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We spoke to the lovely David AKA Spice Punch who love BBQ, loves the science and theory behind BBQ and just a super nice chap! Here what David loves to cook, what he has in store for 2023. This episode was brought to you by A...
We spoke to the lovely David AKA Spice Punch who love BBQ, loves the science and theory behind BBQ and just a super nice chap! Here what David loves to cook, what he has in store for 2023.
This episode was brought to you by AOS Kitchen creators of bespoke outdoor kitchens perfect to pimp up your bbq area. Visit AOS Kitchens today!
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Owen - Host:
Today's episode is brought to you by aos kitchens, the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists
Dan - Host:
Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ Podcast. Today we're speaking to David from spice punch. He's a fantastic content creator. He does a lot of barbecue classes. You can see him all over Instagram, social media and everything. And without much further ado, here's David. So hello, David. Fantastic to have you on the show. Finally, after chatting to you at various events, but for anyone who doesn't know, to introduce yourself properly, because they don't know who we mean when we see Dave or David.
David -Spice Punch:
Yes, I'm David. From spice punch. Yeah, be barbecuing heavily for the last maybe five or six years now. Big big foodies before that. And then yeah, just discovered fire. And things kind of kicked off from there.
Owen - Host:
I love how you said fire so seductively it does have that effect. No, doesn't it?
Dan - Host:
Yeah. What's it just you by fire? What What brought you towards that flaming grill as it were?
David -Spice Punch:
I think just a hunch. Just a hunch for that flavor. I mean, we when we bought our first house to move into we came with like a really well beat the old classic, you know, it came with a old sort of cattle style barbecue, as well as a little crack at this. And I said I always always into food always into cooking, always into hosting. And basically add a little play with that barbecue and ended up getting some superb results on it. And then yeah, it's absolutely spiraled completely out of control ever since then.
Unknown:
But in a good way.
Dan - Host:
So, again, for people who don't know, talk us through what you currently do a spice punch, because I can't believe how busy you are. How would you even sleep?
David -Spice Punch:
Well, this year has been a year Yes. We've kind of said yes to every or pretty much every opportunity that that came up. So yeah, we've been really, really enjoying kind of the theory of barbecue the last few years, going out to sort of different restaurants and stuff. We lived in London for a bit and then moved a bit more rural in Cambridgeshire. And there's not kind of as much choice but I was still want the same flavor. And I still want the same kind of foods and I still want to try and hunt down, you know, all those sort of recipes and techniques. So things then kind of spiraled out of control. So we now make sausages. We make bacon we make pastrami, as well as your brisket, she pulled pork can do some fun little butchery type stuff. Yeah, all kinds of all kinds of really, really interested in the theory. And then this year, specifically, we've done an awful lot of trying to feed other people. So we've done quite a lot of barbecue schools. So we've been working with barbecue company. We've got a class next week at SoCal. The Shack and K guys we've been doing an awful lot of classes with them and mark on it's so much fun, just you know, just going from Your backyard friends and family and colleagues and now that we have a good party at home, but turning that into kind of teaching people and getting that one to one feedback has been it's just been brilliant. We're trying to give people that confidence to try new things or just if I just thought about it, you're not quite sure how to use it to try and give them a lot of different sort of skills and techniques that they can apply. It's been it's been bonkers this year.
Owen - Host:
For you what would you know if I was that person that you saw it you know you were doing a demo or a masterclass if I if I'm that beginner barbecue, you know what what would be the core piece of advice that you would give to someone
David -Spice Punch:
so I think I think it's some of the some of the classics so you know put your temperature not to time that's all you need to worry about you know cooking is just temperature and time. Obviously it's slightly different tweaks and versions of it but you know concerns are not to time and that will basically see your through in most scenarios. On the classes we do a bit of smoking we do better Grilling with the sauces with inside the bed we kind of you know kind of we do all the classics like your you know with the barbecue ribs with the chicken wings with the Smash burgers, but we're doing eat fried steaks cooked three different ways. And we kind of you get all these lovely snacks throughout the day. And then at the end, we kind of put a whole meal together. So there's like a dinner plate, we've got a butter bean mash puree, a bit of chimichurri or a mesco. Some nice slices of steaks. And chard has been cabbage. And, you know, we really say to the guys that if I, if I can teach all of this stuff in the class, and also present, like a really nice plate of food that you guys could cook at home. You know, if you just do one of those things, and you do it well, like you can absolutely, you know, if I can do it with a class of 1012 people, you can do it at home, with all the time well, no problem.
Owen - Host:
Do you? Are you a chef? Or are you have you been within catering in your kind of day job?
David -Spice Punch:
No. Well, so I did. Yeah, coming out of school and stuff. I worked in the pub for a little bit. Yeah. So you know, working on the grill the past, you know, that kind of thing when I was long time ago now sort of as a 17 at 19. That kind of age. But it does, it did teach you a lot of skills. So I used to have a party trick don't ask me to do it like now. But I used to be I used to be able to do now it was cut, I can I can use to be able to cut a whole cucumber blindfolded in four seconds, you know, with the old see the old speed shopping. Yeah. Wow. Because it's not about fear. And it's not about what she knits. If you get the angle of the night, you know, your fingers positioned in the right way. It's about feel rather than looking at it. So that used to be good until the manager walked in and saw that.
