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In this episode Owen & Dan were joined by Ian the BBQ King. They discuss his love of Weber and how smoking is not the be all and end all of outdoor cooking. Ian also sets both Dan and Owen a challenge of their own after playi...
In this episode Owen & Dan were joined by Ian the BBQ King. They discuss his love of Weber and how smoking is not the be all and end all of outdoor cooking. Ian also sets both Dan and Owen a challenge of their own after playing BBQ bingo.
Ian & Dan tell all around the unfortunate barbecue fails that end in trips to the hospital.
Check Ian's Instagram account
See more of the podcast and our BBQ Bingo challenge on our Instagram & Facebook accounts.
Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ Podcast. Today we're going to be talking to Ian he has an Instagram account at in the barbecue king. And today we're going to be discussing what his ultimate cooks are his grill setup, along with also what he's drinking, and just generally finding out about his love for barbecue. So stay tuned. Welcome to the show. Ian. Thanks for joining us. How are you today?
Ian BBQ King:I'm good. Thanks, Izzy. There been a run in the shop in one or two other things. And I'm good. Thank you.
Owen - Host:Fantastic. So you're here to talk to us all about barbecue today. So you've got an Instagram account for everyone that doesn't know.
Ian BBQ King:So my Instagram account is in the BBQ King. all lowercase? I did have one or two different attempts if you know what I was gonna call myself and kept changing it. But we settled on in the BBQ king. And it's it's working. You know, I've had about probably about a year now and I'm very close to 2000 followers. It's been it's been hilarious. I have followed a lot of people and I think if you follow them they do follow you back. But it's it's amazed me about the barbecue community is absolutely staggered me and you know there's there's there's people follow me from as they probably follow you guys from all over the world. And I find it absolutely fascinating. I love it.
Owen - Host:I absolutely agree. It's amazing how how it spans across the world and how integrated it actually is through social media, which is which is fantastic. You mentioned that you started out about a year ago. So it was that kind of at the beginning of kind of locked down one and
Ian BBQ King:not really, I just I had dabbled with Twitter, and I just could not get away with Twitter. I don't quite know why it was a bit thick, I couldn't use it properly. And then I got onto Instagram. And it just, it just seemed to work for me. Both my girls are on Instagram. And they gave me one or two pointers as well because at first I looked at some of the early polls, you just put a picture on a no comment, and you get one or two likes. And then B goes are saying well if you if you start you know putting some comment on that and I know you know you're reasonably able to write decent English on your spelling mistake. And it's just progressed from there. photography skills come on a little bit. My wife takes quite a few of the pictures as well but not something it's hasn't taken off and be life far from it. But I've really enjoyed it and it's it's you hit milestones versus 100 followers then it's 500 Then it was 1015 117 150 and I'm very, very close to 2000 now so it's it's been brilliant. It's been good fun.
Dan - Host:It really is about getting that hobby and also having a hobby that pays off. I mean I'm sure being a barbecue yourself. I'm the same I absolutely love food. So if I found a hobby that gives me better quality food keeps me cooking and keeps me outside. Is there anything that could be better than that?
Ian BBQ King:It works really well. I mean the neighbours our next door neighbour he barbecues as well as the move in not so long ago and there was a there is a post on Instagram and he's got a weather 57 centimetre cattle as well. But there's a fence between us and it was hilarious when he first moved in in sight there was like back to back with mine. Like bring on the barbecue was but he's a proper barbecue smoker. Well, I'm not as much a smoker. And it's been it's been really good fun. And you know what, I've learned an awful lot of stuff over the over the 12 months I've been on there becoming hopefully more confident. You know, by the by the month
Unknown:I think you've been a bit harsh on yourself when you say you're not really a smoker either by some of the stuff that I've seen on your Instagram page. I mean, you do a lot of what some people would say not traditional more hard kind of skills, but I've definitely seen some great smoke cooks on your Instagram page. I mean did you recently do was like a rack of ribs a rack of lamb that look like it was
Ian BBQ King:wrapped around the rack and lamb worked really well. And that was it was hilarious to watch Master Chef the night before and everybody crashed and burned on it. And we went to win Tesco and when all the woman on the meat counter at Tesco Pam God bless us as lonely and went round press the discount Button no these two racks of lamb we've got them for about four quid for two racks around and I didn't have a look in me, you know me web hook to see how this should be done. And it worked really well with the direct and indirect stuff. And then when they came out perfect and put a video on that one when it was when it was being cooked and it's always great trepidation. But it worked. It worked really well and that turned out fine. So yeah, not quite uh yeah, I'm probably doing yourself an injustice but I'm not a great big like six hour you know low he smoking kind of thing which will the next door neighbour doors and fairness and it turns out really well but you know yeah we do some do some stuff and that you know one of the dishes that I'm going to talk about it's not it's not a 20 minute cook by any means so yeah, we're getting there
Owen - Host:is that an area that you'd like to get into a bit more kind of into the low and slow and
Ian BBQ King:you know what I don't think so. We'll probably give it a go at some point. But crazy is this I'm not like you know, seriously smoked food. I'm not a massive fan which is probably a contradiction because I'm barbecuing everything good smoke on it both you know I'm not alone slow man with like that you know that the snake came the thing when you set your charcoal up and all the rest of it. It's maybe his wife looks smoke food, but I'm driving the barbecue so
Unknown:I like that though. Because the episodes that we've had so far, we've talked a lot about smoking but there's so much you can do with a barbecue and the versatility of it. And you've talked about your Weber what what sort of setups do you have at the moment at home
Ian BBQ King:in the morning I've got a I've got a Weber performer boarded I've always had a Weber started with a little 47 centimetre one and I've always BBQ nose loved it. But initially it was battle everything's on directly wash away you go. And yeah, so I've honed the skills and got this web performance. Probably four years ago it was Christmas present from Andrea and it's the best Christmas present I've ever had. You know, we laugh about it because we're still a barbecue. I still barbecue. Certainly three four nights a week winter and summer. So I've only ever performer and slowly but surely added bits and pieces onto it. So I've got a car and great I've got a the chicken beer chicken thing and but a skillet I've got a walk. And just recently just before Christmas, I've got a rotisserie and and that's been that's been a revelation there's a bit of a family on when you got to set it up but we have got power in the garden and it works. It's fantastic. It does amazing pork as you guys probably know as well. And
Owen - Host:I came very very close to buying a Weber performer because I've got the 57 centimetre kettle right and I've had it for about seven eight years now. Right and last year I was looking at you know getting another barbecue kind of added to the range and I came very very close and I did decide in the end to go down and buy an actual smoker instead all right for the web, the web of Smoky Mountain but a little part of me kind of wishes I also had the performance is it is it as good as kind of all the reviews say is
Ian BBQ King:the best thing about it and I've got the Weber performer Deluxe, I think it is with the gas ignition system. And that is is brilliant. I go through so many bottles of gas the gas rich get a farmers can't afford to buy the Weber ones because you might not go through but it takes such a lot of pain out to getting the thing lit. And you know people come to consume gas bottle as the gas barbecue. You know, it's charcoal. And I'm just so pleased that we got it. And yeah, I'm a web boy through and through. I've been a Weber barbecue school. I don't know whether you guys have been new it. Family wife came along with me. Such a good giggle we had a brilliant time. And one of the things that the Senate weather school, and it's all very informal. I don't know. Have you guys ever been to one of the weapon weapons schools?
Owen - Host:No, I was I was looking at going last year before lockdown hit ratio. Okay. I was actually looking with my wife to go and get one not not too far away, you know, within an hour from where I am. So,
Ian BBQ King:yeah, we were about an hour away from ours and the spirit and the guy who taught who was the demonstrator. There's two things that you need, you know if you're going to barbecue your barbecue, seriously, two things that you need one is a chimney to get the thing lit. And the other thing is a thermometer. Do you know what he was absolutely bang on. thermometer is probably the most important piece of kit that I've got in my in my like barbecue, all this stuff that I have done when we do Lafley best Christmas present ever. And we you know continue to surprise ourselves with it. And the beauty of it being outside as well is that my wife said there's no smells in the kitchen. And I think that's that's a double bonus as well. So yeah, it works. It's it's
Owen - Host:what attracted me to nearly buying the pro forma. I don't know how much you use it yourself is Just obviously that added bit of shelf, but you know that that's built in. It's that little bit of space would make so much different.
Unknown:That's what I've been looking at as well on your Instagram. It looks fantastic compared to what I've got.
