Hampshire BBQ

Dan - Host: 0:00

Today's episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast is brought to you by iOS outdoor kitchens. They are the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast.This episode we are speaking to Paul from Hampshire underscore BBQ, who has been cooking for years is an ambassador for Broil King is involved with sizzle fest but he'll go through all of that with us shortly. So without much further ado, here's Paul.Hi, Paul, thank you so much for coming to meat & Greet BBQ podcast. So Introduce yourself for anyone who might not know who you are.

Paul - Hampshire BBQ: 0:46

I gents first of all, thanks for having me on. It's absolute pleasure.My name is Paul. Mostly known through social media as Hampshire barbecue. That's typically on Instagram, some Facebook presence, but it's predominantly Instagrams.

Dan - Host: 1:00

Lovely and for anyone who hasn't had a look,pause the podcast have a look and the photography of what you're putting together on there is absolutely wonderful. I mean,just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and all the different color profiles as well. It's cool. Just what how did you originally get into barbecue?

Unknown: 1:19

Oh, hey, go seek us back. So yeah, probably 15years, I would say I cast my mind back 15 years. I grew up, I grew up I was an only child. My my mum worked full time, my dad was a fireman. And he was in London fire brigade. And I was often at home, you know, on my own for sort of days or days and weeks on end. So I was like that kid, you know, we'll just knock up a dinner on his own sort of latchkey kid, you know, and have a microwave meal or whatever it may be. And I was obsessed with fire as a kid. You know, I was also that boy that whatever bag and you know, taps or matches and things like that I was always trying to set something alight. I was always a foodie because I thought I need to feed myself and my mom bless her she could cook but she you know, it was always rushed and stuff. But I always I always really enjoyed food and wanted to get into it.As I got older, I was just kind of obsessed this this sort of,you know, this obsession with fire just sort of grew within me. And just I guess I probably just wanted to combine that so and years of really bad barbecue, like attending really bad barbecue as well. You know,we've all we all came through that learning process. But I mean, I've been to some horrific barbecues in my time. And I think that really sort of set something inside me to say we've got to be able to do this better. You know, you can't, you can't be able to cook really great food in in even in a domestic kitchen, but certainly a commercial kitchen and then not be able to replicate that,you know, in a barbecue whatever barbecue is You we must as a you know as the British race, we must be able to do better than the crap that were churning out sort of back. I don't know in the 90s and stuff when I when I first sort of started to get into barbecue.

Dan - Host: 3:17

Well just bad barbecue look like then from the nine to one talks about it. But for like our international kind of listeners.

Unknown: 3:24

The classic and he will never listen to this blessing but an older friend of mine, I remember he invited us around for a barbecue and there must have been 3040 people there. And he's got this he's got this I think it was a gas barbecue.There's nothing wrong with that.I do have a guest barbecue. We had a gas barbecue and he came out with a load of frozen burgers and frozen sausages in a bag and literally just empty these frozen meat on it and it was like tank tank tank tank tank tank tank. It was like it Foner sort of dinner service oh god everyone just sort of gasp it in real shock but this was this was the food that was going to be sort of served up to sorry that that sticks out in my mind as I think I was maybe 1819 At the time that sticks out in my mind is God this is horrendous.And then you know the classic right the cheap sausages that were just you know, thrown directly over fire that are just black. She and I burned to a crisp on the on the outside and then the inside is like this mushy pulp which doesn't even resemble real meat. Yeah, we didn't have a lot of Molly going up so yeah, we experienced it.Oh really? So yeah, that's that's probably as bad barbecue to me so burned into my memory.

Owen - Host: 4:53

What I've never understood and I've been to loads of bad barbecues where you're right you have that black on the outside pink in the in aside but the fear of it being undercooked and then they take you know they'll take off and put it in the oven

Unknown: 5:07

yeah

Owen - Host: 5:08

yeah you know so not only it's burnt already on the outside but then you're gonna go cook it for longer just because

Unknown: 5:14

we want to really dry this out right Cory corrugated cardboard feel yeah it's I don't know what it was I think there was this certainly in this country right BBQ has not not been around for as long as it has in other parts of the world certainly not to a decent level.But I think certainly you know growing up listening to sort of my parents and their friends and stuff is all you know need to be careful it was that kind of that fear of dodgy guts to be to be brutally honest. Everything was just everything was cremated. So yeah, I think I think that's probably where it was born from.And you know, if you fast forward to today, we didn't we didn't have the sort of technology like you know,instant read for monitors and things like that. It was you know, it was any sort of meal,you know, people were looking at the instructions on the packet throwing it in the oven for however many minutes it said to cook it for. So yeah, I think it was born from there. But yeah,I've witnessed and pretty,pretty shocking barbecue. I must admit, I know, you know, I'm not I'm not completely innocent from that. I think on many occasions,we will probably come up to we've all got it wrong. It's part of the process. And so

Owen - Host: 6:29

yeah, we definitely will come on to that. We won't we won't go straight into it now. But stay in it. Yeah. So kind of your start that journey,the start of your journey then.So you've like you said, you've already had that love of cooking and you know, making fires from a young age. So when when it came to your first barbecue,what did you go for first? What was your first piece of equipment? I

Unknown: 6:51

was trying to think back actually before today. So I actually remember the first barbecue that I ever bought was this Outback, you remember outback. And it was a it was a charcoal barbecue. And it actually looked thinking back at the time I thought yeah, this is the real deal. I have made it in life. I've got this Outback barbecue. And it was cast iron grill grates again, which is which is good. I really like but it was just like a flat top, and it had to sort of shelves, but had no lid. So you were just grilling that that was you know,that was all you could do. So even back then, you know, I didn't really know about you know, indirect and direct and stuff. So I was just essentially replicating all the crap that you know, I'd been moaning about for years anyway. So that was my first ever barbecue is this Outback thing, but I had no cover and ice just leave outside in my first my first flat like I moved into after college. And it just rusted to pieces within like one winter as you're just looking at, that's gotta go. So I then I then when the route that most people go in, I bought myself a Weber kettle and this was an old Weber kettle when they were, you know, solid,really solid. And I had that for10 plus years. And it was holding on in the end there. But I mean it still it was you know,it was solid. It was made in America. It was it was a good bit of kit. And I cooked I cooked a lot of food on there.Good and bad. Yeah, and that I probably got that. That must have been 2010 I bought that in2012 to 2009 2010 I bought that and it's it's not long gone. I probably sold it two three years ago. I think I just gave it away Actually, it wasn't it wasn't it didn't hold any value at that point.

Owen - Host: 8:51

So you see, you've been doing barbecue for quite some time then.

Unknown: 8:54

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm really mid 40s So yeah, I've been around the block a bit you know be barbecuing for a while.