Owen - Host:
That's an insurance nightmare.
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, got a bit of a bollock but I
Owen - Host:
can trust myself.
Dan - Host:
I just love the passion that you have for food and like on a separate note, us walking around the shows that you've seen and I do sometimes inebriated sometimes not. But who knows their barbecue does a lot of cooking examples would be like urban street three would be like Cornish people speaking to people like that. You say? So on the circuit, looking at the food people producing Who should we be speaking to to learn more about barbecue? And they say yourself? Almost all of the time. I think it's because you understand it's like alchemy when you're talking about like smoking different words, or like making bacon, how do you even start doing that and then learning to improve it?
David -Spice Punch:
Well, I think I mean, I think there's a curve isn't there and I quite enjoy. I quite enjoy learning the techniques and you start off you know, super nervous so take bacon for example. You know, super nervous Oh my God, how do I do this? Well, I've got to have this to meet and Dr. Brian are wet Brian, how's the difference? And you know, you're learning things you're trying things electronics gonna go off if it's sitting in a bag for a week. Now it's absolutely fine. And kind of the more you do, the more you learn more you learn the more confident you get. And like we're just absolutely like, effortlessly churning out stuff now so you know, bacon, absolutely cracking now playing with all sorts of different flavors. We've gotten to sausage the last year or so. You know, like, you know, like sausages, sausages. So si je that absolutely superb and like, oh god, how does he do it? I'm gonna go. So you know, we just started to start to make some really good sausages now. Pastrami, similar like Katz's Deli, New York. My God, they know how to make pastrami. I can't fly 7000 miles every week to have a knife destroy me sandwich. But, you know, it's kind of how can I how can I get that that flavor or something like very close to it at home? So we know how to make extra money. So it's an it's kind of that curve, you know, you start off really nervous, is it going to work, research, research research, have a go usually, because of the amount of research I do quite enjoy it. You basically don't really have too many fails you don't really have too many things that don't work and you know, the flavors that you produce a pretty much pretty bloody good so that actually that was really good. So then you maybe tweak the recipe, you tweak the process and try it again. And again, usually get like really good results. And then it just becomes effortless. You know, is that real cycle from complete nervousness to complete effortless? And I quite enjoy that because it's it's interesting.
Owen - Host:
What What struck me about the few times that we've met now, obviously perfect before before for for today. That just how much it seems like the enjoyment that you get from the Research and you mentioned the theory side of things earlier. That that seems very much part of your process, isn't it? And it seems to me that's almost as enjoyable for you about learning those techniques doing that research to then get that enriched product, do you would you say that you actually enjoy that research element to the dishes and new techniques just as much as actually cooking? Or, or learning or delivering those?
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, I think so. I think I mean, when we talk about, like, the theories of barbecue, you know, you could say temperature not to time, actually, you can barbecue, anything. So, you know, he just gave up, when we started doing the global competition, we were doing stupid stuff, like tempering chocolate on the barbecue, just just to try and push the limits. And even stuff like that, you know, we did a chocolate course a little while ago. So and I now know how to make chocolate and, you know, get a nice good crack and a shine off of, you know, different chocolates. And, yeah, why not apply a bit of smoke to it, why not apply? Now a little bit of extra smoky flavor to it. And, you know, pretty much pretty much most of the time, it comes out, like really well, I mean, even stupid stuff, but set egg custard and ice creams, you know, we've made it all on the barbecue. It's just, you know, applying those different techniques to a slightly unusual setting.
Owen - Host:
Actually, we've got to elaborate on that a bit more. I think. We've tried, we've tried to talk about desserts. Myself and Dan hands up, admittedly, haven't done that many desserts on the barbecue. And I think it's something that we both want to do. But ice cream? Yeah. They're not two things, right? That you would assume would go together?
David -Spice Punch:
No, but it worked. It worked. So like making you almost make like a tested over the barbecue. But you will impart some of the flavor obviously by being able to barbecue. So yeah, almost like a set of custard then the Leave it leave it in the fridge for overnight or a couple of days if you can. So the smokiness settles a little bit. And then you then you churn it and yeah, it'll be in part in part like a smoking smokiness to it. Please, please,
Dan - Host:
please tell me and if you haven't go and do this. Have you tried to make like a maple and pecan smoked ice cream? Because that to me sounds genius.
David -Spice Punch:
Well is it on the wheel
Dan - Host:
it's just gonna be that the wheels are gonna be
David -Spice Punch:
we did. We do Thanksgiving each year with an artist and a couple of other couple of other best friends. And it's it's a really really, really fun dinner because, you know, I'm not like I usually cook Christmas dinner, my whole family, Thanksgiving, I can put all of those efforts and everyone goes absolutely all out. Put all these efforts into one kind of one dish. And one year we made like a pumpkin pie ice cream. And that went with a pecan pie. And we did all the tempered chocolate like little bonbons with candied pecans come in at the bomb but you know, just absolutely ridiculousness. But yeah, that pumpkin, pumpkin spice pumpkin ice cream that went so well with it. So I usually keep usually keep things kind of barbecue, a barbecue, meaty, savory related, and are more of a savory boy that this week boys so you'll always be producing savory rather than sweet. But yeah, like sometimes we'll play with different ideas and different things.
