feel gimmicky in a fun way. But I don't know if I could have lots of them.

No, that's the whole thing. I mean, yeah, whatever. Yeah. Anyway, cheers. Cheers. Cheers, Dan. Nice

to finally meet. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's lovely. So okay,

so you're gonna have to excuse me, I do go off on this. I

know. I like my wife.

I mean, sitting here talking to you and having a beer that's about my multitasking. Multitasking me pushed to the limit. So anyway, so you asked me what's my what is my golden so that just about ties in? This better just cracked his frontier lager?

Yeah, it was on the story earlier I saw on Instagram. Yeah,

yeah. So okay, so to tell what goes in, basically, I'll tell you, I'll I'll try to keep this short. But this by this time last year, there was the frontier we first competition, which was send us a photo of your beer can chicken be repartee, whatever you want to call it? So I was watching it. I saw I was like, Damn, you know, this is cool. This is you know, like, I can hear you know. I never heard anything and I am even lying. I've never worn anything. So anyway, so I thought about it a couple of days and then a couple Sundays later my wife came down in the kitchen and I was cutting out a beard box, like a cardboard box. He said, What are you doing? And I said, making a hat. He said, Yes, I can fit yours. So for me, she said, Well, we're gonna feed your daughter either. Bad as 30 Yes, I hit the big ticket. So yes, that is I would say my go to my go to this just by default. I mean, it's only down I would just always do. Like, my, my wife is we will always do a team. You know, we make a good team. And she she does we do on a Sunday. Mostly, she do the vegetables around when we're back in, especially when she used to actually wasn't, you know, the dark side, cheerleader, you know, I would do the chicken or sending in the barbecue party, the protein, the meat, or whatever you call it, and she do everything else. You know, like she just, she knows who her spots are roti spots are just, you know, yeah, everybody says the best I'm telling you. And she makes it amazing gravy. And her daddy is from from Leeds. So he's your friend, he makes the best use of Sprint's. So. And you know, I can I can't be right, you know, I can literally rise to that. So when we when the girls love them, and we give them besties. And I you know, I put the wind up. I say, you know Galgani calling to go gaga these are besties and he's saying? Yes, very upset. Because he knows he knows I'm just Yeah. Anyway, so well. Yeah. So yeah, by default, I'd say the easiest thing I could always do, almost like breathing is a very canned chicken. Good. I've been doing it since I was a little boy. As still years and years and years and years later. I do it. I do. I do. Yeah, that's what I do. Like even I couldn't go to wing Fest on. I mean, I went to I couldn't do on Sunday. I'll usually do on on Saturday. I went to him first on Sunday. So I came home. I was tired as hell. And I just were even thinking did one and then I thought you know what? This podcast with me three podcast. I know what I want to do. I want to send him a special batch of grandpa's chilli hustle. Did you get the I forgot to ask you did you turn up?

It's turned up for it turned up as I was picking up my daughter from nursery. So I'm picking it up first thing tomorrow. Don't worry because I'm going to do a whole story and cook with it. So okay, worry.

Oh, that's a shame. Okay, nevermind. Well, then. Yeah. Okay, so, okay, well, okay, let's be in touch. Yeah. Well, just what I wanted to just say is that that is like to be a canned chicken. That's also something that's in my family. That's just something that we do you know, it's a you know, so my dad's always, he's always done it. Just in his honours and nicknamed in Jack, you know, so like, when, you know, I just, you know, kisses the COVID and stuff like that. I can see him so you know, like, I'm telling them all these chilies that we're getting out here and stuff. So I'm like, he's like, Yeah, you put in what do you call it? Whatever. So yeah, no, it's an excellent way to keep your chilies fresh and you know. Yeah, hope you enjoy it. It's I'm

looking forward to it. I don't make enough stuff like that myself. So I grow in my garden. I grow a lot of tomatoes and things. I don't have a greenhouse I don't really have a space for it. I'm lucky I can get decent tomatoes whenever I've tried growing chilli plants I can't grow decent chilies because I can't get hot enough without the greenhouse but my brother in law grows some great chilies and he makes a lot of sources but I tend to nick the cheese I can have him I just stick them in the freezer and then cut them up when I'm when I need them and put them in then. But there's no reason why I shouldn't start trying to experiment and make sauces because it's just another great way of enjoying them. Yeah, you said something that you guys have always done.

Well yeah, I mean it's a great You mean you know I picture this You said you said you're sat down you like a little bit of spice. Yeah, I mean like this you know this hot sauce and everything like that. But you know if you like a little bit, you know like you grab a chilli then that you've grown for example. Then you put it on your plate and you slice it up. And then you mix in your food. This is like this cut out all that is you just have $1 batter that it's yeah, it's just just hot and ready to go and you know, straight to the plate. And this is it's awesome. I mean, so if you make you I mean I've only just recently discovered chimichurri. chimichurri. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, you know, like, I'm, I told you I'm always hungry. There's Batman inside. You know, like I said, Yeah, this is Batman inside we called Jimmy Jerry. So he sounds a lot like the chick. So, so yeah, I've only just recently discovered that and I tell you what if you make that, do you make that