Owen - Host: 9:03

Day over 25 I've been doing

Unknown: 9:10

this I've got spill overs and things and whatever but no, so yeah, I think barbecued a while and as I say that that that Weber kettle that started to really change things for me having a lid for one you know okay you know I'm starting to work some stuff out now and I can control you know air vents and temperature and stuff and then I reckon crikey must have been a no five six years after that. I've got a Weber Smokey Mountain the big one which I'm which I kinda liked in my head it was before I bought this thing I thought this is a this is this is the simpler pathway to to everything will be amazing barbecue. And it wasn't quite it didn't quite work. out that way.I did like it. But uh, you know,I think what it did is it sort of whet my appetite for the next level, you know, it got me hooked on. What started out as barbecue for me was very much a social event. You know, I do like to socialize a lot, I've got a big family now. And friends and stuff and for me barbecue is a social thing. It's about getting friends and family round, you know, when when we can in this country, and just having a good time, you know,with you know, drinks and music and great food and stuff. And so, yeah, going back. I think the Smoky Mountain was okay, I can I can take this up a notch and I can start to deliver some some really good barbecue. And on occasion, it was, you know,I'm not gonna lie, there was some there was an attic garbage in there as well. I think I've struggled with with with that unit was if anyone's ever had one, which I'm sure lots of people have what I struggled with the door leaked,

Dan - Host: 11:06

like, Owens literally talked about this on the show with

Unknown: 11:09

his door just leaks like, I don't know, like a nakid washing machine. And what is really annoying me was the lid,why not make the lid go over the base instead of go within it because whenever it rains, it just catches all of the crap and whatever, it just sat in there and that used to just rust and get all sorts of grimy and yeah,as you can see, I actually sold it I sold it a few years back to the wall shack? I don't know.Yeah, let go from nothing, but he loved it. I think he's he's modded it and put some fancy door on and replace the lid and whatever. That was, that was my kind of entry into into proper barbecue smoking. But yeah, I think sort of going off on a tangent slightly. But coming back, coming back to the point for me, initially was a was always about bringing people together, and having a good time and, you know, being been being sociable. And yeah, that kind of stuff. And it just, I think after that, it just it became to get a little bit it become a little bit more serious for me,not not in like a serious stressy way, but in a bit of a geeky way. You know, I was doing I found myself doing more research and buying books and,you know, similar to my career really in, in, in real life. You know, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't come out of school in college with anything particularly impressive at all.But I always I always learn in a more practical way. So if I didn't know how to do something,I'd go and find out. I teach myself how to do it, you know?And it's the same with barbecue.You know, I didn't. I never went to any sort of culinary school.I've never had any experience working in a restaurant or pub or anything like that, but I thought I can I'm sure I can do this. It can't be that difficult. Right? It really can't. It's just food and just temperature and controlling whatever heat sources. And so it's just literally just trial and error trial and error and things gradually started to get a lot better. And now when I bought when I bought Trager before traders were that call.Everyone took the piss out to the pizza we provided Trager and the people that took the piss out of me. And now people with triggers

Dan - Host: 13:42

seems to happen a lot I think people always see triggers as almost like Easy Bake ovens. And then when they actually when they get the chance to actually get their hands on them and play with them and toy with them. They realize actually what a special a bit of kit they are.

Unknown: 13:56

Well this is it and it's you know, I say tray guys,you know it's a pellet grill at the end of the day. But what you know, I've got a big family now I've got you know, I've got a lot of children and killable Telly instead of a Trager. I just saw the purist in me wanting to spend like crazy money on an offset. But I knew there was no way on earth. I was going to sit there, you know,every weekend, through the night feed in a fire box. It's just not it's not going to happen.Especially if I've got friends around and we're all having a drink and things you know before we know it, who knows what's going on. So, so I did research and I nearly you know I nearly went for ceramic and I toyed etc. And in the end of this this kind of pellet grill that was you know, growing in popularity,just seem to sort of strike a chord with me. I feel like I can do this and doesn't seem like a lot of work.So yeah pointless Trager And that changed the game for me to be honest, the pellet grill.I instantly sort of fell in love with being able to use a pellet grill. And he as I say this this was before pellet grills were particularly popular, or they certainly weren't very cool. And I had the Easy Bake Oven comments. I had the you know,all those memes about guys, you know, with pellet grills where you know, knickers and things like that. And but yeah, it was great. And I really started to knock out some good food on there. And I enjoyed it up until I sold it. I mean, it didn't have it for long. Turns out, you know, I kind of bought it. And I think I only had it for about six, seven months. But I sold it because of because basically, I was approached by Brookings to go and be an ambassador from Burger King. And obviously, that changed things considering they've got their own Pellet Grill. So yeah, so you know,there's, there's no point there's just sitting there sort of gathering dust, it's a really good piece of kit, sold it to a really good friend of mine who uses it like three or four times a day. Absolutely love it.

Owen - Host: 16:14

And you've started to get more serious into barbecue. Had like you said this, you went through the Smoky Mountains into the Trager, your love of barbecue. And then you got approached to be a brand ambassador for quite a large you know, barbecue company? How does that come about? And process?

Unknown: 16:35

Yeah, I think it started lightly like a lot of us, right? It's, it's it started in lockdown, or just before lockdown. I went through a pretty tough time, about a year before lockdown, where I was diagnosed with tinnitus. And for anyone that doesn't know what tinnitus is, imagine that sound when you get, you know, an air block in your radiator, and you've got that high pitched whistling sound. So I have that in my left ear 24 hours a day,every single day of my life. And that was tough. That was that was really tough. And that's you know, I've listened to a lot of your other podcasts, with the guys from cue together. And you know, the focus on mental health. And that resonates with me a great deal. Because I think I started to get, I started to get serious about barbecue. And then I started to get really serious about barbecue. Because when I was going through that,that sort of difficult time in my life, it gave me an outlet gave me something to focus on.That wasn't work that wasn't,you know, good love and family and stuff. It was just something that I could just channeled my energy into. And so yeah, I use that as as, yeah, as an outlet some to sort of focus on. And then and then lockdown came along, coming back to your original question. And I was still working from home. As much as I wanted to be at least furlough action, it didn't come my way.

Dan - Host: 18:14

I hear Yeah. So

Unknown: 18:17

you know, and at the time, was it we've moved since in the time, we were just kind of sat there and the kids were there. The wife was like, right,what should we do this is this is quite boring. So we started to we started to do to garden up and things like that, which sort of, you know, just making a sort of new patio area. And then I thought, right, okay, so we've got the barbecues in there,we're gonna put them in there.And then, you know, each day, my wife's actually a really good cook, you know, she wouldn't ever say it about herself. She's not that like that, but she's a really good cook, but she'd never cook outside. That's kind of you know, she's domains here.But she sort of said, you know,she was doing things, you know,she was sort of pushing ourselves to cook new dishes and so I started to do the same and to really sort of try and say how far can I take this barbecue thing? I don't know. I can't remember the exact point that I said I'm just gonna do this, but I'm just gonna just chuck some stuff on Instagram. You know,I've never been a massive social media fan in all honesty. You know, I've been on it for years but I don't do it relentlessly sort of look at it stuff. But as I started this page and it was just on a whim is I've no idea what to call it Hampshire BBQ that will do so just started to just put put posts on there. I think that was at the April so like a couple of weeks after lockdown and sort of kicked in,which was I think March Yeah.And then like, you know, like so many people have said, I just found all these people. It's like, oh, this is a bit this is a bit mental. You know, I'm not the only one just sat here cooking stuff. Of course just just putting food To go on Instagram, you know, and I've met, I've met so many people,you know, I met, I met Corky I met rust Who are you know, me and Russ Russell Davis barbecue.We speak like three times a week still and always had and have come for years ever since we sort of met there, you know,Dom, Cornish, carnivore and FAO and all these people, you know,some some have given it up and walked away from it, it was their thing during lockdown. But this, you know, this seemed to have been a nucleus of people that I sort of engage with them.I've just sort of carried on. So yeah, I'm just kind of just chucking stuff on Instagram. And then I was done, I found myself becoming a bit more obsessed with with how it looks and how I was playing it. Yeah, and then,and then I've got, I got approached indirectly by a sort of marketing company that works for Burger King in the UK. And they said, listen, we're going to put we're putting together like, some ambassadors, you know, some some some ambassadors slash demo shirts, we don't really know what it's going to be in the UK, because they've got the same in in North America and Canada and the US. Would you be interested? And I think they had approached Russ at the same time as well. And because we were talking was like, here,this, this is a no brainer, why would we not do this? So yeah,it just kind of went from there.It was like, I kind of probably didn't, I didn't grasp the opportunity, sort of, in the time of, I was just like, yeah,why not? Whatever. But actually,after, after a couple of months,I was like that this is this is really cool. And they're,they're really lovely people to work with. And that's probably that's probably one of the best things about it. Really, I think, what I've tried to do something that, you know, I think I've tried to stick to as much as possible. And I think I've pretty much nailed it to the best of my ability to only finally sort of endorsing that I genuinely use myself and genuinely believe in why it makes