Dan - Host:
See, this just makes me laugh because and if people are listening to each of the episodes, they'll know this from a recent episode, but we've just recorded one. And the failure I talked about on there was the fact that I tried to do cookies on the residual heat that I had from a previous cook on the Komodo and I just completely misjudged how much heat was still in there, and how it would react. So I was like, Oh, great. I'm gonna put those on there. Put them cookies in the barbecue before but everyone has been telling me use the residual heat walk away. I'll give it a bit longer because that's what people have said come back half an hour later and I've just still got raw cookie dough just sat on there and the temperature is just completely dropped off. So it's always fun to talk to someone who is a master of desserts on a barbecue talking about making ice cream, and I can't do cookie.
David -Spice Punch:
Oh, you get a black a black bottom and a soft top. Yeah. Like that once.
Dan - Host:
Yeah. Was that the marmite ones?
Owen - Host:
Choose a Marmite scones? Yeah, they they were very much they've stuck to like parchment paper. I couldn't get a more fat to come cut them off.
Dan - Host:
So I'll see if David in like Return me on this. But I've been reading and learning about double indirect as an extra kind of protection to try and stop that burning from the bottom. Because obviously indirect should do that as much as possible. But if you double indirect, it just doubles down on stopping that heat from the bottom. Not that's work for me, because when I tried it, it just didn't click anything. It's an art to learn. Do you ever do any double indirect or?
David -Spice Punch:
I mean, I probably would call it w Direct. But yeah, maybe maybe put an extra barrier in between. It's a little bit like the mistake people make with pizzas on a tomato. You know, you've got a lot of heat coming in from the bottom, but it's not a pizza oven. So they, you know, the flames coming up and over. And people will often go, ah, pizza oven, say go to 500 degrees, I'll get the barbecue is absolute screaming hot as possible. And you end up with a bottom and a roll up. So you know, similar sort of thing would say, maybe take the temperature a bit nearby, you just said with the cookies, take the temperature down a little bit further, and cook it for a little bit longer. Because yeah, yeah, absolutely perfect for bacon, stuff like that. We've done a few types of times, stuff like that. And that's similar, you kind of, yeah, it's good to put an extra barrier on it just so that Caravelle doesn't tend to, you know, complete sort of sharpness, it's good to have a little bit more space to play with. And that's always hard work on a barbecue to turn it out at the end. Like
Owen - Host:
what, what barbecues do you use David? I don't think we've actually had this conversation before.
David -Spice Punch:
Yes, we've got three big green eggs, which is a bit greedy. Yeah, we've got the extra large the large and the minimax and you'll never find mold in any of them or anything like that they all genuinely get used for slightly different things and different applications. So they're all They're all faithful so the big green eggs you know, super reliable, super consistent, super economical. You know, from going out it later needs to come home gardening all day or just doing something else. Big Green Egg. Absolutely lovely. It will sit there all day long. And then again, when we started doing stupid stuff like tempering chocolate and making ice cream, you know what I need a bit of a I need a bit more of a challenge how we can do this sort of ridiculousness on it you know, let's try and find a new challenge. So that's what we got the savage fire cage says like what's what's more extreme than so what's more predictable and the savage fire cage kind of feel that need so it's so broad so rustic it's you're trying to basically tame buyer which, if it's windy, not windy she made it's not give me that strides, sunny, it all makes a difference to the cook. And that's been a real fun thing to learn because you're literally trying to tame fire. And you know, I think the first steak I did took about four hours to cook really should be really great like savage page came as well, where he loved a lot of steaks a legit one. It's steak was ready, when you finish work. It took took a really long time to build the theories there, you know, by the bottom steak on top? No, no, you need to really, you know, make a much bigger pie than you need. But yeah, really different bits the kids do with your
Owen - Host:
with your savage five cage because I was looking at one Do you have the kind of protectors that go around the side of you just got the open cage.
David -Spice Punch:
So it's just it just the open cage. It is on my shopping list, I have asked Ed to make me some because again, it's that control and allowing a little bit more control by having the sides and then Cambridge here where we are, it's not too windy. So you know, it's not too bad. But when it is when the if it extended the cup by an hour or two, you know really, really makes a big difference. So yeah, makes things a big difference. We've also we should have a common road style bar can come into my chef's locker I borrowed one off artist a few months ago and had an absolute blast on it. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to keep hold on one. I wouldn't come in there tomorrow say expect to see a whole load of yakitori Japanese well cooks coming up. And again interesting. I mean it's me when a boy when a boys do it's artists. So the last time I went solo Chicken Chicken yakitori I've got a year old have a in the garage now just like the sauce that you dip chicken into. You know some of the restaurants in Japan they've got them 100 years old, 200 years old. I've got one year old but now sitting in there sitting In the fridge. And again, it's all about certain ways to cook, cook and cuts and prepare the chicken. That's the good old hours, you know, rabbit hole to go into just just thinking about how you can prepare a chicken in a million different ways.