Owen - Host:Yeah, it is.
Ian BBQ King:It's a fantastic bit of kit. We've got it from, from wild BBQ down in North London, and we have to deliver whether you've ever been on wild barbecue site, it's a garden Senegal, it's got sunshine garden. We went down there a couple of years ago, it was bad. You know, like a child in the sweet shop. It was really really good. And you know, we bought a fair bit of stock not just charcoal but water. I had to buy a new grade because I'd worn the other one now burned through virtually but yeah, that the main the bench on the side for one of the better expression that just it just gives you a bit of space. So you got some stuff off the grill and you're moving stuff around and whatever does work. Well. Yeah. I'm a connoisseur, there's no doubt about
Owen - Host:it. I've also I've ordered also ordered a few bits from well barbecue. They're good.
Ian BBQ King:Yeah, they are good. The other
Unknown:thing that I've seen as well on your Instagram, which I'm very jealous about is the pizza oven. Right? Yeah. Did you get that for a while barbecue? What's the story behind all
Ian BBQ King:of that? What that online we? Well, as you can see, we'll have it in good food. That's well made. My wife makes the dough and things of you know, just honed her skills on making the dough. It was just bought online. It wasn't it wasn't cheap. It's not like you can get one and only occasionally sell them a little sell them in 100 quid it cost a few 100 quid and it's been worth persevering with. It's woodfired and boy doesn't mean amazing pizza really does.
Owen - Host:I couldn't agree more. I've also got an only Kuru would fight unlike yours, which again looking at your page is a proper piece of kit. Yeah, mine is Cooney Cruz portable so come get a bag and you can take it away with you. But the difference of a woodfired pizza that you can cook in the back garden in comparison to you know a shop or pizza or even a takeaway pizza, you can essentially create such a good quality
Ian BBQ King:on your own. It took us a while to get get it work as we want and we actually got the pizza and pizza tins rather than directly on the stone. You've got to get the temperature absolutely right we'll burn through a few thermometers as well with a grain of salt coming in the sometimes it was up to about 700 degrees centigrade you put your pizza in three seconds later it's charred Yeah, I must have bought off of Amazon. We've got a we've got to the moment and I think I've probably got some pictures on Insta and well it's the moment of that you know I've destroyed two or three with the heat and there's the last the moment we've got it's got a little section on it which just says Pizza time so when you you know when you hit that temperature you know it's absolutely bang on and it does make fantastic pizza aboard a Weber go anyway it doesn't mean anywhere at all it still lives in the garage it is we will do to go to como les was last November a call was cancelled as well so this Weber go anywhere it's done as box in the in the garage. It Allman M and we're looking forward to taking that away and having to go with that
Owen - Host:as well. That should have been their marketing campaign last year. Weber go nowhere. Yeah, well
Ian BBQ King:you could be right because mine is literally gone. Go. We're gonna take it to Cornwall.
Owen - Host:We've spoken about your your setup. You're clearly a Weber fan as a mine. Do you use their briquettes? Are you a cat or a loved lumpwood man?
Ian BBQ King:Well, I do use alum wood. If it's a real fast cooks, I'll be doing a steak on the museum and great then I'll use long wood. And there is a picture again on my Instagram site of my Garriage which causes huge amusement with neighbours and friends alike. And it's just absolutely full of charcoal. So if I'm doing something decent, like something that we're going to cook for friends, a decent piece of meat or whatever, then yeah, use whether whether briquettes indirect and they burn forever and ever not quite as long as Australian Heat Beads but they do burn for a long time and they keep the temperature other than that. I've always kept me eye out for stuff. The the end of the season or whatever. weeks last year was selling off their briquettes and there were our with a big kg of sugar. Come on there were and I went and bought a pallet in last November. And there were like three with a bag or whatever it goes As much amusement when they're going at the wheel and out on a pallet, you know, slowly but surely I work through it all because yes, you can. You can buy web recaps throughout the earth on various websites. And I do use them and I'm a big fan of them. But I also use venue other stuff be it from Lidl, all the other supermarkets are available, I'm sure. But, um, you know, as long as you keep an eye on the quality of them, bear in mind go barbecue three, four times a week. It's amazing how much charcoal you can burn. Yeah,
Unknown:yeah, I had to get the day where I made a rookie error, where, at the moment, I'm trying to try different charcoals and different hats and things. But I set everything up marinated meat and everything overnight, went to the garage to get the charcoal. Nope. You kind of it's difficult. Yeah, nothing there. And I still had a good meal. But it wasn't on the barbecue like I wanted. And it's getting that balance, right? Because I do want to be trying different things. Because if you don't try different brands and try whether it be restaurant, like restaurant grade charcoal lumpwood Whether it be briquettes, whether it be the square briquettes that you can get or the coconut as well.
Ian BBQ King:They're they're expensive to own as well. I've toyed with those I just keep my eyes peeled. And you know I have been in the supermarket and very kind of 50 bags please and look at me as if I'm crazy. My toes in the you know the cars full of briquettes on the way home but if you are using them on a regular basis as we all do, then use keep an eye out for them you shouldn't give me a ring or drop me a DM I could have got a Korea song down in the garbage
Unknown:I know for next time right?
Owen - Host:I did say to Dan because he did text me saying hi now I've run out of charcoal it's always bulk always bought by I at least buy for four bags ago every single time and I normally buy the eight kilos
Ian BBQ King:and I bought some a few weeks ago and and go outdoors have them on and there were only about 11 quid for eight kilos of five bags and MP again gym or local garden centre the 16 quid grenade kilo bag so
Owen - Host:exactly what I did exactly what
Ian BBQ King:I paid me five quid to become a member and then you get the discount as well but yeah, I think I've got I've probably got three bags left to be honest because we have I have I have used a bit of like quality toolkit as it were
Owen - Host:yeah it's amazing that when when they do go on sale because you are right there normally 1516 quid a bag actually somewhere like go outdoors when they're selling them for 11 pound 49 When you're buying a few bags you soon it's almost like you can't come back free it's worth keeping an eye out for sure scouring the internet to see what you can buy
Ian BBQ King:you know I know that little at the beginning of the show many of advertising all the blatant supermarkets here with little occasionally do bags like seven kilogramme for the price of five and they're well worth it because little they do burn pretty well also so yeah, we have you know we have a thoughtful Christmas Day was a huge giggle because for Christmas day when you were going to barbecue the turkey and Andrea said there's a you know put your present Can you put it in the garbage and sinners in this great big bag and wrapped it opens it's not too heavy anymore putting the carriage Christmas Day on that and it was like a whole turkey kit from Switzerland flame so it was it was long wood and very it had a piece of apple wood is well in it and it was something else can remember I think it was the lightest but I managed to get obviously got to live with a gas ignition system in any case and we did the turkey with a wetland flame on the on the you know on the long cord and that was quite smoky but by it was lovely. It was really really nice.
Owen - Host:Isn't the first time you've done your Christmas turkey on the bar but
Ian BBQ King:not after two or three years. That was first time we've done it on a rotisserie because we're just I just bought the rotisserie about three weeks before you know and it wasn't the first time we've used it but first time we've certainly not in Turkey but yeah we've done in Turkey for the last three years probably the turkey on the on the older 47 centimetre one. It's in the past as well.
Owen - Host:What do you think of the rotisserie cuz I got one for Christmas. My wife bought me one for Christmas. I've only used it once so far but I'm actually due to click on it tomorrow. If brilliant
Ian BBQ King:and when it really is yes I'm a convert. It is a bit of a chew to set it up. And when we've got we I've got outside power. So that's a that's a bonus of local butcher. You've told me how to how to put butcher's knots and stuff like that. So it works really well. You want to get it settled. You just leave it you know roast potatoes underneath if you if you consumed on a rotisserie. Put a tray of potatoes underneath. Oh, yes. The
Unknown:meat juices. Yes. Like you're talking about all these different types of cooks you do. You've already talked about the fact that you're not maybe smoking as much as some other people. Yeah, if you had to do like your perfect barbecue meal, start to finish starters, main course. Dessert any site or anything. What would it be?