Dan - Host: 22:12

such a difference.It's all about the legitimacy of what you're putting out and what you're saying. The second you stop doing that? Did all of that falls away?

Unknown: 22:22

We did. And, you know,there was there was one thing I did a small piece of work for a couple of weeks. You know, a couple of years ago now, which in hindsight that, okay, I didn't massively push it, but,you know, it is what it is.Right? It was, it was one of the things but certainly, we broke in a lot of the brands that I use now, and work with today, it is 100%. You know, I'm recommending that, or I'm using this product, because I genuinely believe in it. Because ultimately, if you buy it, or my friends buy it, or my family buy it, and they come back and say policy is a piece of crap. What you know, what were you thinking? Then I just, you know,look at Mark. So, so yeah, and that's, that's, that's one thing that I I'm dead set with,especially, you know, with with expensive equipment, things like, you know, I'm fully aware of how much some of this kit costs and you know, in fairness,a lot of broken kit in my garden there. So yeah, it's, I'm very,very, very grateful for for how they've supported me and, you know, the sort of free license they give me really to just crack on they don't, they don't really, you know, they give me a little hit list at the beginning of the year. So these are some of the things we'd like you to cover but no pressure do we can

Dan - Host: 23:44

Well, what does that look like then if you've got this little royal king collection talk as to what this collection looks like?

Unknown: 23:50

Does it look like Oh,in my notes, I'm really moved into this house that will be right at the end of October,early November, after a very long drawn out purchasing process but so the garden at the moment is needs real attention.So it looks a mess. Is what I'm trying to say you know, it does look a mess and I've not really met my neighbors. Yeah, and I'm sure they're looking over the fence thinking what the fuck is this guy?

Dan - Host: 24:19

20 foot barbecues and

Unknown: 24:21

grass. Yes, pretty much you've nailed it. Yeah, you might want to cut your grass bow before you start cooking. So now I've got I've got three I've got three charcoal units. So I've got the broken smoke series which is just you know, the sort of barrel on the side kind of their normal sort of shape,which is a really good charcoal unit. I've got the offset version of that which is the fire box on the side. Then I've got the cake 5000 Because I know you're a cake cake guys well are in store yet. I've got that.I've got the I've got I've got I just got the new regal 500pellet pro so that they just upgraded it to the pro version for me, because my old one was a couple of years old. And I've got a Baron 590 a gas gas grill.And I hate the fact that there's a certain sort of snobbery in the in this sort of in in the community sometimes with regards to gas because actually really useful is really useful and,okay, you're not going to cook a brisket on it and all the cool things of course not. But when you roll out a bed on a Sunday morning, and you want, you know,egg, bacon, beans, whatever it is, there's nothing easier than banging on the gas, you know,the Gas BBQ, putting the griddle plate on that thing is raging hot inside of five minutes. And your house doesn't stink. I mean, it's a winner, or just plus the rotisserie on it as well I think is immense. So I'm I'm, I will always be a believer if you can afford it. Having a half decent gas barbecue in your arsenal, I don't think is a bad thing.

Owen - Host: 26:08

Yeah, funnily enough. So when we, me and Dan have known each other for, I don't know, 10 years or something. And Dan, Dan had a gas card. Remember, it was a web series that was I think it was and I had a kit a Weber kettle at the time, which was my first barbecue. Again, I've had mine10 plus years, and it's still going strong. But I used to absolutely rip out a dam it was It wasn't barbecue and use outdoor use outdoor cooking, but

Dan - Host: 26:37

I kept seeing a fire pit rather than a barbecue.

Owen - Host: 26:42

It was all the back and forth. But, you know, fast forward 10 years, I agree with you in the sense I've got a I don't have a big gas unit, I purchased a secondhand Cadillac character, Harry's CEF, the one that you can kind of take away camping or fall decay, I think I use I use that so much. Now because I moved I basically I did a load of work in my old house got a new kitchen and had a really high tech hub. And I could boil water in felt like it was second, I've moved to this house. And it's something from the 50s. And it takes me four days to boil some water and all that kind of stuff. So I have to you know, I'm using gas all the time, my gas barbecue, so I can cook some pasta. So I'm constantly cooking or pancakes or whatever it is like I'm I agree that the convenience of gas shouldn't be out. You know?

Unknown: 27:36

Listen, there's,there's, we know that there's,there's, there's other options there. Yeah, that will give you much more flavor in your barbecue. We know this right.But I also don't think that, you know, we should we should have down on gas in anyway. You know,how many people have got a rock box today? I know lots I've got rock box. I think it's amazing.I'm gonna choose a guest. Yes.Yeah. And I'm gonna have a guest that 99% of people that use a rock box, use the gas plugin,rather than the fiddling about with the little wood splits that are not much bigger than you know your index finger. Because that's a pain in the butt sitting there trying to bring that up to 10 talking little wood bits and, you know, no way.So what's the difference? Okay,yeah, it's a dedicated piece of rubber. And it cooks pizza phenomenally, and it's incredible. And all the great things about Rockbox still runs off gas.

Dan - Host: 28:38

I used to love it.Because only this is when I would say I wasn't hardcore into barbecue, because I know what I'm like now. But I was still back then particularly the UK barbecue more than most people I reckon like particularly in like, from spring into summer,probably three times a week, I would be on that thing. I'd finish work half five, drive home, strange concept to people now in 2023. But you just have to occasionally drive home from work. By the time I got back,it'd be like corppass, six, half past six. But I could still barbecue and actually have the mail in the course of like half an hour. Which you know, you learn there's things that you can do with like chimney starters and everything. But back then in like, when was that? 2020 1120 12 I didn't

Unknown: 29:28

know you didn't, you're still sort of fine and around trying to sort of start the coals and stuff and then I'll be ready to cook on in an hour. And it's like well, okay, well then how long is it going to take you to get the food? Well, that's another hour or so. Again, it'd be dark. So

Owen - Host: 29:44

yeah, whoever comes up with the idea of a chimney star is a genius.

Unknown: 29:49

And the woods a little while

Dan - Host: 29:52

Yeah. What are these actual fire lighters?