Dan - Host:
That's a rabbit, there's a rabbit hole there that we could go down, which I'd love to get your opinion on. And the two are linked, to be fair. So Owen and I were talking earlier about sides for barbecue, because whenever you see bits and pieces on Instagram, or whenever we're talking, the one thing that is always neglected really is sites. Yeah. But the same time sources you can add to it make a huge, huge difference. And you've talked there about like the year old source, and you can also hear about even, there's different levels of soy sauces, for example, which people won't even consider. But in you know, you can get soy sauces that are years and years and years old and fermented in different ways. So what do you look for when you're pairing sources with what you're doing? And also what sort of sides do you do that people may have not considered for barbecue?
David -Spice Punch:
Oh, man, is that I mean, it's a broad kind of play with a lot of different things. I mean, I absolutely agree like cookies, I ordered soy sauce, you know, the bullshit, you just don't like that. Soy sauce that you try, there's a million different varieties of so you know, it's like saying, I don't like wine. There's a million different types of wine out there. Like when we can I'm going on a tangent now. But like when we go on a holiday in SS Mrs. Vyse punch. We usually if we ever go on holiday, we try and put the cook school. Yeah, as like a capitalist thing to do. And again, it's such a good way of like picking up loads and loads of cheeky little hints and tips. So, you know, we've sort of traveled the world to pick schools and it just gives you such a really, like, really good idea that lots of different things. I mean, there's one really good one, like I'm doing kind of Asian style cooking. Sesame oil. Yeah. Again, there's a million different types of sesame sesame oil, there's one particular one that I really like, and you literally just need like one or two drops in a dish.
Dan - Host:
It's wrong in it because I use sesame oil as well. It's amazing how it transforms a dish. And if you've had a few drinks, you get it to handy with it. That's all you're going to taste. It doesn't it doesn't matter.
David -Spice Punch:
But I'm actually getting the shakes again, they got stuff that we've got is quite expensive, but literally one or two drops and they're absolutely like punches through something like really well, same with balsamic vinegar. Like I spent the night I spent the same amount of money as I spend on a really good bottle of whiskey on a really small bottle of vinegar. You know, like a 1520 year old or something but my god like the flavor of it is absolutely unbelievable. So I used it really sparingly and botched it in about three months
Dan - Host:
my dad introduced me to balsamic glaze and I almost always go for glaze rather than like the normal vinegar now because I just think it gives a it's a completely different feel and texture and I'm sure the more expensive balsamic vinegar is SMASH the hell out of the glazes. But that's one tip it if you're not willing to look into and research that site, just try glaze for a change because the flavor is different and deeper as well.
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, so tends to the base tends to be sort of boiled and reduced. So it intensifies the flavor. Whereas almost like whiskey aging process, you know, evaporate. Whiskey evaporates. Call it whiskey for the fairies, the angels, the angels, the angel shirt. Yeah, that's exactly yeah, it's the same with the balsamic. So if you're getting basically the Glazers doing the same thing that would happen naturally over you know, 1015 years, but you know, at a fraction of a fraction of the cost, but yeah, Glaser's suit but we use it all times because it's a bit a bit more viscous it will stick to things a little bit better as well. Yeah
Dan - Host:
yeah, came out with sources No, it just looks a bit confused.
Owen - Host:
I think I think YouTube got yourself a new podcast
David -Spice Punch:
please glazed over
Owen - Host:
me that could be a donut thing as well. Good.
Dan - Host:
Yeah, cuz again, oh and I were talking about side what sort of size do you normally look at? Oh, and when you're when you're doing barbecue for the family and stuff.
Owen - Host:
Side is an area that I don't do enough of to be to be brutally honest with you. The main room I would try a lot more sides. But my wife just wants to have salad Most things so, you know, I'd love to do there's loads there's loads of stuff but traditionally I think if we do some with that particular dish that we've done quite a lot recently it's just like Scott what the code it's peanut satellites peanut satay chicken and Thai style chicken skewers we did that quite a lot in the summer but we did like a really nice peanut noodle salad so you made your own sort of peanut sauce and so that was a really good sign because you know fresh coriander spring onions you making your own made sort of satay sauce so it was really kind of pungent so that's always quite nice. I suppose this your classics isn't there that if you have some brisket well you might as well do a bit mac and cheese or whatever but I think that gets a bit boring after after a little while. Yeah, I take like potato at most things. I just try and do something with a potato or salad. So I need to do more with it really.
David -Spice Punch:
We've been talking about doing sides class like nothing but we call it nothing but sighs You know, just really go to town on lots of different dishes. I mean, it's one of the things in the cars I really try and do like we do. We do romesco we do chimichurri butter bean puree, we do like recharges the cabbage to really say like here's four of the things that we've made today that you know go with the go with the food. I guess I get peaks and troughs of inspiration. So I'll either have a really really good idea for a dish and I'll think about the entire thing from beginning to end. And you know, make a bit of policy barbecue or similar so this this sort of time a year when it's getting kind of a bit autumnal you know we do a lot of stuff like roasted vegetables in the in the embers. So even something as simple as butternut squash, you know, just literally bury the thing in the charcoal. You can make like butternut squash and yaki say use half a bit for a soup or half of it for side you can use the other half and mix it with a bit of flour and mix it with a bit of egg and make like this really smoky, delicious, kind of butternut squash narky. And that sounds amazing. Works really well.