Ian BBQ King:Right? Well, there you go. All the main course first, which is barbecue stuff, because I've got a signature starter, which isn't barbecue. But it would be a rib of beef. Yeah. And barbecue. So well. indirect heat. Yeah, you get your weather thermometer. You get it up to 57 degrees. I think that's about right for medium rare. Decent briquettes on certainly used web briquettes or Heat Beads for that river beef cooks just fantastically well. And it's uh, you know, we've got some friends who who come over and we've done river beef with them a couple of times, and they never cease to be amazed and one of the guys he he actually has his own. It's a posh cafe in Hall if there is such a thing as a posh cafe in halls. Which is possibly an oxymoron in itself. For now Mark runs out runs. He owns this this Bistro, and we've done river beef a couple of times. And when you cut it off when you know because the thermometer works, you know it's gonna be right. Yeah, so remember beef, roast potatoes underneath. They Fabiola roast potatoes, and stick those in and they really take care of themselves. calculon the euro. I'm a massive fan of cavalor Nero parscale. But my wife wife, anger takes care of that. And the kitchen just cooks it off in a bit of butter. Been a mash carrot, or pretty simple stuff, really. So that's what one of our main calls starter. It's got to be a prawn cocktail, which has got so far in barbecue, but I he says blown his own trumpet. I make the most amazing prawn cocktail. And it's very 70s. And now we don't you know, we don't know black farmers get off or put in just the completely Onsala you know, I make it all from scratch. get decent bronze. It's mayonnaise. It's tomato sauce. It's Tabasco paprika. What's the source? A bit of lemon bit of brandy? Boy, it works well. So yeah, I'm a 70s 60s child, but probably late 70s When I got some interest in cooking, and yes, I make I mean prawn cocktail. everyone goes home happy with my prom cocktail. So yeah, it will be prawn cocktail, river beef, roast potatoes, not too many vegetables served on a decent plate and happy days.
Unknown:So you said the prawn cocktails your signature, if like that. That's what you're known for. Yeah, we'll come back to that later.
Ian BBQ King:recipe isn't quite patented. There's never been an additional one.
Owen - Host:So actually, what else would you obviously you're talking about your ultimate meal there. So another thing that we like to talk about in the podcast as well as obviously All Things Barbecue and food. We're also interested to hear what what drinks you know, go go with your barbecue. So for example, what are you drinking? We're drinking tonight you
Ian BBQ King:so it's nearly gone now but I'm drinking Bulevar Bodvarsson me, I'm 16 and a half stone for a reason. And that's funny because I drink too much lager. It went to the supermarket today and it was bought var and it also bought some San Miguel. That is my lager of choice.
Unknown:That just reminds me of Prague. Oh in for his stag do we went to Prague and that was one of the main beers over there that we just enjoyed the whole time that I'm a father as well as a bit star but it's a great beer and quite often overlooked as well because I think people quite often see it see the word buttered and just go now I've had bad boys before
Ian BBQ King:know what the domain each other do they know have you looked at the history of football and Budweiser playing for like standard prom and as well, but that is my drink of choice. So yes, I'm allowed the boy no longer allowed. Calling a Foster's guy. So everything that I got from San Miguel today, going back San Miguel, we had a we had a I don't know whether you had looked at my pool. From last night on whether you liked it, but we had some of the box food last night, because we've promised ourselves and locked down, we're gonna have one of these takeout box foods every month. And we had one and it was the best thing you could do with your clothes on last night. It was absolutely fabulous. We had three hours of fun cooking this stuff. And we should have had San Miguel with that, but I bought some San Miguel today, but it's a proper San Miguel, because you know they have reduced the ABV slowly but surely, but they've obviously got to gloat a bit and you've got San Miguel 5.4 ABV, so you got to be a bit careful with it.
Unknown:That they've been a lot of these loggers. They've been pulling them down in the UK because the alcohol tax, but they're still the original percentage abroad. So depending on where you buy your beer from, if you start buying it online, keep an eye on that because the taste difference is surprising.
Ian BBQ King:Oh, yeah, I can I can believe it. I know that got me I'm in this this sound to go on Tesco there and they're not gonna know that at five quid for eight cans. I'm not a big believer in for 40 milk cans. I don't know why it's personal choice. I didn't look on the internet to see what the difference is in text. And there's no difference in taste at all, but I think there is. So they were knocking out these cans and Amanda before, you just got to be careful with it. But there just seems a glut of it. And it's that 5.4 ABV. So as long as you're careful. And you're not drinking on a school night in great quantities, then, you know, it works. It works quite well.
Unknown:Well, we also talked about what we're drinking. So if we're going to talk about ABV, I'm currently drinking. regular listeners will know that I am a three drinks person for this podcast. That's my rule. I have three drinks on the go. I always start with an Irish Coffee because you want to set the mood right and get the caffeine going. By I'm currently drinking a 10 year old freak whiskey. So 43% So a bit like the San Miguel, you will be careful how much don't don't drink 330 mil 330 mil of this. But it's beautiful. And it's quite peated which brings just a completely different feel. But I haven't barbecue today, which is sacrilege on a Saturday. But it's got it's got a peated feel and slightly smoky and it's just reminiscent and that's why I wanted it. Just just the smells reminding you of that side of things.
Ian BBQ King:Whiskey is not for me. I must have had a bad experience in your childhood at some point, as we've all probably been there and done that doubt I'm just not a whiskey fan. It's obviously along with Pernell it's somewhat I still like no, but along with Bernal and whiskey, you know, I've obviously had a bad chip on it at some point when in my youth and you know, whiskey just doesn't they would for me but you're right my my sister's partner, he's a huge single malt fan. And we're lucky enough in the the the small town next to where we live. Not only was a one merchant who's brilliant, but just recently there's a a gin shop open but they do that they do all small batch gins and whiskies and everything else. And it's you know if you want to like buy a present, where it's not going to be Glenfiddich, but it's a small batch kind of stuff. Yes, it's a real go to place costs an arm and a leg, but Paco is my sister's partner. So yeah, so it's Christmas out no problem at all.
Unknown:Well, the beer that I'm drinking, of course, like Hobgoblin. Oh, ah, okay.
Ian BBQ King:Yeah,
Unknown:I'm quite mixed on them. I had the Ruby a few weeks ago, and I wasn't a fan. But I've got the IPA. So it's 5.3%. I wasn't even aware they did an IPA. To be fair.
Ian BBQ King:I didn't think they would have done either. It's a common problem. I wouldn't wouldn't have them down. Is it? An IPA kind of Brewer is
Owen - Host:massive at the moment. Yeah, a lot of people do IPAs.
Unknown:It's a nice middle ground though. Because you've got the punchiness and the depth that comes with a hobgoblin beer sometimes it's too much for people, but the sweetness that you get from an IPA balances almost perfectly. This almost to me doesn't quite feel like an IPA in a good way though. It stands out
Ian BBQ King:5.3% as well as we were in Vietnam, I forgotten what I'm saying to go abroad but we're in Vietnam probably three years ago I lose track forest as my it is, you know, our go to holiday destination. The huge fans of IPA in Vietnam. Wow.
Dan - Host:I wouldn't have guessed that I would not
Ian BBQ King:know. It's it's staggering. You go to Bangkok and they brew they brew brew dog and Bangkok for example. And those bars there The massive craft beer fans in, in Vietnam it was, you know, tomato in Malaysia as well as my 16th birthday last January. And we went to went to Penang and went the Penang and Singapore was brilliant, a good time. You know, happy days all around. Well, for my actual 60s, we ended up in just a long stadium downtown downtown Penang in a in a bar, and it was selling a huge range of craft beers cost an absolute arm and a leg and then it was expensive parts of beer that I've had. And I think that probably happened to be a picture of it somewhere because it cost about 20 quid again, it's staggering that there is certainly in the Far East. There's a there's a huge passion for craft beers, and not just your your mass produced BrewDog stuff which ultimately BrewDog is because that itself out but yeah,
Owen - Host:so talking about craft beer, so I normally try a different beer each each week for the podcast. Well, that's a good so today I am drinking. It's from Freedom brewery, it's a pills. But it seems to be a collaboration with eyeball brewing. It says release number one. So I think it's quite new, but it's in partnership with flavour li it's really nice. Really, really nice. So smooth. It's 4.4%
Ian BBQ King:which is a way isn't it? Yep,
Owen - Host:it is. So they're saying that it's a bromance between European and American hops. Yeah, take my hat off. It's from after last week's last week. I had a coffee cold coffee brew. II and it was a bit a bit touch and go. Yeah. To me. It took me like the whole duration of the podcast to drink it and and some, but this one is yeah, I really recommend this one.