Unknown: 29:54

Yeah, genius. Yeah,these ideas that keep missing in life. That's where the money is.But yeah. So yeah, I mean, going back to it. So yeah, I've got I can cook on the full range really broken products. I would say I used to cake and the pellet smoker the most the cake because it's just so easy one you can start a fire in there really quickly. And it's crazy efficient on charcoal. I don't know if that's your experience.For me, it's just it's ridiculous. Ridiculously efficient on charcoal, you need hardly anything in there. And then yeah, if I'm feeling like kind of a bit lazy, or I've got other stuff to do, or I'm going to kick back then the pellet will will just rock on. I do have some other kit as well.That isn't that isn't broking.So I've got the rock box, which I absolutely love. I've always felt a little PK go as well,which is decent, I really like it. It's just not that much of a go. It's really heavy. It's like PK, and then sack Barrow and then you might be able to go.But because it won't be we live quite near the coast. So in the summer, like some friends and stuff will will quite often have barbecues on the beach. So we'll go down to sort of Hill head or wherever. And sort of you know,we'll take the coolers, and we're friends got a boat. So sometimes we'll go out there and it's you know, it's quite pleasant. But the PK goes not, I mean, you can take it and I have taken it many times, you've got to be prepared for a little workout. But that all that said it is really good little unit.I've got PIP barrel as well. So I'll do some work with PIP barrel. And I have got a monster Brian from the bryman. Which I was fortunate enough to win.That would have been Christmas21. I think. What was it with you guys winning

Dan - Host: 32:05

barbecues? I enter everything I see I don't get a sniff.

Unknown: 32:10

I think I don't know, I used to do. I mean back back in a sort of locked down period was that there was like competitions all the time. Yeah, it was mental

Dan - Host: 32:20

to win a certain thing.

Unknown: 32:25

So yeah, I sort of, I want a couple of things not not,you know, huge and then I sort of stopped into in a little bit.Because I think I'd want two or three on the bounce as like this is getting a little bit embarrassing. And then elke who lives not far from me 20 minutes up the road. I can't remember why but it hits sort of some following milestone. Any any said Well, we've got the Bing and put the briar up as a competition. We'd like a bit of this. So So I entered and and that kind of forgot about it completely forgot about it. And then DOM Cornish carnivores text me. And I won't repeat what he said. But you can imagine. I can imagine you Jeremy leaving a bleep lately. And I said what are you talking about? He said,you've won the Brian from from our key six you have. So I've gone on to Instagram and then check the stories and he was on there and you've done the little spreadsheet thing. And then yeah, lo and behold what result and that's that is fun. That is fun to cook with I in my own sort of admission, because last year was a bit of a disaster with a house move. I haven't used it as much as I'd like to but this year is definitely when that's going to change. So I've already already gotten a hell of a lot of woods stockpiled in the in the garbage. And I think I'm actually going to fire it up this week. And do the first first Cook of the year on the brine because it is good fun and it's such a tough talking point when he got people out

Owen - Host: 34:14

of Philly. We haven't spoken about Bri at all really on the on the podcast continuing to kneel down 50episodes actually it's something that we've not really we've not really done at all just talk us through it if you don't mind a little

Unknown: 34:31

bit yeah, I mean I was kind of obviously learning for me it was it was all a learning curve you know obviously the South African Brian then I started to do soon some what was really nice as went once I want a company called Private UK guy there called Simon got in touch with me and said obviously you know is this a sales pitch but we do import Brian wood from from South Africa. So he was quite helpful in sort of my initial getting to grips with this humongous piece of kit. And it was it was quite funny actually because I said to my wife, and at the time, you know,I've got a lot of these broking equipment there. I think I still had I think I still had a kit or knocking around in the garden as well. And I said to my wife Klaus, I'd want to a barbecue.She's another fucking man. And she just spent months doing the garden. She's put all his flowerbed in like she literally got hundreds of pounds on these flowers. That's to get there is a slight problem is quite large.She said, What would you mean by large, so we know your flowerbed you've just grafted on for a month, it's probably going to cover most of that. From the sun. Yeah. So anyway, so she's,it's got delivered she was at work, I sort of put it up and it's only when you put the chimney flue on, because obviously, you need that you need that draft, you've got it's a quite a big cooking area, but you need that drawer to take the chimney and the smoke away.Because you've got, you've basically got like a burn pot or where you you might be enemies.So what an ember maker. So you feed in your wood in there. And you will just sort of knock that with, you know, like a protein stick poking, stick and then your embers will come out and then you can scrape that to wherever you happen to be cooking. So you've got this this chimney flow and yeah, I remember when she come home,she's like, Oh, my God, look at the size of that monstrosity.I've measured it from from floor from top to bottom to 3.2meters. Yeah, it's it's quite a quite a thing. But it is. It's great. It's great fun. So basically, yeah, it's it is very, you know, fire and cooking over fire in its raw form to a degree other than digging a hole in the ground. So yeah, you can use the MMA car or you can just,you know, start a fire on either side. And I yeah, I started using experimenting with different South African woods,which was the first time I'd ever used this wood. And if you've never if you've never picked up a piece of Brian wood,and nobody sounds really geeky,but it's it was how heavy is this was so dense. I've never felt anything like it. It's like almost like sort of concrete.It's so heavy compared to, you know, woods that we're used to in this country. So yeah, I started experimenting with cycle boss camo gear in camo during.I'm not sure I'm saying that correctly, but it's those sort of different South African woods. And they just don't really hot for a hell of a long time just due to this or you know how dense they are. And then yeah, you've literally got different height adjustments.I've just bought some kebabs sort of attachment for that and some kind of rotisserie so I've got a nice big Canyon I'm going to put on there fairly soon over over the over the wood there. So it's it's really it's really cool. It's a really fun way to cook the downsides are thinking winter oh my goodness, you can you can go through some wood.That would be my imagine. Yeah,I think I used it not Yeah, the winter, not get not this winter,but last winter. And we had a lot of friends and we were cooking a lot but Jesus, you know, it was a must have done about 6070 quid in wood. Just just just for one coat. So but you know, it is part of the fun and

Owen - Host: 38:48

just out of interest. You mentioned about the with the South African would you know that specific bride would? Would you would you recommend the you know, you've got a bra you should be using Bri wood or actually do you think you know cooking on your oak or your i b or whatever it is that I've

Unknown: 39:10

I sort of get an ambassador if you want to call it that for green olive firewood and they've just sent me a load of olive wood to try on there.And I think it's like charcoal.For me, it's you know, I don't think we should look at any differently. Different different wood will give you a different flavor. You know, definitely different burning capabilities,length of burn, all of that kind of stuff. So I did want to try the briar wood initially because you know, right, it's what should be doing and I still will use it. But I'm also going to,I'm going to really kind of get to grips with that a lot this year and just use different words and you know, different techniques to try and cook as much as I can on there. But it's very much a weekend thing for me. It's you know, you've got a really legally, you've got to really be sort of stood there and you know, invest the time and you can't, you know, it's not it's one of those things you can't you can't tell you right off. Because it's a live fire,you need to be controlling that,or at least have half an eye on it. So yeah, it's more of a,it's more of an experience type thing. Which is great, you know,comes back to what, like, one of the reasons I originally got back in it got into barbecue is that social gathering that experience thing. And as I say,when when I've, when I've been cooking on it, and when we've had people around and stuff,it's, you know, it's normally a sounds really bad, but it's always the same thing. You know,the women will come around and go, What is that clear? What is your husband doing? That's ridiculous. I know, the guys are welcome. And you know, they'll grab a beer and, you know, we will start sort of, you know,putting fires in around the men,but it's pathetic, but it's,it's sadly true.

Owen - Host: 41:01

It's no different in our household.