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David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, a lot of stuff cooked in the embers works superb. I'm not a big fan of beet roots. But if you bury the beetroot in ashes, it kind of draws out the earthiness from it and sort of chars and characterizes it. And then obviously, you know add a little bit of extra measures to it so maybe a bit of lemon or goat cheese cut through it. I'm trying to introduce a lot of texture. So again, maybe some nuts or something with it that will go with the creamy butternut squash. Or if you've got too much beetroot they've got you know how can I use the rest of this get the mandolin out dehydrate it make beetroot crisps so you can kind of make a really you know, maybe impressive looking dish from just thinking oh god I want to eat fiber to beetroot but could it be something with the with the other two?
Dan - Host:
The thing I'm guilty of is whenever I think of sides, I start doing something and then halfway through our brain goes actually I'm basically making a vegetarian main dish here to have with whatever we're having, like, I love a vegetable moussaka as a side to stuff because I'm just like cheese. Yes, veg. Yes, smoked and baked and just gooey. Yes, but that's not really a side but that is that is literally just another meal that's not got meat in it. And so that's not really a sight
David -Spice Punch:
But I only have a little bit and then you wind up with a massive. Yeah, exactly.
Dan - Host:
And then you pretend that oh, it's healthy though, because it's full of vegetables, all I'm trying to introduce more pickles and kind of the acidity into the barbecue that I've been doing. I'm absolutely obsessed with sauerkraut at the moment. I think it goes with anything barbecue, and it just lifts it because of the crunchiness because of the acidity, it cuts through everything. But you can't just have a pot of it as a side dish. So I've also been mixing it with cold sore as well to give that a bit more of a different Tang. But um, what other sort of like, acidic style and crunchy style sides do you put together do you think about
David -Spice Punch:
so when we've been making quite a bit this year is like a pickled cucumber. And it works really, really well. So like can either do the ribbon like ribbons. We've got the mandolin because we've got most gadgets I love love gadgets. Got the mandolin, slice it into really thin discs, you sold it and then leave it out 1520 minutes. And then you know so it's my fault. You all sorted it but a bit of sugar. And then a bit of vinegar, maybe some extra sort of aromatics just to flavor it a little bit further. It comes out absolutely superb. And it could just be something Yeah, something as simple as a smash smashed cucumber besides but with a bit of vinegar, but it's sold for the sugar and it's absolutely delicious. And you don't even need it in the fridge. If you leave it out at room temperature it behaves even better than putting it in the fridge if you're well if you're eating it the same same day. Yeah, picking tokelauans One, I'm just just playing with a little bit. pickled red onions. You know, we do tons of those pickled cucumber, we do tons of those.
Dan - Host:
It's surprising how quick you can do it as well. Because I think when people think of pickles, they think of something that sat in a jar for days, weeks, months or whatever. But you can like get pickled red onion in 15 minutes.
David -Spice Punch:
Absolutely. The idea. The idea is preservation. So old school preservation. So if you have a homestead and you know you didn't have Tescos down the road, and it was you know, electricity hadn't been invented. You'd be having tons of jars and you know, beaten noses basically all the way through winter just to add a bit of flavor to things. But yeah, absolutely same as me I've washed those are the cucumbers in about two days because they're delicious. They should be fun six months.
Owen - Host:
So what what's kind of next for you, David, as we kind of come into Christmas and scarily talk about next year.
David -Spice Punch:
Well, this is the thing I don't think we've got a weekend free now till the 10th of December. Just been one thing one thing or another. So it's been very busy. So we've got the SoCal class next Saturday on the 22nd That's kind of a butchery class really looking forward to a sharp in pay Christmas special. That's that's the third of December that's going to be absolutely outrageous, you know, all the greatest hits of Christmas that I've done for the last few years on the barbecue. We're going to be sort of teaching people how to how to do those dishes in November hoping to or are doing a restaurant takeover so going to local place in town that's no bravely gonna give us their kitchen Sunday nights. So I'm really excited maybe a little bit nervous. So I'm working very hard and Matthew, the timings and the presentation of things because it's again it's very different sort of doing a class or your mates in the back garden to sit down paying customers that yeah, we've got a few few few different dishes a few different ideas, a few techniques that will make it to make it doable I've just bought a very fancy band Marie that the phones actually wrestling against at the moment because dining room
Dan - Host:
cooking study for phones, right?
David -Spice Punch:
Absolutely. So yeah, I think we're gonna try and do a few more things where we maybe do some events we do some pop ups we do some takeovers will keep the classes going because it they're just so much fun. You know, each class is you know, a slightly different audience a slightly feel but really good fun. So yeah, we'll keep doing that and yeah, hopefully try and figure out ways to kind of get our food out there and
Owen - Host:
see, you mentioned Mr. Spice punch, sort of 10 minutes or so ago so is Mr. Spice punch very much involved in in everything that you're doing?