Unknown:Yeah, I I've had that beer before. And I like I mean, I like a pilsner anyway. But it's a beaut. Like it goes down. Well, it tastes good. That's the type of beer where in the summer, if you were sat outside, you would drink that like a lemonade.
Ian BBQ King:Which is dangerous. Yeah. Because you drink it in the afternoon. You get round off past nine at night. And yeah, that's not a good combo. Is it? What it does? When it gets nice every single candidate you have
Dan - Host:an exam refreshing and refreshing, which is
Owen - Host:safer, though, I've normally had so much barbecue food while drinking those beers during the afternoon that I think I get full before I get drunk.
Ian BBQ King:It is Ender's Game, isn't it? Because we do like half decent wine as well. And we do have the occasional bottle of champagne. But you like the barbecue? And you know if six cans in beer was ready to open the champagne and then you wouldn't know when you wake up on a Sunday morning. What on earth happened there and you you know the bottle of champagne and there's a nice bottle of red and then there's six cans of Budvar lurking around as well so
Owen - Host:and that's why you don't see many skinny pitmasters all the all the food that you're eating it's you Yes. Can't not wash it down with a beer Kenya. Yes. Well,
Ian BBQ King:I'm never going to be 12 stolen and all that never ever gonna happen. I have it's the the barbecue community in America. It is it does amuse us. And I do. I do have a reason why the followers in America, and most of them have beards. And most of them weigh probably about the same as me as well. So it's a certain stereotype. But you know what, it's not a bad stereotype.
Unknown:You You talked about how long you've been cooking and on that particular barbecue, you've got the moment for four years. So you've had a lot of time to kind of work your way through different cooks. What sort of experimenting do you do on the barbecue? I mean, do you tend to stick to what you know in like now after four years, or do you push the bar every so often and force yourself to
Ian BBQ King:we do experiment and as an example last week, and we're great cheapskates as well, I think it's because my wife's from Yorkshire Andrea's Andrea is a geezer a tight Yorkshire girls will be the first to admit it. But last week, and we have got a few good books. But last week we had called and peach skewers and they were just they were just grilled over direct heat. And man they were amazing. Absolutely amazing. And you know you it's one of my work colleagues in a different in a different branch aware of work when he was in common pizza will never go and it was just fabulous. So yes, we do experiment we do a dish which you could probably cook inside, which is it is cooked on paper. Piette which is follow posture deaf Jordy like me, but it is cooked on puppy yet. And we do a a monk fish dish with lemon grass and golden and milk and chilies and various other bits and pieces with some problems and and that that turns out fantastically well. So yeah, we have got you know, I've got a DJ BBQ book and I've got some Weber books and as you probably have as well, so we're not trying to go off piste. And yeah, we've had we have one or two disasters, as we've probably all have. Yeah, on the whole, on the whole, you know, things work out pretty well. Occasionally our friends around the world for practice first, but I'm not frightened just to go for it. So yeah, we are its own people you see from my, from my site, it's a pretty eclectic mix of the different things that we have on there.
Owen - Host:Tell it tell us about something. Tell us about your barbecue fails. Right? The things that didn't go so well. That didn't make the Instagram right. Well, I
Ian BBQ King:had one. We had one a couple of weeks ago. Actually. I was talking earlier about some of the boxes that we get. Andrea had a look at this. It was that was on Sunday brunch. That guy was on Sunday brunch. And it was a it was like a Peter Peter bread was only a flat bread with bacon and god knows what else and it looked beautiful on Sunday brunch and fairness. So we ordered set box thing and Nan and from the minute I started it just went horribly wrong. So put it on a I did the bacon on the on a skillet. direct heat turned me back the bacon was just charred. Absolutely. John only making 25 quid we're not going to get back. And she was not happy. So I said, Well, I'll go to the Tesco darling, and buy some more bag. And so I did that. And as I did that, the by the time I got back from Tesco, though the heat had gotten out of the bubble. The flatbed were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. So that was a that was a proper disaster. But we did try it the next day, albeit not on the barbecue. And we'll learn from it ourselves. And it was perfect. The other real disaster which happened before any of the cooking occurred. We had a street party where we live there's there's five houses and that was frankly possible you're on private road and it's not really possible because not and it was a just coincided that it was wife's 50th Was someone 65th There was someone 70 years and the next door neighbours were getting married right at some street party. We know that he likes the barbecue, so marvellous. So he will do the barbecue and and was slicing some food on the mandolin.
Dan - Host:See, I can see let's just go in Yeah, what's
Ian BBQ King:the next thing you know Bosh finger and off it? Come on. There's still a little bit missing. What else down the way any one of the lady who was 63 actually worked at the hospital. So to the right, where you're still barbecuing, and so we need to get you in straightaway. So she caught me off to me. Everything was done stitched up and whatever. And I was back within a couple of miles certainly an hour and a bit regular back on barbecue duties in you know, there was there was yeah, there was a lot of blood. So and it wasn't just from the meat. It was not a good one. My daughter Charlotte told me mentioned that. You know, you said you've got to get that in dad because you know, yes, you go to a barbecue and what if I want to do disasters? So
Owen - Host:how was the cooking after after you got your finger back?
Ian BBQ King:We started a very successful day. We had a pizza oven on as well. And you know just kept knocking the pizzas out. I think we did lamb on the barbecue as well because lamb so well. Barley kebabs. But yeah, it was it was a really, really good day. And we've been well when when lockdown ends whenever that is. We're not done ends we're going to have another street party. And hopefully my barbecue skills have moved on a bit since then.
Unknown:Well, I always say if we're going to ask our guests barbecue fails, I have to share my own because I've got one so long, so long. I've always got something to share, but you've bought one to mind to me perfectly. And if any of my university friends are listening to this, they're probably going to know What I'm going to say and B are already cringing. So this would have been about 12 years ago at university and I bought a load of burgers from one of the like butcher vans that you can sometimes get like car boots and everything. And they were frozen. So we brought them back we wanted to put them straight away on to one of the like instant barbecues. This was before I kind of knew what I was doing as well. I just thought I need to get these separated but I don't want to use them all so I'm not going to defrost the whole pack. So what stupid muggins here did was got the sharpest knife you could find try and slide it in between some of the burgers and then twist it to pop it out. Yeah, twisted it separate them but I was leaning on it. So I went went straight down and the knife went into the top of my thumb like all of COBIT but it was a sharp sharp tip knife. So I dug into the bone and the knife was stuck straight up there wasn't much blood or anything because it was impacted. And it took like it took about three or four minutes for me to be able to focus because when I realised what I'd done I was quite almost
Ian BBQ King:I would have been horizontal at this point.
Unknown:But it took a combination of two of us to get the knife out of my thumb because it was proper jammed in it did bleed a lot but being a university student we weren't like as go to a&e or anything like be fine we find lots of pressure patched it up and just kept on going with it but I've got a scar on the top of my thumb from it now. Still Yeah, and you never ever try and separate or cut meat when it's frozen. No, no no no no I learned that the hard way at the age of 21 It's not always about cooking mistakes with barbecue fails either which I think people forget you've got to be so careful. I mean talking about knives. sharp knives are so important because a knife a blunt knife is the most dangerous tool for any chef whatever you're doing.
Ian BBQ King:Yeah. Well I've got a bit of a have another thing about knives I didn't get as a Christmas present or fully five years ago now a set of Japanese knives and the really good but things have moved on a little bit. So I have got a web carving set which I bought just a few weeks ago and really didn't need because I've got a signature chef's knife from block knives. I don't really have come across block knives they certainly haven't been bit they certainly there aren't instead if you look at just block knives BLK knives, and they they do supply some of the top restaurants and other cheapest in the world. But boy there they are. They're really good knives and they will personalise them for you. So mine again you possibly seen the pokes that will say Ian Jake's the barbecue King on my on my block knives knife, it's a proper piece of kit handforged we're going to go down to see them and actually I think the best and Darby and when we're out we're locked down we're gonna go down there but I did buy an MRI we're being sent over paring knife and they have a Friday sale. But you've got to you know you literally go on there and they're gone within seconds. But the advertisers paring knife on Wednesday night and the power of Instagram and it just shows I'm 61 shouldn't really be doing this but I'm an I Am I the end the guy is called Ben that block knives they haven't been updated very quietly given the wife was in the room and all the rest of it. And I ended up with said parent life and it was Valentine's Day present. And it turned up the day before Valentine's Day came to the post and it was all nicely packaged and brought upstairs and there you go darling. And on the packages head cinder block knives. He got me an idea
Owen - Host:in this room Mr. Price.
Ian BBQ King:The moral of the story is when the postman knocks at 29 on a Saturday morning, you should really put your glasses on and have a look to see what's on the on the package. But they are they are brilliant knives so yeah, I've got a full set of knives and you're absolutely right I've got a I haven't progressed to a butcher steel yet to sharpen them but I've got a sharpener that year just big was it backwards and forwards on so yeah, do keep an eye shop and I love them the knife skills have
Owen - Host:improved. I also think that if you've got some really good quality knives, they stay sharp for a long time anyway. Yeah, you're right I've, I've got worse stuff. Nice.
Ian BBQ King:Good brand. Yeah, I've looked at those before. Yeah,
Owen - Host:I've had them for years. And I've heard hardly sharpen them because then they're just so good. You know, and I've kind of gradually got more and more of them. And I've recently purchased a brisket knife just for that Justice coppery skit. But it's so good.
Ian BBQ King:It's like a it's like a big fork that when it's like you're like, bang it in the meat and then and then you cook with the other hand and I'll be looking at one of these. Is it something that in August I've got a decent carving fork is it something that will just stay in the drawer but it's almost something that you use in the garden? Someone did DM me what he was from America, and we're going to buy something online from America you know that maybe somewhere in the UK, but I think I'll probably be adding that to my collection in due course.
Unknown:See, for me my my knives that I'm currently using. We got I can't feel it's a wedding present or if it was after the wedding. You know, sometimes people give you money and we bought them with that. So they Richton Sheffield nice as well. Yeah. And as much as I do love them and I do sharpen them regularly to try and keep them kind of as fresh as possible. Sometimes you just want a new toy again some new knives because we've had them now for 10 years and they are great but you just want something different to play with. I'd love a proper brisket knife as well.
Ian BBQ King:Yeah Have a look on Google lock knives mentioned me to Ben and you know you might get some discount because you're gonna need it you know I was actually someone how much so Yorkshire war cry how and they will you know they will they will actually like time.
Unknown:It's some good advice you've given tonight and by the end of the show we'll definitely get you an ambassador for someone
Ian BBQ King:Tesco a little
Owen - Host:well, every little helps. Yeah,
Ian BBQ King:well the supermarket's are available. Yeah, exactly.
Unknown:You're not going off piste a little bit here. And we were talking about kind of good value deals and things. I for ages have really wanted. Komodo Joe right now. oldy do their own version. And once a year yeah, once a year that they release and famously they tend to sell out in two hours across the whole of the UK. I've been informed the next stock for this year drops on Wednesday. There I don't know. I don't know if you know this Oh, in the 350 quid. I am so tempted, because you know,
Owen - Host:with the Comodo what you get is a little littles version. Well, that oldies
Unknown:version of it, yeah. Oh, yeah. It's even called a Komodo. But it's spelt differently.
Ian BBQ King:Yeah, that's typical Aldi isn't it? Yeah. But I mean,
Unknown:you know with a Komodo Joe, if they're starting at 1800 quid you know what, again, you know, they really high quality and everything. But for 350 quid I'm thinking, is it worth a punt just to try it. Because their mouth like? I'm not saying that the Komodo Joes aren't six times better. But that's a ceramic egg style barbecue for 350 quid, which has got really high ratings if you look into it as well.
Owen - Host:But is it just just to jump in there? Kamado Joe Nakamoto I will
Unknown:put out hey, the reason I call him a commode show is it's because my wife says I must be Yeah, well, my wife says you must be crapping yourself. If you think you're gonna be buying one my brain always
Owen - Host:gonna save Good save. It's a
Dan - Host:Komodo. That's why
Ian BBQ King:one of my colleagues he people on last week on the back of my Instagram site really? Money. He spent two grand on one. Wow, yeah, that's a lot of money and as your food gonna be that much better than if you were cooking it on your existing setup. I don't know.
Unknown:They look like an amazing piece of kit. There's so much you can do with them. There's like three different levels of cooking. You've got the smoking aspect. The temperature control on them is fantastic. But like you said, you're talking about two grand.
Owen - Host:I recommend the Broil King Cake. Yeah, so good. Also weighs like 50 kilos. You ain't carrying that anywhere. Right? Yeah. It literally takes two people to lift it but yeah, it's cheaper than a Kamado Joe. I think they're about 750 800 quid, but they are awesome. Absolutely awesome.
Unknown:For listeners. I'd like to correct Oh, in Komodo, that's what we're calling them from now on. It's, there's so many interesting barbecue out there. I mean, I'm like you, I've been using a kettle for years. And I just want to try something different.
Ian BBQ King:I've been toying, and I've seen them, James Martin as a user of them, and the like a Japanese box. And they use Japanese charcoal as well, which costs an absolute arm and a leg. So it's probably in old money, that probably two foot by one foot. We're not the only new money, but that's the size of them. But and I look online, and they are about for half decent on the 500 quid. Probably only as good as a chocolate that you use as well. A bit the no barley no better than my, you know, my Weber Weber go anywhere, which still sitting in the garbage?
Unknown:Is that difficulty? Because there's a lot in a brand. And always say a brand is a well known name for a good reason. Because it is yeah. But to what extent do the levels change with the amount of money that you're putting in? And how much are you actually paying for the name as well,
Ian BBQ King:you look at Weber, Weber convert, and it's good kicking in mind sat in the garden for four years now, we bought the cover. But in reality, we don't use the cover because we use the barbecue every time and you can probably go wrong because it's still too hot, sits in the garbage. But it's those no real signs away. And I do look after it. I do clean it. And there's different schools of thought. And when we went to barbecue school, the guy there from Weber was saying I don't clean the grill, don't clean it out. And I was actually mine religiously. But I do clean it on a regular basis. And I keep it like that way. So it is a good brand name. The quality is good. I'm sure it says that it's the design in America, but they are manufactured in the Far East and then nothing wrong with that. I think for the money. The money we paid for ours. It's a fantastic durable better kit and it does everything that I wanted to do.
Owen - Host:contacted through the meat & Greet BBQ podcast Instagram page by one of our listeners and followers Craig today and he was actually asking about is the end goal of barbecuing to get the most equipment and the most reliable results? Or is it you know, as you kind of upgrade? Do you kind of lose the kind of wrongness of barbecue? Magic? Yeah, exactly. And he's actually talking about that he was looking at purchasing a Kamado but he hasn't actually done any sort of keeping with his kettle, the more kit and technology you have, does it kind of lose the magic of barbecue? At what your what your guys thoughts?
Ian BBQ King:I think it's still about the fire. You know, in my proper life, I'm an insurance broker. And I love fire, which is such a bad thing. But you you just been and I'm not a pyromaniac far from it. But you just can't beat when the calls are alight. And you know, you could have the most expensive piece of kit but at the end of the day if you've got a decent car and great and there's just the magic of the of the fire that's what I like and yes, you know, cuz I'm a Weber convert we've got Weber gear I can see myself spending two grand on a Komodo I'd say me cell phone kind of save yourself spend two grand because I don't think you know it's you're in a marginal gains country aren't you like, like Dave Brailsford, from from British Cycling and I don't think the marginal gain is takes away the the the magic of the the primaeval kind of fire and mass that's what I see it. That's a bit thing heavy, wasn't it?
Unknown:So for me this three favourite parts of using the barbecue for me. So part one, and the way I currently fire up is with one of the starters. Yeah, like the starter chimneys. And when that takes off, and you can you can hear the fire on it and you can see it and it's it's alive and then you're you're putting it into the kettle and you're you're moving things around and you that is fun. You know what you're doing and the smells are already starting and it's exciting and it's if you've got like little kids running around borderline dangerous as well which is always fun. Do you have that, then you have the sizzle. So it depends on what you're cooking. If you've got something that's gonna be direct, or if you've got something you're gonna use are plancher. Or even if you've been like reverse hearing, that sound is glorious. When you move on there and you turn around and everything, just it's a beautiful noise. And then the final thing is like actually cutting into whatever you've done, like getting the end result. You're right thermometers make it so you know, what you're getting is going to be right. But even so part of me thinks, what's this gonna look like when I cut into it? And it's that excitement? So? Yeah. And if you just take barbecuing on those three aspects, then looking at the equipment you're getting, if it makes achieving those things easier, then I'd argue no, it's not taking the magical way. But part of the experience I have at the moment on the kettle, is I have to keep going back, I have to keep going outside, I need to check where it is how things are going, is it holding the temperature? Do I need to add more charcoal? Do I need to add more wood? Is it quietly picking up the heat and I'm going to lose the effect that I'm looking for? Or is the heat losing it and I'm not going to get the type of effect I want on like vegetables, whatever. And there are amazing pieces of kit out there, which will do all of that for you keep the temperature perfect. You can. We've had previous guests talk about the fact and I am jealous that they can go to town on a six hour cook and control it from their phone. But that is the magic surely from being there the whole time. So in that case, yes, I would agree with the question. It does take
Owen - Host:I mean, Craig has said, you know, there's something satisfying about the process of working with a normal kettle without temperature controls and other tech. And General some some extent I agree, I think it's like there's the Weber connect, isn't there the app that for me is too much technology, take away the kind of prime allistic element of what you said about just the fire and the cooking. And actually, you you have to keep even if we use, you know, thermometers, you're still involved in it. Whereas if you're just looking at an app, it is just kind of taking something away. But on the other side of things, I actually do think it's not that we just go out to get the best equipment. And I do have, you know, a fair amount of barbecues and quite a good, what I'd like to say is quite a good setup without a shack, which is the next thing but for barbecue
Dan - Host:Oh, yeah.
Owen - Host:But I think it's important to actually get good quality equipment to start with, you know, I think that will, to some extent improve your your cooking, if you can do it on good quality equipment, good quality knives, quality charcoal or briquettes or lumpwood, or whatever it may be. greats, you know, if you go to, you know, being Q and buy a 1015 pound barbecue, the likelihood is you're not going to get the same quality as if you bought something of, you know, more expensive and more well established. So I think there is kind of a bit of a middle ground in that. You get some good good equipment and you enjoy it. Without going to tech, you know, to tech based, I have a
Ian BBQ King:look at the the Weather app just a couple of weeks ago, not shy, shy, add this to my collection. And, and I thought I didn't have a good look. And I gave it some thought, You know what I actually quite like lifting the lid of the catalogue, or we come up with or in, it's reached 71 degrees for chicken, it's reached 56 or whatever for medium rare beef, or 63 for lamb. And if you've got your app, and you're sitting in your kitchen, when for the app to tell you that you know your meat Stone, you may as well put it in the oven in the kitchen. It's all about I agree outside for me.
Unknown:Do you know what I for Christmas, my father got me a wireless thermometer. And I think it's called the inkbird brand. And what I like about it is it's two separate probes he put in two different parts of the meat or you can do it on two different things if you're cooking with it. And it'll give you kind of like the live temperature readings of the internal temperature as you're going along. Yeah, but you can set it to recommend you go check every so often and have a look. And occasionally it'll actually come up on my app. I don't know if it's some weird setting I've got access. Don't forget to enjoy the cook which is lovely because it actually forces me to go out and keep checking Even though you've got the actual live kind of data feed, if that makes sense, I love it, it's definitely improved my cooking on on the barbecue.
Owen - Host:So I've got a firm that pen again, which is fantastic meat thermometer, thermal pen for and I've been using it for ages. But actually I the main things I use it for like brisket. I used it when I did some pork tenderloin on the barbecue a couple of days ago. And I use it for stuff that there's not much margin for error. So you know, like that pork fifth pork tenderloin, if you do it too high, you will completely dry out and ruin it. So you know, I want to make sure that it's it's optimum temperature. But I actually don't use the meat thermometers that much, you know, if I'm cooking chicken, I just kind of go by the look and the look of it. And kind of just in the back of my mind. Well, actually, this has been on for about an hour and a half hour and 40 minutes and just almost feel my way through it. And that's where I think sometimes a tech can kind of take that away.
Ian BBQ King:But it goes back to barbecue school, doesn't it? And the guy said, What you need is a thermometer because you know i Yes, you get the odd fail. But if you leave a chicken on for too long, and you know you, you then get in and rested. And it's tough as old boots. Yeah. The moment
Unknown:Yeah, it's also about knowing your audience and who's going to be eating it. So my wife who is the main person I cook with oh four I should say particularly during lockdown. Obviously, when I cook chicken to what would be like conventional temperature and take out on rest it it's almost sound strange to say she almost too moist, she almost wants it a bit firmer. Because if you're if you're roasting a chicken, that is definitely a different temperature to if you're roasting that chicken indoors in your oven to what supermarkets tell you to do, compared to if you're doing it properly to temperature on a barbecue over a longer period of time then resonate correctly. So part of it is understanding what people want and who you're cooking for. And sometimes, being obsessed with the temperature from a meat thermometer takes that away. Because your app or your brain goes bang on temperature take it off. And you need to learn to depending who you're cooking for leave it a bit longer even if it goes against your heart. But everyone has a different opinion on how food should be think of like the different levels of steak and how you want your meat do you want to Blue John at Red? Do you want it medium rare? Joining medium John at medium well? Or are you gonna blaspheme and have it well done. But everyone has a different opinion. And again, been obsessed with the meat thermometer can take that away a little bit. I think personally,
Owen - Host:as long as you're cooking the meat safely though,
Dan - Host:you have to make sure it's at very least above that minimum. At very Linda's M
Ian BBQ King:Have you spent you got four Phillips steaks at 10 on Depop. And you bring them in and they're all knackered and you got guests are they confused? He can't cook after all.
Owen - Host:Yeah. Craig, I hope that answered your question uncertainty on our thoughts. Yeah, what we what we feel about you know, technology and an equipment.
Unknown:Can I just say what a question. Did you mention his Instagram account? Or what's his Instagram account?
Owen - Host:BBQ wise, which is barbecue underscore W E. I S. Thanks for reaching out, Greg.
Unknown:Everyone go have a look because that's a great question. That person obviously is thinking about barbecue and I bet they've got some great stuff on their Instagram.
Owen - Host:Yeah, and in fact if obviously if anyone else wants to ask us any questions or anything for us to discuss on the podcast, reach out to us at meat & Greet BBQ podcast or use the hashtag meat & Greet BBQ podcast
Unknown:a very different question now for Ian I love the Instagram name where did you get the barbecue came from did someone name you it or was it just something that you take self pride in
Ian BBQ King:a bit of a bit of trial and error eventually came up with it and seems to work so
Owen - Host:if you got yourself a crown self
Ian BBQ King:up Jodie Champions League but now I just played around with a few things and ultimately I fully involved my daughter's on it you know Charlotte has changed my the the she did the logo for me which sits quite well it's out a few likes on it as well. And let's just start with me.
Unknown:I hope that if you have anyone cooking with you who's like an apprentice every so often you just say get get on one knee and then come night them With your signed barbecue King knife, engrave personalised, that's something you should definitely do going forward,
Ian BBQ King:give that a thought
Owen - Host:or not. What I'd like to like to do now is every week we like to set our guests a challenge. Okay, so this is barbecue bingo, we've kind of loaded up some different cooks different ingredients for you to try on the barbecue. So I'm going to spin a wheel. And then we'd love for you to wherever it lands on for you to actually then cook that, share it on your Instagram profile and as the hashtag barbecue bingo. Okay, we will then regram it post repost it for you get on social engagement, but we're really interested to see what you can cook.
Unknown:Also, I'll say this week, I've been tasked with coming up with these. And I was having a look at your Instagram and seeing the amount of different things you were doing and how you're jumping around. So I've tried to go for a huge eclectic selection. And this is this is the first week that I've put on there, your signature dish, and you've already told us to prawn cocktail. So if that comes up, I want a variation on your prom cocktail through the barbecue. Right? Okay, whether it's using the ingredients or whatever your interpretation is to a barbecue but see what happens. Spin that wheel.
Owen - Host:Okay, I am spinning the wheel fortune this. Oh, man. So he and your challenge for this week is to cook brownies on the barbecue.
Ian BBQ King:Right? I do you look Bordeaux, actually accept the challenge. Yeah, not gonna be thinking cap on. First of all, so don't need to see. Oh, man. I've watched them on MasterChef plenty of times and watch a crash and burn on that. Yeah, we'll give it a go. Yeah, it'd be good.
Unknown:Well, you've got thermometers, so you know when it's going to be perfect, but I was looking through what you've been doing. As I said, you have a huge eclectic collection of what you put on there. We've already talked about the pizzas and different bits and pieces. But one thing that I wouldn't say was lacking but I hadn't seen that much of was desserts. Is it something you just stay away from? Or? I don't I don't touch dessert on the barbecue and it's something that I've said I need to do more of which is the other reason why I like to put it on that wheel.