Unknown: 41:04

So yeah, that's, that's kind of the cape range, really.So there's not other than an offset a true offset, which, I don't know, one day, maybe I thought about it a couple of times, I really have. But then,you know, sort of my head kicks in and says, What, you'd how often you're going to use this,you know, I'd love to, I'd love to be in a position where I could do it, you know, but I just I just, I wouldn't do it justice. I don't think not from an investment in time. You know,and I, I've got a massive respect for for people that use those sort of religiously and amazing barbecue people like Dave Morrison's barbecue and stuff. I mean, that guy's just an absolute genius. You know,and certainly here, you know, I mean, states, it's a really good barbecue joints, where they, you know, they use massive, great big offsets, it's amazing. But I think you can, you can produce a really good product, if you if using different equipment isn't as good. I mean, that's down to your own personal opinion. And it's debatable but you can produce a really good product.If you if you sort of learn your craft on on different different units, you buy good produce to begin with, don't buy crap meat or whatever it may be. And you know, and you you learn whatever, whatever piece of kit you're you're using, you've learned that and you get to know that and how that reacts to whether it be environmental changes, or heat changes, or whatever it might be, you can still produce some really,really good food

Dan - Host: 42:41

on that point. Then what are the what are your favorite things to cook and give us a tip for each one because again, looking on the Instagram,you're putting together not good food, great looking food so

Unknown: 42:54

yeah, yeah. I I am a real foodie. So it's like is that question is in what would be your last meal? I'd really struggle with that I'd probably die before I made a decision. So tough if so tough, so okay, I'll give you a list and I'll give you a small list. Yes, please do I'm going to be on too long. So steak is right up there for me.Whether it be a ribeye or Kenya,I really love as well. So my tips for cooking a good steak.That I mean there's numerous first of all buy really good quality. I would rather eat less steak and buy good good quality steak and eat it more frequently and Buy and buy rubbish you know, no disrespect but you know a lot of the steaks that you just pick up off the shelf in supermarkets are not great.Unless you can you can you find something that you can make work but I'd rather eat less often so to buy a better product. And then yeah, just I think it's just take a ribeye, I would always you know, take it out and out to room temperature. dry brine is always a good idea with steak as well. Do that overnight that that works really well. But I think especially with a thick steak, thick ribeye for me, a reverse there is almost almost impossible to mess up. But I have done it, but it's possible to mess up.

Owen - Host: 44:34

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Dan - Host: 44:39

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Unknown: 45:43

And with the Kenya toilet a couple of ways. My favorite wave of the Kenya is on skewers, so cut into steaks, and then put on skewers like you will see in in itself. Stuff Americans have a Sado you know where it's just pure soul. And that's just spinning over fire.And then you just take that off with with a big blade of a knife and just literally really thin slices. For me. That's the best way to cook the Konya. I've had some bad became Yeah. Actually,my old next door neighbor was Brazilian funnily enough, and we got invited around there once it's done cooking began yet, and it was awful. completely cooked it, overcooked it, and she kept it with the grains against the grain. It was chewy, and he's like bootleg, it was disgusting.Which I found hilarious considering she was Brazilian.So yeah, so that would be my tips for that for steak. Lamb,I'm a big lamb fan. Shoulder land personally, I will always do two ways hold. So just really low and slow. So it's literally shoulder lands very, very fatty.So low and slow for a long time.So it literally just melts, you know, melting your mouth or plastic I really like as well.So on a bit of potatoes and then sort of wrap that in paper,maybe put it in a Dutch oven.And again, all that lamb fat just goes into the potatoes are some of the best potatoes you'll ever have in your life in my opinion. And I love a good burger. I think I think a really good burger is difficult to be

Owen - Host: 47:27

are you talking Smashburger Are you talking to nor burger?

Unknown: 47:30

I think I'm I'm quite a big burger fan. If I posted as many burgers on my page as I'd like to, I'd literally have to just change it to like Hampshire burger, or whatever. I love burgers, but I do love smash burgers. But then sometimes, you know, I'll prefer to just sort of make the patty and just put it directly or really over over charcoal just to get a massive sear. So you've got that charcoal sort of male effect that that's you know that that extra level of flavor, which I don't think you get with smash burgers. I think smash burgers brings something completely different in terms of like that crispy sort of gnarly edge, but I'm quite happy to eat as many as I can have both just for pure trial and error purposes. So yeah. Go on to sorry,

Owen - Host: 48:20

I was just about to say so if we come on to this, I suppose in a bit because you do a lot of cooking at sizzle fest specially for the the wings championship, but so if they did a burger championship instead this year, would you? Would you be wastelands?

Unknown: 48:34

No, do you know what we spoke about this sort of going back to you know, the original sort of stuff on on Instagram.Me and cokie done some sort of charity cook stuff. And, you know, whilst I set in the background, you know, I was kind of one of the sort of founding people this little show and stuff like that. I just never,you know, I was not not a front of house kind of guy. I'm just quite happy to just sit in the background and just cook and stuff. But we did speak about it for sizzle fest because it was like, Okay, what else can we do?Can we do like a burger? A burger in challenge or where people build their own burgers and things. And I think it's a really good idea. The trouble is, in reality is quite hard to pull that off. Because, I mean,how many parties can you really cook unless you roll up with some sort of you know keypad van off the side of the 13th or something.So, I don't know there may be something there. I do think that there's an idea there but I would definitely be up for it.And I can take down quite a few burgers so I'd probably rather do the eat and then the cocaine if I'm honest. Yeah, yeah, I'd quite like to give that a go. I can't remember it was you I don't think mommy and elke or something like that. And they were talking about man versus food and things and I remember watching that religiously. You know, when it sort of first came out out. You know, there's there's a fat by me trying to get out every single day.

Dan - Host: 50:06

That show I used to hate it when they did the hot challenges because to me that's not what our program is about.Now I don't see me in stuff. I do not care you what he's saying. And he's got like all the gloves on. I was like, I want to see him eat like eight pounds of food.

Unknown: 50:19

Yeah. And mounds and mounds of food. So from a burger point of view, I'd like to give it a go myself. So I won't cook.But I won't cook it if this challenge goes over. Come on. I won't cook, but I'll definitely enter. Definitely.

Owen - Host: 50:36

So one of the things that we like to talk about on the podcast is barbecue fails. Yeah. So some of the things that haven't gone so well for you. Hopefully, we've got some funny stories for us. So don't you want to talk about your barbecue fails?