David -Spice Punch:
She She supports in many ways. So we've got we've got a little dog brisket is absolutely legend is brisket for brisket today Louis brisket O'Leary and beach responded the brisket so classy his name so she looks after him a lot she doesn't want to taste testing. Awful renders it's quite funny sometimes if you do I mean she gets it now we're doing it quite a bit but when we're making bacon measure what we're doing tomorrow making bacon? Yes. Bacon starting on Saturday yes Saturday in a week okay we're getting there now. She's she's got a good lot of good ideas and a lot of little little stuff that you're going to tweak this a bit or tweak that a bit. So it's not a massive sell. But you'll sit there watching MasterChef and professionals and go that's not a study on Greg Johnson wrote a testament it's not quite it's not quite right, because I knew that like, you know, to get in the kitchen and avocado itself issues been amazing. We've done so many events and stuff and she's kept the you know, kept the thought running back at home. So is allowed me to know when able to do these silly bonkers adventures. And even bad stuff like the pig cook and the Lampitt, you know, we can talk about from this year. You know, she's coming to help her eat it afterwards. Last like a Good Friday night guards Saturday day, gone, you know, and then we're kind of all in the next day. So yeah, to be able to have space to do that. She's absolute legend.
Owen - Host:
Should we go on to barbecue bingo. And hopefully set you a little challenge.
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, let's go for it.
Owen - Host:
But will it be a challenge. That's the thing. So let's, let's share my screen,
Dan - Host:
so forth. So hopefully, yeah, non regular listeners. Thank you for listening. But you should listen more often. This is the part of the show where we get up a roulette wheel, and spin it for our guests. And whatever it lands on, we asked them to cook, tag us in it. Hashtag barbecue bingo. And it's really try and get the creative juices flowing. Try something different. So some of the things will be full meals. Some of them will be ingredients. But it's how you can incorporate it into your own style of cooking. And it's great to see what all of the guests can put together being kind of experts on barbecue. So hopefully you can now see the wheel up on screen. And is there anything on there that's exciting for you?
David -Spice Punch:
Well, I just did that the via ice cream on there.
Owen - Host:
That was definitely there before.
David -Spice Punch:
Seamless,
Owen - Host:
as if by magic. So just just to point out, there's one called my signature dish, which will actually be your signature dish. So if it lands on that we'd like to cook. We'd like you to cook what you're famous for. So what what are you famous for?
David -Spice Punch:
When Polly Polly made the dry? Paper? I think we got a professional dry aged Polycom three years ago, maybe just over three years ago. So yeah, I think absolutely ridiculous. Right. H stakes is kind of one of the things that we're that we're known for. So and it's been a little while since I've had one. So yeah, I wouldn't be I wouldn't be annoyed at all if that came up.
Owen - Host:
Is there anything on there that you don't like? Or first and foremost? Are you allergic to anything?
David -Spice Punch:
No, I think everything's good. I'm a real foodie, you know, foodie guy. So, you know, even if it was a vegan category, we would absolutely smash it on the barbie. So yeah, there's nothing there's nothing on there. That's not That's not you know, not going to be a challenge.
Dan - Host:
I'm kind of worried. Like, if it lands on mint, is that going to end up to be like mint ice cream? Worried just the wrong word. It'd be exciting, but be different.
David -Spice Punch:
We'd have to have a barbecue in there somehow.
Dan - Host:
So maybe we're making the custard smoked on there, right? Yeah, absolutely.
David -Spice Punch:
Oh, maybe we think you hydrate the leaves on the barbecue and then use that and crush it into a powder and then use that to play with the ISP. You know, I'm sure I'm sure we can have some fun with it. Sure.
Owen - Host:
Just got some mint leaves and just literally touched over the flames and chucked it in the heat. I chopped down
David -Spice Punch:
a mojito ice cream that cookware All
Owen - Host:
right, let's give it let's give it a spin. Let's go this is gonna be men. Oh
Dan - Host:
we could not have set that up better Oh God, I wish we could have fixed that because I we've never had that before we've talked in depth about something and then it's come up.
David -Spice Punch:
Well I meant it is we'll have some fun with that word. I've got something coming to mind already. Oh perfect.
Dan - Host:
Not to put you on the spot but the most ambitious person we had who got excited about barbecue bingo did three different dishes in one go. You did it marmalade, and he made a milkshake. marmalead more links and I can't put the third thing was but yeah, so all I'm saying is use to five different things.
David -Spice Punch:
Or five elements. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you've kind of you've kind of caught my attention with a minty Mojito. So what I mean again, I'm like completely changed my idea as I start doing my research. I wonder whether I dry aged steak in Mojito for three weeks, and then maybe cook something with? Yeah, so maybe a mojito dry aged steak. And then with a load of other bits and bobs I'll worry about later but yeah, that's where my mind is going.
Owen - Host:
So my mind was going, maybe doing making like a mojito style source and then almost like cooking some, you know, chicken or something in in, in a source.
Dan - Host:
I was thinking of, because I'm obsessed with desserts at the moment I want to be doing on the barbecue, like a mojito cheesecake. Smoked on the barbecue.
David -Spice Punch:
That's good work. Good work. Yeah, lots of ideas. We could we could sit if it doesn't work, we'll call it a dry aged Mojito own Amy don't think so.
Owen - Host:
Love it. Or when you when you do get you know, when you do have the opportunity to cook if you could just tag us in on on Instagram so that we can retweet it and share it and on all that as
David -Spice Punch:
well. Yeah, absolutely. It's nice to have a little bit of challenge a little thing to think about. So yeah, sweet or savory. I know you can really do nicer, like sugar coated mint. So you make like a crystallized sugar, and it will kind of set it'll set the leaves. crystallize them within sugar. But I'm wondering if I do something sweet or something savory, but we'll Yeah, we'll have a little thing with a few ideas.