Ian BBQ King:Right well. Best dessert on the barbecue ever in my opinion but honours skims. So you do the minnows in the skin just snakes the top open stuff them with Mars bar
Unknown:with me back because oh he knows I hate bananas and before before we launched this podcast and oh in talked me down on this we were going to have a secret rule that if someone mentioned bananas that was it. But I'm sure there's great things you can do with bananas. I just I've never ever got on with like it's a joke in our work. It's a joke
Ian BBQ King:nowhere to put them in tin foil in the cooking their own skins. Yeah, the mod bar in meltdown. Bit of brandy on them. Bit of ice cream. Jobs are good.
Unknown:Now, what about awesome if I took the bananas out of that, and just melted brandy and Mark together ice cream on it?
Ian BBQ King:With pictures couldn't yet no peaches. One goes well, bananas, miles bar, Randy ice cream. Perfect.
Dan - Host:I need to grow up a bit. Because the more people I speak to about this, and I've never I've never had the guts to do it because I just I don't like the smell. I don't like the taste. I don't like the texture. I've tried them in like in smoothies trying to teach myself because I know they're healthy. And before the podcast, we talked about running. I know that bananas are one of the best things you can do if you do that sort of exercise. But I just I can't get on with them. However, maybe using them in desert this way or cooking them down and adding things to them would be an entry point for me. I don't know. I need to try it
Ian BBQ King:out. But my challenge your challenge now. Yeah, yeah,
Owen - Host:that's exactly what I was just about to say in I think for next week's episode. Dan. You should report back on what Bernard is up in this week. And also put it on your Instagram and tag me in. So we can say see if you complete your challenge.
Dan - Host:I've got I've got a week off this week. So that's either going to be seven days of different bananas. It's going to be one day of a broken man. And then we get over it for a week but I need to get over this mild phobia of bananas. I hate them. But there's so many popular dishes like banoffee pie everyone bangs on about banoffee pie being amazing. I need I need to get over this. I really do. I worry yourself. Do you have an ingredient that you hate?
Ian BBQ King:No. Don't like cheese no onion pie. And that's about it. Don't Nigerian pie and yeah, common thing and what don't like to make couscous. Couscous is Devil's Food. And kind of anything and what else in all fairness, because Because definitely devil spoon cheese and onion pie. That's a no no. Other than that. I'm pretty much on with everything.
Owen - Host:I mean, it's pretty good going consider all the foods.
Dan - Host:Not only that, it's very rare that cheese and onion pie will be an ingredient for another recipe. So you're probably quite safe with that as
Ian BBQ King:never gonna happen. Just make cheese onion pie not going to happen. Even most of us go with couscous.
Dan - Host:What about you? Oh, in? Do you have an ingredient that you just disagree with doesn't work for you.
Owen - Host:I've got quite a few to be fair, but lamb cannot do lamb. And fish. I'm not a massive fan of fish either. Let's go back. Yes,
Dan - Host:let's go back to lamb because I know Ian's talked about and I agree with him. It's a great meat to work with. And there's so many different textures and flavours that you can get out of lamb. What's your favourite way of cooking Lamin?
Ian BBQ King:Well, now he you know instead of ever before nearly I'd like alarm. So I would just do a leg indirect heat. Amen. You know, occasionally air stuff with a bit of garlic. We've got a butcher who will be bone and leg. And we've we've done that with with with cheese inside as well, which is not gonna work on those work. But I'm a bit traditionalist. Salt and pepper, bit of aisle. lamb leg. Job done.
Dan - Host:I've never heard of putting cheese in the middle of a leg of lamb be surprised
Ian BBQ King:yet you have a look. And it was not not just bits of Philadelphia or whatever. But it it worked really well.
Dan - Host:I need to try that. I need to try that.
Ian BBQ King:So it was in the Weber book. Maybe wrong. Suddenly. It's not the kind of thing you you'd make up. That was something that that did work really, really well.
Dan - Host:So do we give Oh, in the challenge of cooking with lamb this week?
Ian BBQ King:Yes, I think we should. Yeah, there
Dan - Host:you go. Yeah, we all have our homework.
Owen - Host:Thing is my wife and kids love lamb. It's just me. So I mean, I've cooked it plenty of times on the barbecue and lost you know, kofta kebabs and you know, lamb shisha and all that type of stuff.
Dan - Host:I just don't eat it, but I'll happily cook it. But try it low and slow. If you have four, it's so so different. Low and slow. It's a I always think it's a bit like venison in the sense that yes, it's got a strong flavour but there's so many different ways you can play with that meat that gives you a completely different outcome. And could could take a long playing with me as well.
Ian BBQ King:I chose not to say anything.
Owen - Host:I realise I'm a you know, an adult. But play with me just made me giggle.
Dan - Host:We have a section of this podcast that oh in and I like to call condiment corner. And I'm not even sure that we've mentioned that openly on on the podcast before. But from our point of view, we want to hear about your favourite rubs that you'd like to use on meats, whether they're homemade, or whether whether they're certain brands, but also your favourite kind of sources. If you have a go to that you want to use in most cooks. How would you even start on that, right?
Ian BBQ King:So I'm a traditionalist, and I like salt and pepper, which is you know, nothing wrong with that. So
Dan - Host:no staple staple, there's a reason that every single recipe for a savoury meal includes salt and pepper.
Ian BBQ King:So that's that's my goal too. But the other one that we use on a regular basis and it's my wife, Andrea, who makes it so I'll give her the credit for that. But we do it can do remix, which is which is just really ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika, garam masala and yoghurt. And that makes amazing, you know, tikka chops or on chicken skewers that kind of thing. Family doesn't take long to do. I don't know, I'd say the final result works fantastically well with lamb. You know, man's certainly the job for that. So that that is that is fantastic. And the other thing, which again, it's it tend to do it on chicken, but it's Piri piri very simple. oil and garlic, Julian lemon, salt, paprika. Could be smoked paprika, bit of brown sugar. And that that's fantastic on chicken. And you know what guys, that's about it as far as rubs and sauces go for me salt and pepper, Pika, and then the period period, there are three
Owen - Host:quality ones. Hmm,
Dan - Host:yeah, definitely. Are they sort of brands that you've tried? And you always come back to your mixes? Or is it just that why mess with something that works? So well,
Ian BBQ King:you want a quick answer on that one, we never really use any brands at all. Everything that we do is made from scratch goods, goods, going to Tesco or whatever we want. Let's have a look at this robot, whatever doesn't now doesn't happen.
Dan - Host:The reason is, last week, we were talking about this theory which I kind of buy into and that's the more experienced you get the more you'll settle on the flavours that you like and that will actually elevate your your skill levels because you'll learn to make more things that you enjoy and play with the flavours you're doing. And you waste less time playing with things that you don't agree with flavour wise, but improves your your level because you get into the nuances of the flavours that you enjoy and you enjoy it more Why mess if you know that you're gonna have a good meal, working with the homemade rubs that you're doing? Why try something else? I
Ian BBQ King:couldn't agree more. I couldn't be more and there's, there's loads of different you know, on Instagram, you see loads of different roles, and I've never succumbed I don't know whether I want to you know, the food that would turn out pretty good. The certainly the lamb with the tandoori mix on that it's fabulous.
Dan - Host:I mean, don't get me wrong at the same time as me saying that I am really currently enjoying the different angles and tweak rubs that I've got. But again, I've tried other rubs I'm currently enjoying those ones and I don't know when or if I will expand out because I'm enjoying them so much. Why mess with him?
Ian BBQ King:I'll give it a go. Let me give it a go and we'll report back
Owen - Host:to be fair, it talking about homemade. I can't probably about 5050 I do buy brands and I do enjoy some of the brand flavours you know, like like an Angus annoying core. Somerset seasoning, spice Handicare some other you know, so the other ones I've used, but actually, I've got quite a few and I think you've already mentioned Ian Weber cookbooks they've actually got a really good selection of rubs that you can make yourself at the back of their cookbooks Yeah, you don't always need to go out and buy them because you can make them yourself
Ian BBQ King:God that God is that will be my challenge as well as the brownies will have a gold some promise you guys
Dan - Host:well when you do let us know and we will share you're the type of person that will give your honest opinion if you think it's not worked for you you will say it I think it's important to put out there because as much as I love Instagram and the barbecue community is so supportive you don't tend to see that much where people are saying didn't quite work for me personally have I done this wrong? Should I be looking at this differently? And again when the reasons we like to talk about barbecue fails in this podcast is that is how you learn the most you learn so much more from making a mistake than you do from just going cook this brisket for eight hours. Salt Pepper works perfectly.
Ian BBQ King:But you like you and I nearly had no fingers though that was not to do a Rob's or anything mandolins
Dan - Host:and from my point of view, pure stupidity is a string we will have to learn somewhere right and both learn the hard way. Exactly.
Owen - Host:To be fair, I think anyone anyone that's done barbecue and if they had a pound for every time they burned their finger or Yeah, or nicked it i i send my arm hairs all the time.
Ian BBQ King:I did I did pick up just a few months ago, I did pick up a red hot grill with you know with my hands that hurt and that left a few scars for a while. Hmm. That was before lager as well. So,
Owen - Host:oh, yeah, I know that pain. Certainly hurt. Yeah.
Dan - Host:Well, you know what we've all You have a lot of questions. Do you have any questions for us?
Ian BBQ King:The question that is not burning away at me, I got one question. What made you choose me? very intrigued? Because I'm just like, the tough God lads who likes a bit of barbecue, who has an Instagram site, albeit with a few followers on. And all of a sudden they get a little email from your DM, or was a DM I think I got from you guys. And it did have a good smile about it. I'm just intrigued.
Owen - Host:Well, yeah, so I obviously I was the person that reached out. And actually for the exact reason that you've just said, Well, you know, myself and Dan, were just a couple of normal guys that just, you know, Cooking Cooking our back gardens, we have the same as you. You know, we started our Instagram is just a bit of fun just to document our cooks, were by no means professionals. And actually, what we want you to do is reach out to similar, you know, like minded people that are actually just doing it for a bit of fun. And this podcast, you know, we're, we're not doing this to become billionaires or you know, or anything like that. It's just, we're a couple of guys that love to talk about barbecue in and we're interested to hear what other people are doing. So you know, we don't the people that we're talking to over series, one has got a you know, some have got 1000 followers, some we've got 12,000 followers, but ultimately, no one's you know, not really professionals. It's just hearing from real people about real barbecue experiences.
Ian BBQ King:And hope I've given you an insight. My cooking skills have certainly come on in the last few years. My knife skills with the exception of the mandolin have come on. It just gives me a huge amount of enjoyment. Yeah, I've been out in the garden when it's been rainy and wet and everything. But at no point have a thought, you know, I don't want to be here. I've thoroughly enjoying every second of it. Maybe it's just because I love fire. But it's no that the barbecue community has been brilliant. And I've got to know some friends or two people DM me on a regular basis as I do to them. And I've just found it. Just, it's a great stress booster as well from the rigours of, of your your day to day life. And it's only an alter ego in the barbecue king. But it gives me a great deal of pleasure guys.
Owen - Host:Couldn't agree more. Yeah, I agree more.
Dan - Host:We had three rules when coming up to guests. Rule one, we had to enjoy their account. And it had to inspire us to look at different things and what we were doing and actually feel like, yeah, I want to see this dropping into my feed. Rule two, we both had to agree that we were happy for the other person to reach out to the person that we wanted to reach out to. And we've got 10 guests for this first series. And we've probably reached out to 13 people in total. And if all of those 13 people said yes, we would have had 13 guests put it that way. And the other rule that we had was that we wanted were as much as possible to feel like that Instagram account was honest. With so many
Ian BBQ King:years, yeah. You can see from the post self put on, yeah, someone wriggle so I'm just gonna like last a longer on some, hopefully, some decent food that's turned out there. But Mike's good at the pictures, which is really annoying. And I can and that gives us a big bit of a giggle as well. And all I need what me as only what began when it comes to the photograph in the posts. But it's just it's just good fun.
Dan - Host:I think that's what,
Owen - Host:that's what it should be. Yeah, yeah,
Dan - Host:that's exactly was gonna say I think you can tell from your account is a perfect example of this, because we've already luckily for us the way that the episodes have fallen. We've already interviewed a head chef. Yeah. And isn't that one, a brand ambassador? Yeah. And now a passionate home cook. And the three things that couples them together is the enjoyment of the cooking, and how much fun it brings them. And there's something to learn from every episode. And we're so pleased that this first series how it's panned out, there will be something everyone can take from every episode. Good.
Owen - Host:I also we hope, we hope Yeah.
Ian BBQ King:I do like I'm not drinking and violence a lot despite the fact on Mondays. I'm quite a shy person put on no drinking and violent and some people say I can talk the hind legs off a donkey, which is a god expression. But, you know, I find this most enjoyable and the minute you contact me, yes, I'm up for that. My girls are then gone, dad, you'll be good at that. And hopefully, hopefully have been half decent at that.
Owen - Host:Yeah, absolutely. Well, we said to you about, hopefully by the end of this, you'll be a brand ambassador for someone with the plugs that you've done. But save the best for last. plug yourself, let our listeners know where they can find your account. Yep, tell them tell them about your Instagram. Fairly simple.
Ian BBQ King:My Instagram account, it's in the BBQ king. And it's just about another death Jordy I've got some reasonable intelligence about a chap who is passionate about his barbecue and hopefully put some interesting posts on with off decent photography that people can enjoy. And I think that just about sums me up really?
Dan - Host:And is there anything else that either you've got planned or even from like, barbecue community point of view that you'd like to see more in the community and want people to be talking more about?
Ian BBQ King:Was a good question. It's interesting, I've got a probably half a dozen people who we we DM each other with. And that's my own little community within the community, I'm not going to name and shame them, they probably all know who they are. And, and they are. And there's, there's one guy who seems to be brilliant at everything he can brew, we can, you can bake, you can barbecue. And at some point, I will probably go and meet him when we're out a lockdown because he doesn't live that far away from where I am. You know, it's the overall community and and I love the worldwide stuff. But I also find that we can learn a bit from each other as well. And it's nice to be liked.
Dan - Host:And is there anything that you'd want to see more discussed in the barbecue community or more you'd like to see on Instagram that maybe you're not currently seeing?
Ian BBQ King:Didn't want to do don't think so. I think it's a big old community. And it's worldwide, whether the big, you know, heavy Americans with archetypal beards and their, you know, their beer bellies the same as mine, or whether it's people who are also, you know, achieving a bit of fine dining and the other end of the scale. I just love the eclectic mix of it all.
Dan - Host:We've discussed before in this podcast, that barbecue community is amazing. I genuinely think it's second to none on social media, really. And we can't wait for lockdown to be complete. And everyone will be able to start meeting up. Yeah, meeting in the local communities. And BBQ is all about cooking for people. And ironically, we've not been able to do that in the last year. So as soon as things start to open up, I think there'll be some really exciting events going on and being able to meet each other, but also the cooks are just gonna improve so much when you can get 567 of these fantastic pitmasters. Let's call them what they are over the last year, these pitmasters together, and they all have different signature dishes and skills they can bring to the table. Can you imagine what those parties are going to be like?
Ian BBQ King:I'm certainly well I look forward to it. And we'll definitely be stopping over when we're driving back. And yet, that's something that I will probably do that we have never been to a barbecue event. And it's something that's on the agenda for me. Most definitely.
Owen - Host:Will in it's been fantastic to have you here on the podcast. We'll hopefully catch up with you again soon.
Ian BBQ King:It's been an absolute pleasure loved everything that we've guys think about brilliant I look forward to listening to it.
Owen - Host:Right well thanks very much in Cheers guys. Thank you is
Dan - Host:thank you for listening to another episode at the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. You can find us on Instagram at the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Also on Facebook, very similar name you'll be able to find us and we just love talking all things a barbecue. A huge thank you to even the barbecue king. You can find him on Instagram, and his cooks are fantastic. It's really worth looking at his channel. I can't wait to see what Ian does on barbecue bingo this week. You can follow that on hashtag barbecue bingo. And also we'll be sharing it through our own personal accounts and Ian will be as well. We'd also love to hear from you. Please do DMS on Instagram or message us on Facebook to discuss anything you'd like if you have a question about barbecues. If there's a topic you'd like us to cover more, please do reach out. We love to hear from you. Please do like and subscribe. And if you really love what we're doing, give us a five star review. It really helps us reach more people. We have so much more planned coming up for you. But once again, thank you for listening
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