Unknown: 50:49

Right? Yeah, I got. I got I could talk about Yeah, but hundreds in all us in in barbecuing for long enough? I think one of my most recent ones was it wasn't last summer before. So we had loads of people around luck a lot. And I made the stupid mistake of saying, Yeah, I'll do pretty much as much food as anyone wants. So I was cooking like relentlessly from the night before. And I had a big brisket to do which I think the trouble is when you do a brisket, and you're not, you're not going to put it in a hole for a long time or certainly from from home is for me anyway, all of the focus was on the brisket. It was like,don't mess this brisket up.Especially when you've got people coming around. And you've picked it up, and you get yay,yeah, I've got this brisket better than I want. I this needs to be the absolute bomb. So the brisket was done. I took that off in the morning. sort of let cool slightly winning the rap winning, winning the coolers. So then I just, you know, I've got this licked. I'll have a couple of beers. Then it dawned on me that people will come in quite soon. And I hadn't done a lot of other stuff at all. And I'd probably say all this stuff. So I was rushing around and cut a long story short, I took my eye off the ball with the pork belly burn ends. And bear in mind,they were going in a pellet grill. It's pretty difficult to mess up, isn't it? To be honest.And I wouldn't I smoked them that was fine. Come off, they've gone they've gone in our foil pan with the usual you know,butter, brown sugar, honey bit source, whatever. I kind of completely forgot the step in my sort of brain fart of everything else and worrying about the brisket. And then and then having a few beers. I've completely forgot the foil step of IE sort of steaming these in some sort of liquid, you know.So I just thought they were done. I didn't even I was doing so much. You know, there must have been 50 people there. I was doing so much. I didn't even test them. I mean, that's the worst thing you can possibly do not even try your own food before you serve it Christ. So I put them on the play. I gave them to my I gave it to my daughter and said right Can you can you take these rounds people? And I just looked at and she came back and I said, Oh,you didn't get rid of that many digits. She was like, I don't think like that. Really? So I've looked up and you can read or people, queueing on these recently sort of, you know,giant what looked like a giant Haribo it must have been like that, but there's people getting that clear and toilets have given split them into there. And I said let me taste one and yeah, it was bloody awful. It was. It was awful. The meat was sort of dry and it was just an art. Yeah, I'd sell really That's it completely messed that up. I served raw chicken once to my parents. Yeah, that was a pretty big, bigger I mean, it wasn't it wasn't undercooked it was pretty raw. That was a long time ago. Thank God I was part of the learning process. And then I did I think I did what everyone has done. And that was the sort of first days of trying to cook a brisket I went to the supermarket and bought a brisket flat and expected it to taste anything remotely like a brisket should taste and yeah in reality it you can't make that good not not for it to be sliced and enjoyed like brisket. I know AI now no should be enjoyed. It's you know, it makes a good chili.But other than that, it's dry and pretty crap. And I think I must have gone through after that. As in brisket flaps on my my Weber Smokey Mountain back in the day trying to perfect this and you know I mean they got to what I thought was as good as you're gonna get but they were they were pretty pretty shocking to people time after time Yeah,slightly better than the last one always not sure what you're trying to achieve with this but once

Dan - Host: 55:23

you educate your brisket from now

Unknown: 55:26

so now why passionate to a degree that are trying by as much British me as I can. So my only exception there is brisket, I'm afraid and that's because I've tried so much UK brisket and I've I've just found that grain fed from either the US or Australia just because of the fat content, the higher fat content, it just the end product is so much tastier. And so much like so much more like you know,I believe brisket should be I noticed a couple of exceptions that people are using a couple of of UK briskets and getting good results. Not tried them yet. I've got I have got two briskets in the freezer. I've got a Jack's Creek from Australia, in the freezer, which I got from jail butchers, I believe. And then I've got a very special brisket in the freezer, which was from Tom Hickson. And it's a Japanese 85class. Yeah,

Dan - Host: 56:45

I'd be scared something would happen.

Unknown: 56:48

No, no, it was I mean,I didn't get it for this. I did some work for someone. And they paid me in a brisket. But it was on the websites of brisket. And so I paid with it was it was on the website for grand. And so I'm sort of thinking, Yeah, I need to I'm not going to touch into the summer. Because I want nice weather assistance. Yeah,I'm going to be sat there just looking at that thing cook. So yeah, I That's my only exception. Everything else,whether it be I use direct meats, a lot of different meats I use, they sell really, really good beef. That Dingley Dell range of pork, I think it's phenomenal. Quite hard to beat from my experience. Fantastic service. I use village butcher sometimes as I say jail,butchers. Davidsons I've used so I try and get as much UK producers I can I say that? You know, that's important. I'm not going to sit here and say everything I bias is British because I also use Amazon. So

Dan - Host: 57:55

let's be brutally honest. We all do. They don't but we all do know.

Unknown: 57:59

Yeah, I'd be lying if I said that. I was I was supporting the the UK farmers every time but I try my best.

Owen - Host: 58:07

What's what you've mentioned, obviously, a couple of things you're gonna be doing like, you know, getting to grips more with the Bri. What else have you got planned for 2023.

Unknown: 58:15

So I've got I've always got a cook list. I don't know about you guys, but I just sit there all the time. And I get random ideas that just you know,my wife will be talking about something important. And my mind will go wandering. So I think I'll write it down. So, yeah,I've got a cook list, which I really, really want to I think because the last year where I wasn't as active as I wanted to be this year, I really want to be on it. But in terms of sort of dates and events, this Sunday, I'm going to I'm really excited actually I'm going this Sunday I'm going to LPS cooking school because the carry guys there Dan tunes. Yeah. Yeah, and I remember seeing Dan tunes 2017Maybe. I think he just released his first book. I love Atari as well. And it's by you know,hands up. I can't cook a good curry. i But it's okay. But you go to a really good you know,curry house and then you taste they're carrying RK this is this is the real deal. What I've done at home is Sri is better than a,you know, a ready meal or whatever it may be. But so So my aim is to just try and glean as much as I can on Sunday from them. So I'm really looking forward to that. In a couple of weeks, it's like plug so on March the 18th. I will be at SoCal, for Marcus borns book launch. So Marcus will be there,launching his new book. And him and Charles have kindly sent me a digital copy that I've had a sneak peek of. So I'm going to be going down there on the 18th in the barn that SoCal and I'll be cooking half a dozen recipes from Marcus's new book. So no pressure but I'll miss those up.So now Marcus is fantastic. You know, he's he's one of the sort of guys that I sort of looked up to quite early on in the sort of social media side of barbecue.Really, really helpful guy. So I've got honored to be to be going down and doing that with him. Or for him if you like,while he tries to flog as many books as he possibly can. I don't think he's trouble with that. Now. I think he will I don't think and then I'll be back there middle of April in SoCal. So same time last year are pretty much like did a barbecue basics course, you know, so part of their sort of masterclass range, if you want to call it that. But mine is very much a barbecue basics is supported by broking as well. So we'll have all the broken units out. We just, you know, we just take it back to just kind of simple stuff, but it's the stuff that we all have to go through the learning process, you know,cooking with a letdown, you know, using temperature and not cooking to time and all of that kind of stuff that no one really tells you, unless you sort of go and find that information or you go to classes like this. And I really enjoy it, you know, it's,it's really chilled. And yeah,just try and get people as involved as possible rather than just listening to me sort of blabber on, or maybe it's just,you know, I'll do bits and it's like, okay, come, we're going to bring, we're going to bring together a breakfast and lunch and an evening meal if you like,all within sort of five hours.And as a sort of collaboration really. So everyone feels as though they're contribute into different elements. And everyone gets the cook sheets and an apron and stuff and just to go giggle we did it last year, it was really successful. Charles was pleased to which is obviously which is good. And the feedback from from everyone that attended was good. So much so that I noticed from the bookings actually got a couple of people coming back again, sort of repeat Booker's So either I missed something or they enjoyed it. So yeah, and then will no doubt be doing some demos for for broking across the summer as well. But other than that, to be honest, I really really just want to max out on social time this year. Yeah, we kind of come out of the lockdown piece. And then as a sort of alluded to, we went for a nightmare of a house move last year. And so this year, I just sort of said,whenever we get the opportunity,that's just that's just me doing something and it for me,normally centers around barbecue, wherever it's here, or wherever I'm going to have friends are where we get down to the beach. You know, there's always food and drinks and music and you know, just try and enjoy life.