Owen - Host:
I can see your mind I can see that. Yeah.
Dan - Host:
Something that I would love to hear from you as someone who spent a lot of time doing barbecue and Owen and I had our mind blown at sizzle fest recently by something wait there? What is the best barbecue meal that you've eaten? Or tasted? Who is it done by and why was it special
David -Spice Punch:
it's been quite a few
Dan - Host:
a few run through a few.
David -Spice Punch:
But I think the I think I mean even even just this year like doing that whole took the How to accumulate three lamp books, especially the whole hog fixed it was a it was the first the first go as ever doing anything like that and it was genuinely a little bit emotional. I think that was partially because it absolutely knackered from the day before pets and moving like to Breezeblocks you know, cutting up rebar, you know, setting out you know, 750 kilos of wood staying up all night cooking it you know, and it's turned out so well. That was a really really special moment. When we did the global competition like the absolute final, final, final cook we did. We did three cooks. We recreated our wedding dinner. We had like friends or family and we basically we redid our wedding dinner and that was a real special but real fun cook a real special. Yeah, real special event. And also as part of that we did and I did a big cook with artists barbecue over the last sets and we did an again similar to the final it was like an All American platter. So you know absolutely everything in Alabama while like chicken sauce, brisket, beef short ribs, sausages, ribs, you know, everything. Another mention I think coming out a lot down first neater I did a big great big cook for the family say yeah, maybe I guess it will the theme is family and friends you know it all of all of those special special cooks either take taken part in or cooked but like it's more about the the people that you're with the food obviously massively, but like the people that you were enjoying that moment is a big thing. Yeah, so really hard to pin the pin down.
Dan - Host:
It's barbecue brings people together. And it's that emotion now. That's why we enjoy it so much. I also think that's why, particularly in Britain, why barbecue hit home so hard during the pandemic, because it's all about community. It's for cooking for people cooking for friends, yeah, a lot of people around. And it's something that the only two people miss when they couldn't have it. But when people could first get back together, barbecue was such a wonderful way to get everyone together outside in a way that you could still be safe and like, you know, two meters away from people, but people could still go around the garden if you had like four people over when you're allowed like a group of six, whatever it was where you could connect over food in this animalistic ritual fire way, while also having kind of like an emotional experience with each other. That being said, own an ice best barbecue taste ever was the feather blade that we had down at sizzle Fest this year, which blew our minds
David -Spice Punch:
was the same one and it was it was ridiculous.
Dan - Host:
It was absolutely ridiculous and old and I've been researching where we can get further blade roll. Because I've never had beef like that ever, ever.
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, super, super good cut. Again, like I think when the lockdown lockdown stuff and talk about was like weird. Like, we were obviously with all our dry aging and ridiculousness around that we obviously buy an awful lot of beef and a lot of my butchers and through lockdown. Like we made the messes, we're still cooking for like 20 people even though there's service at home, because the Butcher was rigging a set game. Nobody's buying brisket, you know, but there's cues you know all the way around the block. You know, when things went proper mad. You know, there was no no food in the supermarket. So he was going to Smith fields every morning. Three 3am getting getting the meat come into the shop and the queues run around the block. They were literally cutting the beef off the cow they couldn't even get it quick enough to put in the display cabinet. And he was saying to me like David, can you help me nobody's buying brisket? No, please do me a favor, take some briskets off me. You know do it for two pound 50 a kilo, please. Yes. So we we'd turn off at the butchers you know who's around the block, you know, you get our place in the queue and then I'm walking out with this kind of you know 15 kilo bone in brisket on my shoulder and then you know coming back to the shop to pick up the next one oh, there's a queue here. Yeah, I'm very well aware I'm just getting the other one and they will go in and leave some for the rest of us. I'm getting the stuff that you guys don't want so everyone chill out a little bit brisket just do a quick spin yeah to 118 I'd like to obviously a bigger the bigger bit of meat you get the better results you tend to get like if you get a one P like pork shoulder you know it's not going to cook like a 10 G like pork shoulder. So again, we were you know, some NHS in my normal life so you know times were stressful not not friends not frontline, but like we look up all the systems and the processes and building all the all the the new systems and stuff in the background. And you know, it's kind of when things go a little bit bonkers within 15 days straight and things like that, actually cooking a massive sort of 10 kilo full pork shoulder and then just backpacking it stick it in the freezer, they kind of had unlimited easy access to, you know, a whole load of easy dinners. That was quite a good way of getting my barbecue fixed with a big piece of meat. A little bit easier for us on those stressy days. Absolutely. Feeling
Owen - Host:
so is there anything? before? You know, before we kind of wrap up? Is there anything that perhaps we haven't spoken about yet that obviously you wanted to kind of let us and also, obviously, our listeners know, or anything that we haven't spoken about, in general about barbecue or otherwise that you know, you'd like to kind of bring up
David -Spice Punch:
this editing sort of, we've had hinted and looked at a few different bits and bobs. So hopefully next year, we'll do a few things that we can kind of, hopefully do some pop ups or takeovers, or you know, try and figure out a way to, you know, tease a few more stuff out, we'll carry on with the classes, I think we're going to have a little bit more fun. This year was kind of barbecue basics. And next year, we might do tacos, tacos, tacos, nothing but sides. If we can find if we can find the audience, I might do a vegetarian only class. Because again, like, I don't know if you guys had any of Dan's food at sizzle fest. Oh,
Dan - Host:
my God. Yeah. Ridiculous. urban tree. Yeah, Neverland village
David -Spice Punch:
is like the geyser, but like you could see like a lot of the dishes that he was doing kind of vegetarian dishes, but just extremely well. And, you know, I don't come anywhere near here. But I can knock out an awful lot of good sides. Because we could do quite a good class just on sides. And, you know, vegetable dishes, fish, I don't have a lot of fish. So that might be a place that I want to explore a little further. Good. Luck. That's mainly because the missus doesn't really like fish or seafood. So, you know, I don't want to put two dinners. If you ever see on the Instagram, you know, three or four posts about fish, the fish has probably been away for one night. And I've had an absolute fish page. If you scroll back, you will see three or four posts and fish at once you've liked this despise but just been away put the dishes? Absolutely not anyway. But a massive, massive, massive news, just lots more, hopefully, lots more classes next year and some opportunities to get out there and show people a bit more about what we can do. Fantastic. Well,
Owen - Host:
I suppose we've spoken a lot about what you do. But I don't think we've met you or us I've actually mentioned where people can find what you do. So how do people find
David -Spice Punch:
you? Well, I guess most most of us stuffs on Instagram. So spice underscore hunch. And again, it's not really I'm not big chili, hardcore chili fan, it's more about punchy flavors. So spice doesn't have to be chili spice unaware or came from like it's a bit of a flavor punch. So yeah, on their spice punch Dakota, UK, we're trying to do trying to do more on the website. So we've got some lists of kind of equipment that we use some affiliations that we've now started to get. I'm trying to do a few of the reviews on there. But yeah, just like Instagram is kind of the main one that be used to update and show people what we do. So come check us out.
Dan - Host:
And finally, to prove that even you are fallible. What fails Have you had on this process of learning and research? Where Have there been spaces where perhaps didn't quite go as well as you want it? Because that's how we all learn at the end of the day, right?
David -Spice Punch:
Absolutely. I mean, again, I'm a real fanboy of the theory. So, you know, I really, I don't, I don't like to fail. So I tried to do as much research as possible. The only one I can really think of more recently is try to when we're doing that lamb cook recently over the pit. We all came home, you know, with like a five kilo bag of lamb is yeah, I couldn't eat a whole lot. So we all came away with a really good doggie bag of proplan a lot when we're doing the clip, because it's something like fun and different with this lamb. So I did a lamb biryani sausage made a whole whole biryani and used a little bit of fresh lamb and the pit the pit lamb and put it into a sausage. And the mistake I made I got my maths slightly wrong. I made an incredibly, incredibly salty sausage. And I think it happened I think I had to go to test days and try and buy an extra it was something stupid like four and a half kilos of lamb. Lamb just to try and balance out so kind of went from you know, a really cheap cheeky little, you know, cook just to try something out to actually quite an expensive sausage to make it so Yeah, the, I think it was five to 8%. Five to 8% of the needs should be flavorings. And I think I put 5% salt in it instead of by accident. So yeah, it was pretty rank, but we managed to balance that out in the end. And it works. Yeah, just double check my maths before I committed. But I did the right thing. I tasted it before I started filling it into casings, because that would have been, that would have been a real sad day if I'd been edible. So you have a little taste of the mixture. That's probably probably one of the only ones that's kind of, certainly in my mind that I can think was definitely a fail. And if I do have fames if I do have them I do post them as well.
Dan - Host:
So important, so important for people to
David -Spice Punch:
reality. Yeah, reality, you know, it's not always perfect. It's Instagram versus real life. So we if we do have them, I usually usually I will share them if it's like a real disaster, but very, very rarely. Luckily, luckily. But then again, I've got kids running around, you know, distracting me from stuff. You know, I try and focus in on the barbie or thinking about the time and I'm doing other stuff so yeah, I think if you've got a maybe a bit more of a busy life and you know lots of stuff going on there maybe it's a little bit hard. Yeah, luckily you guys really don't really get too many
Owen - Host:
was amazing to have you on and yeah, I can't wait to see catch up in person again next year at some events or shows or whatever. But yeah, it's great to have you on David.
David -Spice Punch:
Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me. It's been it's been good
Owen - Host:
Well, that's it for another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. It was great to catch up with David aka spice punch. There's not much this guy couldn't can't do smoking cure in pixeling butchery. So it's really exciting to see those masterclasses demos and hopefully some more pop ups and events coming up so make sure you check out his his socials and his website. Also check out the & Greet BBQ podcast.com website where we've got a store where we're working with some affiliate partners and some of the great products that we use in our guests use along with some of the merchandise. We always want to hear from you as well. We want to find out what you want us to talk about on the podcast you know we want you to be excited about the content that we create to do get in touch with us through Instagram Facebook, through our website contact page. And but until next time, keep on grilling
Dan - Host:
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
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