Owen - Host: 1:03:10

So, I think it will this is probably a good time then you're talking about sort of maximizing social time and so should we give you a challenge to cook something so that you can do that at home or with some friends?

Dan - Host: 1:03:22

Okay, a barbecue bingo.

Owen - Host: 1:03:24

Barbecue barbecue.Barbecue Bingo is brought to you by lumberjack food company. Your tickets are flavortown right?I'm just going to share the screen and the rest of this list now has been left by some some previous guests

Unknown: 1:03:49

and I'll tell you what I don't want yeah, I really can you fix this or not we do not want those dodgy giveaways is it? I really don't want tongue beef tongue.

Owen - Host: 1:04:06

Wow. Okay, that we've I've never come to

Unknown: 1:04:10

know and I won't unless I actually get it here. My worst nightmare is just everything else on there. I'd be more than happy with Yeah, okay, not sound exciting is now whose lead time I want names.

Owen - Host: 1:04:30

So that was the guy

Dan - Host: 1:04:33

not spoke face gorilla talk about beef tongue for a while but I'm not sure if it was him. No,

Owen - Host: 1:04:38

no, it's uh this is actually the episode recorded just before yours.

Unknown: 1:04:44

We can't We can't give it away yet.

Dan - Host: 1:04:46

Well, no we can we can't Yeah,

Owen - Host: 1:04:48

nobody can actually come down wasn't Dan wasn't present so he didn't know but it was the guys from smoky oak barbecue, the offset smoker guys.

Unknown: 1:04:55

I don't know him that well, but I can still abuse them for

Owen - Host: 1:04:59

you Now there's also my signature dish. Now the reason we asked you what your favorite thing to cook was earlier, is that for my signature dish, so if it lands on that, what are you known for?What would you cook? I'm assuming maybe burgers right?

Unknown: 1:05:14

Sounds like it. Yeah,maybe maybe or maybe a steak. I think I'd probably go with his steak because I've got so good.So nice steaks in the freezer.So let's go with should is that a bit boring? Should I pick something better than that? I'll tell you what. I tell you what we do right if I get my signature dish I will cook what has to be a decent curry following my tutelage on Sunday with with elke and the carry guy as that.

Owen - Host: 1:05:45

That sounds good to me. If you

Dan - Host: 1:05:46

get beef tongue, I want to see a beef tongue burger. Hanging out.

Unknown: 1:05:54

Mr. Potato Head kind of scenario, right just coming out of the barn. God. Bloody awful.

Dan - Host: 1:06:00

Come on. You've talked so much about this,please.

Owen - Host: 1:06:03

You're just wanting to just remember if we'd like you to leave an ingredient of how little thing while I give this a spin.

Unknown: 1:06:11

Kind of beef tongue back.

Owen - Host: 1:06:15

Right let's give it a go. Don't

Dan - Host: 1:06:18

be tongue. We can't be tongue be done for you. Now.It's not gonna be beef tongue.Is it haggis?

Owen - Host: 1:06:25

Okay. Oh, there we are. I guess though.

Unknown: 1:06:28

I'm I'm quite happy with that. And I've already found that. I do like haggis, I guess. I guess dunwell I think is delicious. I do really like it. Yeah, I've got an idea for that already. So

Dan - Host: 1:06:43

fantastic. Thinking.

Unknown: 1:06:46

I lucky enough. Seven or eight years ago, I was really fortunate enough to be taken to Cameron house. What's the golf course in just outside of Glasgow got lucky enough and I can't remember the name of it.But it's phenomenal. It is like the golf course there and the restaurant was amazing. But they did haggis. That had been so cold smoked. And then it was because it Scotland it was deep fried. But in a really lovely sort of panko breadcrumb and then there was homemade chili jams. And it was just always amazing. So I'm thinking something along those lines. But yeah, I may change my mind, but I'm kind of liking that idea.

Owen - Host: 1:07:35

Right and what what ingredient you gonna leave for the next guest?

Unknown: 1:07:39

The I don't want to be a beef tank person he has harsh.I'm gonna lay on your LEA monkfish. Oh, because I think monkfish is a really, really amazing fish. And people don't cook it enough, including myself. It's on the list.Fantastic.

Owen - Host: 1:07:59

Great. So is there anything that we haven't spoken about yet on this podcast? Or any other podcasts for that matter that you wanted to kind of bring up?

Unknown: 1:08:08

No, I, I you know, what I like? I like listening to you guys and the guests that you have on? I think it's it's good to get a real diverse mix of, of guests, you know, and I think that's, that's really important.You know, certainly with, with some of the guys that have sort of been around for for many years, and now, you know, made it their career, you know, elke and Adam per male and things like that, I think is amazing.I'd love to do it, I think but at the moment, I need to stick to the day job. But but Yeah,who knows? Who knows? Indeed,but no, I think I think you guys doing a great job. And yeah, the stuff with with the guys to queue together, I think I would like to see how how else, the community can take that message forward and really start to get some to get some numbers behind it, some eyeballs behind it, you know, because I think anyone that's active within within within the community knows about it, or probably has heard about it or is involved. But how do we how do we take it to another level? Because I think that's that's when things start to change. Because we all know the numbers and statistics around you know, mental health and suicide, which is which is shocking. So, yeah, I don't want to end on a bad note. But yeah,how do we take that to another level? And I think through through some of the work you're doing is definitely helping right because people people may discover it through the podcast.You know, and anything that raises awareness is great. But other than that, what else could you be? Hear him? I don't know,perhaps Perhaps you can take the podcast out on the road. Is there anything you can do there?We can do some live stuff.

Dan - Host: 1:10:07

We've talked about it. We've we've talked about it a few times behind the scenes.And I think at some point that will happen. It's on my list of things you want to do. Oh, Ian and I are very different in the way that we attack and take part in this podcast on where our brains are. Owens all about wanting behind more of the cooking. I know that in his heart of hearts, He wants us to be out cooking everywhere.Whereas for me, I'd love to be at the shows rather than cooking. I'd love to be interviewing people on stage and doing some of the filler stuff in between. So maybe there's a place for that somewhere in the future. Or maybe both? Two of us right? And

Unknown: 1:10:46

yeah, why don't you do both? Right. So you're, you're doing one of these doing the commentary and the talking and the questions whilst you you know, the wine and a guest is doing the cooking, so perhaps the guests could say, Okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna cook this and they're gonna walk you through that and effort and you can cook it with them. Whilst the other one we're gonna

Dan - Host: 1:11:05

be a shithole bikers.

Unknown: 1:11:11

less hairy. Waikerie

Owen - Host: 1:11:16

pushbikes pushbikes. Yeah.

Unknown: 1:11:20

You could be Yeah.rebrand coming on the show, like us. I don't know. One, speak to the guys at sizzle fest as well.Because I know that they're, you know, they don't want to shake things up again, as they always do. So there's one

Dan - Host: 1:11:38

problem with that anyone who knows us and as soon as they're in person, it was that that is our Christmas do.Effectively our Christmas deal.We love being there. And we love just letting loose enjoying ourselves having drinks and enjoying barbecue. And I there was a chance this year that we wouldn't be able to go to sizzle fest that had happened then maybe that would have not been the case for me in regards to the you know, doing something there. But now we've managed to wangle our wives to not really let us go but see they're coming with us. Oh, you know, that good thing? We have to say yes. It's a fantastic thing. It was the only way it's gonna happen.

Unknown: 1:12:19

Oh, okay. Okay, yeah, I don't know what I'm I don't I don't know what the plans are for that for me this year. Part of me really wants to just go as a as a ticket holder. And just we love it. Yeah, the last The first year was mental. I don't remember much of it at all.Largely due to the fact an article on sort of an ABA. But then last year, I we really tried to scale but anyway, I do a lot with with Ross, as I've mentioned, and we're really good friends, but we really tried to scale back on the stuff that we were doing, but it just kind of organically grows while you're there and you end up doing stuff. And by the time you like,okay, we can chill. Especially after the hot wing challenge because that was on late, wasn't it that was on really late. And that was a rush behind the scenes. That was panic stations.Let me tell you, because we were told, Oh, you know, we're running 45 minutes behind guys Chill, chill. So I was okay. And then all of a sudden, oh, no,we're not now we need it. We need it like yesterday. But But anyway, cut long story short, by the time we were done there. And then, right? Okay, we can we can see out of our eyes again soon because they're not you know,sort of bleeding from the chili sauce. And we had a beer, it's like 910 o'clock, their nights pretty much over. So I think it would be really nice to go along this year. And just go to Exactly, exactly, you know, and I've got friends locally that have started going and things and they say it was amazing. And they were telling me stuff that happened that I've got absolutely no idea was even going on. So I think I'd really like to experience that. I think just coming back to the social thing for me this year. There's just there's events and demos and stuff I'm really looking forward to and I'm really excited to do but I really want to balance it with with the with the social stuff

Dan - Host: 1:14:18

my wife's got no idea what what she's walking into because I think Laura on Oh insights a bit more involved in what you do and oh, it's got a lot more barbecues and things than me so she probably has a bit more of an understanding.Whereas I think Steph doesn't really get there so doesn't like like she's not really on Instagram with little she is but she's just looking at basically a version of Tiktok but she's not looking to what I'm doing at all. And I think she's gonna be confused when walking around and talking to everyone knows what it like when we get together with drinks anyway, so should that side of it. She'll understand, I think will be a bit of an eye opener. You have no idea what she's about to walk into. How do you explain it explain, like cooking with the Duke to someone who has hasn't seen

Unknown: 1:15:03

I think the best thing is to do just just maybe Cutler gin and tonics for she goes in and then just go off you go.Just just pick up the pieces really but this this, I don't think there's you can explain it. I can't I can't see my other half coming if I'm honest. She sort of says that she would but she she'd be bored. After about an hour. She's like, What are you doing? Yeah, I just No, no,I don't think it's for her. But I think good luck to you guys.And I'll certainly hear shout you around the drink. So if you have a horse when I see you know, it's good. It'd be good.We'd be lucky. Like you know,the love the first thing is I've been I've been I've been fantastic. So I'm really looking forward to it. And I'm gonna try and get out to a couple of more events. I think. I think I might miss me topia this year. I think I've done that years on the trot and I'm a little bit me topia it out if it's fair to say, but I have never been to was it smoking fire is in Colchester.Malden. I've never been on this year. I'd quite like to give that a go. I think in place of me topia, just mix it up a little bit.

Dan - Host: 1:16:16

The great thing about all of these is they're all so different. Yeah, so God it a different atmosphere like smoke and fire is much more of like a family day out. Okay,it's how I describe it. And you haven't got like the barbecue meatheads there. Or if you do too much like lesser extent if you meathead.

Owen - Host: 1:16:35

We all are. Yeah.Wow. That's a massive sweeping brush in it. Yeah.

Unknown: 1:16:42

Anyone that barbecues isn't me yet. Okay.

Dan - Host: 1:16:46

Yeah, we'll cut this out. Yeah. No, we weren't

Unknown: 1:16:53

lucky, I could take I could take the family there.Maybe if

Owen - Host: 1:16:57

we took our kids we took our kids to smoke and fire.Okay, because they had like zarbin and inflatables. Keep bouncy castle?

Unknown: 1:17:09

Sounds good. Yeah. I'm from Essex originally. So I could tie it in with some some family visits and stuff. So we're about to do that.I was born and raised. We're not born. But I grew up in in a lovely place in theoretical standardly hope of Stanford no hope. Yeah. And as soon as I can I go out of there. Yeah. But yeah, so that's why I grew up so yeah. And that was not far from the lovely paces of Azerbaijan and all these wonderful places in Essex.

Owen - Host: 1:17:46

I'm in Essex.

Unknown: 1:17:49

Where are you? Man in306 New York.

Owen - Host: 1:17:55

Yeah, I was in college. So but yeah,

Unknown: 1:17:58

I know military guy.But yes. You didn't refer in the slums

Owen - Host: 1:18:06

the west country boy at heart. Nice. Cool. All right. Well, I think I think it's probably it now, isn't it?

Dan - Host: 1:18:16

Just one more time plug how people can find you.Okay.

Unknown: 1:18:21

So yeah, for anyone that's interested and wants to wants to take a look at what I'm doing what I'm up to. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at Hampshire underscore BBQ well underscored. Well underscored.

Dan - Host: 1:18:39

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. It's been great to seeing you at very least at sizzle fest. Well, you will not be working this year. I

Unknown: 1:18:46

hope not. I hope not.Yeah, I think I think I don't know if they're going to rest the the hot wings thing maybe this year? I don't know.

Dan - Host: 1:18:53

But um, I don't know after last year, I'd be surprised. Yeah, that's

Unknown: 1:18:57

the thing. It's a big headline thing, isn't it? It's it draws the crowd and that's the thing. It's yeah, it was carnage. But if I do do it again, I will do it differently.Definitely. We'll do it differently. I think we've we've both Russ and I, we've learned a lot in doing that for two years.And this this year, that brief to us was making it hotter a lot hotter, which we did. But we in the process of doing that it it was difficult, and we fucked a lot of people off if I can say that as well, because we were rushing so much to cook these wings. Opposite us. There were I won't say who because it's not fair. But opposite us. There were two there were two stands one was giving a talk on whatever it was. And then another stand was was was doing something else. And this toxic chilly fog that was coming from our from our gazebo I mean, it was I don't know if you've ever seen Jeremy Clarkson the farm.Have you ever seen that? I haven't know what he. I mean, a lot of people don't like him.But anyway, there's an episode on there, where he starts to make his own chili sauce in this professional kitchen. And there's humans who cooked and they can't even breathe. They're just coffee in their eyes, you know, just floods of tears. And this was us. And it's too much.Oh, my friend. We're just literally trying to fan the Rosid I say, you know, Russ Russ was half cut by this point. I was struggling to hold on. Yeah,it was literally sort of just just sort of Dow scenes of Carolina Reaper and God knows what over these wings. So it was it was organized chaos.But yeah, we will definitely do it differently this year, but I'm not as I say I'm not. I'm not privy to the plans. I've sort of stepped back from from a lot of that stuff. So we shall see what happens but regardless,we shall see you there.Pleasure. Thank you both.

Dan - Host: 1:21:12

Thanks so much.

Owen - Host: 1:21:14

Bye, bye. That's it for another episode of the meat& Greet BBQ podcast. It was fantastic. Speak to Paul Hampshire barbecue. I think he's got a great story clearly has a passion for food and fire and barbecue. And I'm excited to see what he does next in his journey. As if we want to hear from you tell us what you want us to talk about on the podcast get in touch through our usual channels on social media at meat& Greet BBQ podcast the website meat & Greet BBQ podcast.com And until next time, keep on grilling Today's episode is brought to you by aos kitchens, the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists