Wood-Fired Wonders: Unlocking Flavor with Slim Ricks Smokehouse

Dan - Host: 0:00

Today's episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast is brought to you by iOS outdoor kitchens. They are the sales leading outdoors Hello and welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. They were speaking to Ricky from slim Rex, who's got some fantastic words, but he'll talk about that and a number of things afterwards. without much further ado, here's Ricky. Hi,Rick, if anyone who doesn't know who you are, please do introduce yourself.

Slim Ricks: 0:37

Right so I'm Ricky.I am the person behind cymric Smokehouse producer of alcohol infused chunks for smoking. Me basically private event caterer.I also do a new range of other chunks for smoking meat, other fruit Woods hardwoods and getting into other markets. But yeah, it's predominantly me kind of barbecue page barbecue enthusiasts, you know love cooking with fire. And yeah,that's pretty much me man.

Owen - Host: 1:17

So where did the Where did your business start?Were you involved with wood?That's a weird thing. You have you got wood

Unknown: 1:32

event we're talking about my my plan and would combination but there was a few few innuendos thrown out there.But no, I'm basically you know,I I've always cooked I've always been I love cooking and probably going back quite a bit over10 1011 years ago. I decided to try and smoke is in our little flat that we had in North London. I decided to try and smoke a brisket using the probably the worst quality brisket and like like bits of kindling basically of Yeah, it wasn't wasn't probably the correct stuff to be using. But I mean, it came out tasting like you know, smoke it was pretty inedible. My wife liked it but it was not not great. And ever since then it was just kind of you know, the experiment in and then you know, lockdown happens as we've a lot of people you know, lockdown happened and unfortunately we because of because of myself we had to go into shielding so we was complete lockdown wasn't allowed out of that house. And you know we were safe but I 14 months and yeah, it was kind of a luckily we had a good summer you know managed to picked up a smoker off of Facebook marketplace and offset smoker for the guy wanted50 quid I knocked him down to 30and went and picked it up and just started experiment in you know, just wired the time on my hands. And I found it hard to get hold a good quality wood.Yeah, we just get we was getting stuff that was kind of part seasoned, getting stuff that was still wet, or you know, and I just kind of made it my sort of venture to try and get hold a good quality wood. And once I did I started, you know, I've got an investment from my mother in law. And yeah, that's kind of where it started being born from really, you know, just started a little side hustle and kind of,you know, gathered momentum,really. But it's, uh, yeah, I mean, thanks to everyone that's like in the in the community has been purchasing the products like, you know, without them, it wouldn't be as as good as it is now. But, but that's kind of where it has spawned from. And yeah, it's been a long road though. It's a lot of grasping.

Dan - Host: 4:16

Like, I'd love you to tell us more about wood without again, look at sounding like sort of innuendo, but we speak to a lot of people who cook with it, and they talk about one or two different flavor profiles and things, but you've got an expert on it. So you know, what would you have?What do you recommend people use? What What are tricks that people can get from them?

Unknown: 4:36

Yeah, I mean,basically, the that's that made me initial product was the alcohol infused. Basically they're basically casks chunks,I would source different alcohol casks of sand audience, I'd cut the bands off, sand all the impurities off the outside edge of them, cut them down into chunks. And because, you know,believe it or not like these barrels that have been sitting for maybe A 2530 years, and they have steel bands that run around them. And these steel bands leave like a rust residue on the outside of the barrel, not to mention all the kind of grime and stuff that you will get on a barrel from 30 years of sitting in warehouses and stuff. So I would send all that off.

Owen - Host: 5:21

Because imagine the taste, if you didn't know, you know,

Unknown: 5:25

people say you can't because that Alyssa, you know,I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna say names or anything, there's other, there's other people supplying this stuff, and it's still got the, you know, still got the grime and stuff on the outside. And if you put them, if you put them next to each other,you can definitely taste the difference. You might not be able to do something that's a bit stronger flavored like the like beef, if you had a strong rub on it, if you especially if you're doing something like like chicken or fish, you can definitely taste it. You know,there's a definite difference with it. I noticed I've tested it, and because if if I didn't have to sand them, I wouldn't.It was

Dan - Host: 6:03

a lot of time on work that must go in Yeah, I

Unknown: 6:05

enjoy doing it, it's quite backbreaking, but the, you know, the, the flavor profile for what, you know, for the extra time that it takes to do that. It's a no brainer for me.But, you know, it was like, you know, I started going, getting into into these costs and then finding out about the different charging levels that they do on the insides for the for the, for the alcohol just inside them,you know what sort of oils that it releases, and the intensity of the flavors depending on the intensity of the char in the different breeds of because they're all oak casks. But you get different breeds who have white, if it's bourbon, it has to be a white American oak tree.It can't be can't be used in European oak, because it doesn't classify as a bourbon. It has to be charged to what they call gate a grade, which is char in level four, I think it was and that releases chemicals that vanillin which is you know, very similar to vanilla, which gives the bourbon that sweet taste.But it's all these different.Like all these different snippets of information that you're gathering, you know, I went to a bourbon tasting event where I learned a lot of stuff about you know about cost of production, I learned that, you know, American white oak was 20%denser on average than European out sorry, burns longer is heavier, you know, and it's just all these little, little tiny bits of information that you get as you're going along on your journey

Owen - Host: 7:42

with plan plum. I don't I've never seen plum wood.I've never heard anyone talk about smoking with plum wood before. And I did notice when because we were both at the ultimate event. The bags of plum wood that you've got there.Obviously cherries quite a sweet flavor, sweet flavor. Do you still get that sweetness with plum? Or is it? Is it more of a deeper richer flavor?

Unknown: 8:07

Plum is is similar to Cherry but it's a lot. It's it is stronger because I when I smoked with it, I was surprised about the strength of the flavor of it. Like you know, cherry is,is sweet. It's quite mild. And it's definitely got a more potent smokiness to it. But it's not on the levels of kind of oak. It's not it's not up there.It's kind of you know, and it's Yeah, I would say it's kind of let it's it's, it's fairly less than oak but it's stronger than cherry in the smokiness flavor.And it's more of a slightly more earthy tone as opposed to the sweet tone from cherries and ever society more earthy tone.But still, you know, it's it's,it's tasty. It's you've got to try to marry it to what your dishes, you know, whatever,whatever flavor profile you're trying to achieve. That's the sort of, you know, the flavor that plum gives that is a slightly more kind of earthy,but it still was a sweet undertones. You know,

Owen - Host: 9:16

I can imagine something like that. You know,Charlie's dark and plum sauce types and I can imagine a dark smoked with plum would be tasted yeah exactly must be quite nice flavor combination.

Unknown: 9:30

Yeah, cuz that I've been Tucker's obviously got this strong flavor profile of it's on its own. So it's yes it I'll probably wouldn't use it on something like chicken. But again, I'll probably wouldn't use it on on on beef. It's not possibly not strong enough for beef. But I don't I mean, it's It depends what sort of what sort of, you know flavor profile you're going for because some people prefer a slightly less I mean Some people like cherry on beef, I mean, I don't mind cherry on beef. And I think the cherries are good all rounder to be fair, you can use it on pretty much everything. So, you know, you've you tried to give people your opinion but your opinion is just that, you know everyone's flavors are different everyone likes tasting different things now I've gone to meat topia two years frightening with like, you know, with friends and stuff and everyone likes a different dish more than you know, we all like different things. So, you know, you can't,you can even give your opinion.But that is that's all it is.

Dan - Host: 10:41

I mentioned, I I'm quite into whiskey and I've been on a few different like whiskey tasting stuff and things and there's a lot of crazy science that goes into it quickly that you'd never have any idea of like, for example, talking about things like what they called the angels measure, which is when you age it over a period of time, the volume of fluid actually gets less and less and less they call it the angels measure. But they say that it can be different with every drink and even just a different years to things like that also make a difference to what the would end up being like if you're using it to smoke.

Unknown: 11:14

Yeah, I mean, obviously dependent on I mean, let's say for some examples, like we use red wine would be one of the one of the flavors I've got, which have been kind of been like Flash aged in a in a in a outcast, just to get a bit of flavor. Some of them do it with a charge inside some of out. But they're you know, you'll you'll notice that the flavor profile rather this the smelled pungency that you get from those because they've only been in there for a very short period of time is nowhere near as strong as like say, you know, I had these giant barrels that I got from the Glenlivet distillery, I mean,these were like I could, they're about as tall as my wife, they were about that was just over five foot tall, they're quite substantial casks, they were,and I had some of them, and, but when when I cracked those open,they just smell amazing, you know, and that is from something that's, you know, something that's been sat there with that product in for, like 20 years,you know, and then you crack that open afterwards. And it's just, you know, you can see the layers of it, when you when you look at his side profile, you can see that how far it's impregnated the wood, as opposed to something that's, you know,set in there for a very short period of time. It's funny that you mentioned the angel share because you also there's there's the there's a guy that I talked to on Instagram, who's his name's J Bradley, is a actually sells the world's most expensive single grain, more Irish whiskey. And, yeah, is it was something like 1.61 point 3million euros or something, it came with a fact it come with like a Faberge egg. And, and a watch that had been done by fabisch. I mean, this thing was just unbelievable. But he does,you get the angel share. And he does a range called the devil's Cup, which is like, you know,the strong stuff that you think is at the bottom. That raises the is the other stuff. But yeah, even stuff like that, you know, because Because of this,like, you know, trying to get ahold of bows from reputable distilleries and stuff like that, you know, I started chatting to this guy. And, you know, we, you know, we message each other on Instagram, I sent him a box of my done like a variety box for Christmas, where you had like the brandy, I think had brandy, red wine, and whiskey and bourbon in there.And so I sent him a box of that,and, you know, it's just just for Christmas. And, you know,it's like this stuff that you get from doing things like this,you start talking to people on all sorts of different levels.You know, it's, it's been quite a journey to be there.

Owen - Host: 14:23

I mean, it sounds like you're having a blast. At the same time. You're learning all this stuff whilst building the business and meeting all the, you know, people from all walks of life as well.

Unknown: 14:32

Yeah, yeah. I mean,like, I genuinely tried to make it a rule that if I'm supplying someone, for the first time,I'll go off and see him. So the first delivery, I'll do by hand and just so you can, you know,meet the meet the people, you get to see more people in the community and it's about putting a face to the name rather than just a guy there's your there's your DHL older it'd be all for it. It's, you know, I've been I've been and so that's got me around the country a little bit.I've been, you know, up to Preston, over to, you know,different places in Oxford and Hartford share and, you know,just yeah, all over the shop really. It's just nice. It's nice getting out and about, you know, seeing seeing these other shops in their displays, seeing the effort that everyone else is putting in.

Dan - Host: 15:29

And what was your favorite product like that, that you that you offer? Did you have one that's favorite to you, or like people seem to be buying the most?

Unknown: 15:38

Well, people to be honest, that bourbon, the bourbon chunks, just there have been, you know, a winner all round the bourbon ones have,have always sold well. Which is surprising because like, you know, you have got the likes of kind of Jack Daniels whiskey chips that you can buy off the shelf, in, you know, quite a few places. And the fact that, you know, my bourbon chunks were doing so well, our focus is that it's actually quite nice to see the support and stuff from everyone in the community to show that they were kind of, you know, flying off the shelf. I mean, I thought the the limited edition range of the brand day,which is probably one of my favorites, to be honest. Are they they were they smelled really nice, the brandy chunks.And, you know, they were quite thick. Again, they was awkward,fairly large cask that I got. So they were quite substantially thicker than a normal chunk. And they're selling nice burn time.And, you know, they were they were probably one of my favorite ones. Probably not my favorite ones to package, but definitely one of my favorite ones to use.But yeah, I mean, I use all my products all the time. Just because I've got, I've got an unlimited supply of them again.I like using other people's products, man, as well, you know, because like you get people supporting you, you know,you go out and buy other people's stuff, you know, just to see, you know, your testable is and see what stuff other people are produced that everyone's the market is so huge that there's a there's a spot in there for everyone. Yeah, you know,

Owen - Host: 17:15

just just sort of quickly, to go back to the kind of, you know, sourcing, you were saying you have to try and go to reputable distilleries and things like that. A you now, is there a certain age of caste that you're trying to, you know,kind of even now know that right? Okay, well, after 20years, that's, that's the flavor that I want? Or are you quite open to what's available?

Unknown: 17:39

So to be honest, it's,I try to, you know, you're looking at more of the quality of the cast, because well,because you could have something that would have, you know,whiskey, and for 20 years, that the cask of ice over here, and it's in disarray, you know, it might not be in the best condition. And I tend to go for more quality over and from it has to be from a decent distillery. And I want it to be in a decent condition. Because a lot of these times you'll get these casks, and they'll sell a product. You know, they'll still I've had casks now turn up. And they've probably got, you know,maybe maybe an eighth of a, of a cask still with, you know,fairly potent, I wouldn't drink it, Christ. It's got, yeah, it's got fairly potent liquid still left in it. And so that, to me,is, you know, I don't want anything that's been left on all the bands in, I want it to be tight, I want the bands tight, I want it to be so that thing has been sealed. So they're all a fly that hasn't had a chance to escape. Because once once those things start breaking up, that's when you start losing the flavor. You know, the I mean, if you've had something that's got alcohol in for anything more than 10 years, which you know,most most whiskies are kind of a minimum three to five years lease, like going into your kind of late a year ones. Want, like,you know, you're not going to lose that much flavor. But you want something that's going to be kind of tight and compact and it's not been broken up and it's in a bad state when you get because once if it's in a bad state, when you get when you chalk it up and send it out,it's gonna be even worse. So that's the main thing for me is to get like Grade A casks from reputable distilleries. Not necessarily how long the whiskey has been aged in it. It's like I said, It's a 25 year old barrel is going to be looking a little bit ropey. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 20:07

So is this is this now your full time business? Was this still something that you're kind of doing on the side as well as a full time? full time job? No, I'm

Unknown: 20:14

actually I'm a cryogenic engineer by trade.Wow. So I deal with pretty much the opposite of what I do with barbecuing I deal with liquefied natural gases like minus 190degrees Celsius temperatures.

Dan - Host: 20:33

I thought you can just say you're you're growing of trees.

Unknown: 20:40

You ever watched Futurama where they like they freeze freeze frames and into the future? That's kind of that's that's my day to day job.This is a sideline. So yeah,pretty polar opposites. Really?

Owen - Host: 20:59

Yeah. Sounds interesting. And I said, I don't think I've ever met anyone with that job before.

Unknown: 21:05

It's Yes, it's definitely different to dealing with, with hot fires and, and barbecue coals and stuff. So it's, it pays the bills. Right.That's the problem. So until until the business picks up enough that, you know, I might be able to kind of slip away from it. We'll say that's another few years down the line.I think that one?

Owen - Host: 21:30

And is that is that your ultimate goal to be able to kind of work within the barbecue industry? And and take your business forward that way?

Unknown: 21:37

Yeah. I mean, that would be that would be the top?You know, that would be exactly what I'd want to do. You know,go die, go to Events, have a few people working under me chopping the chunk, I guess, to be honest, I don't want to be chopping chunks for the rest of my life. I want to try and get to a stage where I can like get someone else to do it for me.And because I'm not getting any younger.

Owen - Host: 22:03

Is that something that you you would want to continue to do hand like a handmade process? Or is there machinery? I'm assuming to be able to do that? Or do you prefer that that kind of made with love type, you know, type process?

Unknown: 22:19

Yeah, I mean, I'd like to be honest, I don't know.Really. Because because the,let's say the barrel chunks for one, they've got a curved profile on him. You know, I'm not sure how I'm sure there is probably a machine that can do it. It probably cost an absolute fortune. But because when you're trying to cut that into a chunk,because it's got a curved profile, it's not like a straight, you're trying to cut chunks from a straight piece of piece of wood, you've got to follow that curve as you're cutting it. So it's not it's not as easy as people kind of first perceive, I guess. And I don't Yeah, I mean, if I could, I would be the one that goes out,selects the barrels and then get someone else to do it.

Owen - Host: 23:07

Yeah, that's fair enough. That's fair enough. So just out of interest. And once we've spoken, you know about about the business. I've been,I'm interested to know a little bit more about your personal journey into barbecue you mentioned right at the start that you know, you love cooking,you've always loved to cook. So,just just tell us a bit about your kind of barbecue journey,personally. Yeah,

Unknown: 23:28

I mean, like, so when locked down happened. Like I mentioned, we went into shielding. And, you know,started buying this buying this bought the offset smoke, I'd like a little kettle BBQ that I got from being Q. And you know,I started doing some cooks on it, and, you know, started making some fairly tasty food.And then obviously, my wife was,she was into Instagram, she was building her page. And then she was sort of, you know, started an Instagram page, you know,just, there's a massive community and I just started and then a few competitions come along, and you're like, Okay,you know, maybe I want a competition you know, and then okay, I'm getting further in the competition. You know, okay,well, you know, got to the quarterfinals in that one. Okay,well, that's that's where I left off on that one and that was on there was a globe Baltic family one where I'm not to the quarterfinal or something Yeah,quarterfinals I think it was on that one. And then you know,other ones if you win one and then you're okay maybe I could do something and then it's like and it just progressed and progressed and progressed and then before you know it I've bought you know I've got a savage fire cage. I've got a little Komodo Joe Jr. I've got I mean, I must have seven barbecues. There you I've got the guys that drum becu based in Greenwich. Don't know if you've if you guys ever been to me topia? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's yeah. So older older drum barbecues that have behind the stalls are all drum BQ.Barbecues, right? And they're a massive brand. They're based in Greenwich in London. And, and they sent me one of their reverse flow, cabinet smokers. I mean, the things that absolute beast, like about 600 kilos. But yeah, there's just like, yeah,it's a monster. And, but yeah,it's just like to you that I was chatting to them, and we type it there was sort of, we'd like to,like, you know, work with you and try this and try that, you know, to try and help everyone grow, essentially, like, they're helping me grow, I'll buy promote me, I'll promote them.And then, you know, we had these guy from the guys from Poland called oniac. Smokers then are sponsoring smoke and fire this year. So, myself and a guy that,you know, I do private events and catering with a guy that I grew up with in school. And he's, uh, you know, he's an avid barbecue as well, you know, we kind of reconnected again. And now we've gone through this kind of private catering events,stuff that we do together. And,you know, now both of us are doing we're going to be doing demo cooking for this polish smoker company for we've got five events in the UK, possibly one in Poland. Wow. Wow. Yeah.So it's kind of it's, it's definitely it's gone from, like,from what it was, when was the first lockdown? 2020 2020? Yeah,yeah, march 2020. Yeah. So you know, last three years, it's just exploded, man, you know,and I mean, you you've got to put, I mean, putting some,putting some hours that oh, man,you know, to get to where you are, but it's like, you know, to try it out, you know, you're talking to people in the community. And it's been a real supportive network of people,you know, and it's, it's a great thing that's been spawned out of this lockdown. And people have made these, like, these places that they can entertain at home,you know, the price of everything's gone up. So people are more inclined to be entertaining at home. And this is the market that we've entered, you know, it's just like, people are now you know,rather than going out to dinner with friends, you know, I was speaking to one of my colleagues, they said, he went out for fish and chips with his family cost him like, 6070 quid just for a couple of fish and chips then and he was just like,you know, yeah, I'd be more inclined to have people over at his house to you know, cook and,you know, entertain them because it's, it's, it's cheaper. And,you know, people have set up these kinds of, you know, these outdoor kitchens and you know,some of the things I've seen on Instagram are just insane

Owen - Host: 28:15

that the the that cost they're about going out.It's mad, isn't it? I even find with taking the family to like McDonald's now. Is it like silly expensive compared to I mean,perhaps because the kids are getting old and they're happy meals anymore, but you take you spending over 20 quid on just some McDonald's. It's a smash burger and a bit some chips that you could do for three or four quid own

Dan - Host: 28:41

and much better, as well as the other side of that,you know? And then you think some of the big cuts of meat as well imagine how many people you could feed for 60 quid

Unknown: 28:54

Oh, it's insane. Yeah,you could you could, I mean,like, I mean, that when you sustain that you could make something at home and it tastes a lot better than that you purchase out like I mean, I've kind of been annoying to take out now my wife gets annoyed with it like if we go out somewhere because I sit there and eat something. So I can't believe I'm paying 15 quid for this is this the I could you know, you can make something better at home yourself, but it system? I think, you know, I don't I don't think she likes the fact that I'm getting a bit of a food stamp. I think

Owen - Host: 29:34

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Dan - Host: 29:44

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Owen - Host: 30:42

Visit aos kitchens.co.uk Just just talk to us a little bit more about the private catering side of things.So are you kind of doing like weddings, events and things like that? And what kind of things are you cooking?

Unknown: 30:57

Yeah, we do. We've done weddings, folk festivals. You know, we've done a Leon City Folk Festival, we've done a Saturday and Sunday there last year. And we sold roughly 450burgers in two days. And we could have done more we sold out early doors both days, we just didn't realize that busy. But you know, you go to a lot of these events and they're clued up now they don't have 10 people doing burgers, they will have one person doing burgers. One person doing pole pole, one person doing Tacko. So they'll they'll try to even the market out. You know, which makes it fair for everyone, which is it is nice. It's a nice you know,it's a nice by no one's competing directly with each other. You know, we've done weddings, we've done birthday parties and people's gardens.You know, we've Yeah, we I mean,I'm in talks with people,hopefully to do pride this year in in Essex. So that should be quite a quite a big event. And,yeah, I mean, that's where we're kind of leaning more towards,you know, trying to keep on the corporate side. Because festivals can be a bit hit or miss, you know, it's a bit you know, you put is there's there's risk involved in that when when you start doing corporate events, and you know, you give a price. And that's what you're charging, that's, you know, it's it's, there's no risk involved,you know, or very little. And so that's kind of the direction we're trying to steer towards that we still did a big festivals where we can get them but that's the direction we're trying to go now just because it's, you know, we've done the festivals, we've done the risky bits, we just kind of like,right now we've we've got a bit of a name, we're trying to stay at them the, the corporate side of things and the weddings and the you know, the private events because that's where you're,it's where it makes life easier.You know, you know how many people you're doing, you know what times you're serving from and to, you know, and it's just makes life because it's very stressful during festivals. And

Owen - Host: 33:12

yeah, I can imagine it. So what are you I'm assuming you're not taking your 600 kilo cabinet with you every time you go to a festival besides what you normally cooking on when you when you do cater,

Unknown: 33:25

right? So generally speaking, it's we would get in these, like there's a butcher over near Laindon sort of way in Essex, and he was getting the this like award winning pork mints and making them into footlong sausages. So we was getting those and smoking those doing kind of like foot long dirt dogs. Yeah, well we was using so my friends do it with he's got an Oklahoma Joe. And so we were using that. Let's do a heavy BASIC Kit. Why don't be500 kilos but it's still heavy.So we take we take that to events. We take my fire cage,savage fire cage, and a barrel barbecue that I built with a with a welder that I got from the middle of little

Owen - Host: 34:25

nice. Yeah,

Unknown: 34:27

that's he can get everything from Lidl. So I'm a firm favorite of little. But,but yeah, that's that's what we take. And we generally tend to do burgers and dogs and Paul Polk, but you know, we've done Christmas fairs where we've had Tomahawk steaks, we've had sirloin, we've had full full service, support strip loin joints. And you know, we've we've done With a whole joint over fire, and then slice it in bands bit horseradish, you know,mustard vinegar a bit of rocket.Yeah, this is good.

Owen - Host: 35:14

I'm hungry. I'm hungry. Yeah, I suppose so. So one of the things that we hold quite dear on the podcast is our barbecue fails. So some of the things that some of the cooks or even during the business perhaps that that hasn't gone so well,Ricky, so have you got some stories for us, perhaps when you were catering that, you know,some things that haven't gone so well?

Unknown: 35:39

To be nice, and the catering side of things have gone pretty, pretty well to be like, you know, because the guy that I do, and with he's even,like, you know, he studied catering in school, college. So he's fairly clued up, and together, you know, we kind of work quite well together, and we haven't really, really Touchwood we haven't come up against anything here. But, you know,obviously, personal flowers for ice, I don't even know where to begin. Yeah, of course, there's been plenty, you know, but that's all part and parcel of it. You know, I mean, I've had,I've had stuff that I practically made that has been inedible. But, you know, if I didn't make that stuff, then I wouldn't have learned from it.You know, I remember once I used a smoker, and didn't test to make sure that the gauge was working properly just ticking for, you know, facts, I thought,okay, it's working properly.Then, about two hours into my cook, I decided to put the digital gauge in there, found out that the analog gauge was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. So where I thought I thought I was running about 250 Fahrenheit, it was more like 350 Fahrenheit.Because of the two hours, I opened it up, and I was just like, well, everything looks a bit more than it should be. But you know, that stuff happens when it's, you've got to you've got to be on it, you've got to make sure that you test if you're going to do a big smoke,you test those gauges, you you put your digital ones and then you make sure they're calibrated, you know, and it's all stuff without without doing the mistakes you wouldn't think to do it, you know, you take it for gospel like the little gauge on top of your web, I was reading the right temperature,but it's done a waste it's um,but yeah, that's, that's I mean,that's probably that that that one way was kind of 90 degrees out that was kind of a big fail because I had quite a bit of meat in there at the time. And it was I managed to kind of rescue it. You know, if anyone's kind of ruined me in the smoker you know that if you kind of vacuum seal it with enough you put like a little splash of apple cider vinegar in there then vacuum seal it once it's been shredded. And then you can boil it one slide you know when you want to warm it throw and then add it to something that's kind of very salty like a pest there or, you know, shepherd's pie like anything that's kind of got a rich sauce with it that you can kind of let it just simmer in there and kind of break it I've had beef cheeks that I thought I could throw for a window because you can you can still rescue him though it's surprising you know if you can get a few tricks where I've had really bad beef to experiment and then I'll just leave them in a pool of of Brian or something and leave it at a low heat and they just break down even further. You know you can you can rescue things so yeah, but you can also murder things

Owen - Host: 39:04

the temperature,the temperature gauge, so I can imagine so frustrating I mean,you're in Essex. I'm in Essex too. And you know where it's what? Two three degrees at the minute. If I go and look out on one of my smokers it will say it's 80 degrees it's that it's it's that far out it's not even on and it'll stay still saying it's 80 degrees while it's two degrees outside. And you're right is it is just about that process isn't it checking to make sure that your equipments ready before you start putting a lot of meat on? Yeah, it's

Unknown: 39:37

actually like the guy that made it so that like smoking out I don't know if you guys follow him is because I remember watching a video of him calibrating. He's gauges on his Komodo like showing the removal of it and like you know,basically just adding it to boiling water tire making sure it's reading near 100 degrees you know it's like 100 degrees Celsius and whatever that is apparently I can't remember to do something Yeah, but but he I mean it's a really easy five minute job and to do that and save yourself ruining you know780 quids worth for me if you've got I mean some of these like for Packer brisket so talking big money that you could be ruining without realizing it. So it's a saver tested gauges of much to got a second one.

Dan - Host: 40:40

Sometimes it's not even that it's understanding the barbecue because if you've got like quite a large barbecue or like the larger Commandos, where the gauges reading the temperature, it will be much hotter further down. Oh, you know, oh, there's different sweet spots is understanding that as well if you're doing a long long cook and getting to know your kit, and the best way you can do that is proper kind of collaboration and kit, make sure everything's calibrated properly, but also cooking on them regularly and getting a feel and understanding them. Is that difficult to do with seven barbecues? Um,

Unknown: 41:17

well, it's, to be honest, I've got that many barbecues, but they all have their own functions. I know it sounds like you know, you think you can do I think I'm just spoiled to be fair. I mean, you kept like, I mean, I was blown away with Comodo Joe, when when I got it, my wife and my mother in law bought it for me for my birthday last year. And I was literally blown away with her.Those things are so consistent and easy to cook. I mean I've done a poke. I've done a pork belly on it. And I just literally dialed the temperature in and I just left the lid closed. I didn't spritz it or anything and I left it for like four hours four and a half hours and it came out amazing. And but yeah, I've got a Weber the Master Touch, which is kind of the one that I use probably most frequently because it's good all rounder you know I've got a boneyard cabinet smoker which I use when I've kind of not really got the time to die man. The smoker you know that's kind of like a it's a wood chip feeding electric smoker. It's really good quality but it's not one that you can just kind of Chuck something in there for a couple of hours, three, four hours and just set and forget it you know the fire cage is obviously probably one of my favorite things to cook on. Because it's just you know, it's just a bear theater man and it's a lot of I you know, I get the kids involved to get the you know,with Spark, you know, doing a chicken shawarma on it and I've got the kids lighting sparklers off of it and it's it's a good bit of theater a good bit of fun. And I've been I've got a master Bill cabinet smoker the electric electric coal smoker,the big so that's, that doesn't really get used at all anymore.Now that I've got the one from John McHugh doesn't get used at all really. But it's just kind of sat there and I'm just trying to I've got I've got one called an aquifer now, which I don't think many people have heard of.No, I haven't heard that. Yeah,it's the name rings a bell but Sorry, it's aimed at the kind of the backpack in traveling. Like community it's, it's, it's fits in a backpack. But it's kind of telescoped out into kind of the same sort of size as if you can imagine like a drum barbecues when they stood up kind of like the UDF tip drum smokers. But it's telescopic so the bottom ones smaller than the middle ones slightly bigger. The top ones slightly bigger than the middle one, but this thing does everything. It's got a pizza stone battery powered rotisserie it's got little hooks on it to hang your clothes on if you've been camping to dry them out with a fire in there. It's got all sorts on it. Yeah, it's just like it's actually a really cool piece of kit but I only use it at the moment as a pizza oven so because that's the only thing that I haven't got in my arsenal is a pizza oven so that's what that gets us for but yeah system that's that's kind of what I what I cook on. And like I said the I mean the savage by cage is definitely my favorite at the moment just because it's it's so much fun to give Got the drum beat q1 is great, but I mean you you could like you're cooking volume in that because it's so big oh sorry I'm gonna watch this possibly a train. That's really nice but yeah, that's,that's about it what I click on guys

Owen - Host: 45:29

nice. I think what would be good that if we've been talking about barbecues you've been talking about some of the things that you've been cooking before goods go into our barbecue bingo challenge.Barbecue Bingo is brought to you by lumberjack food company your tickets are flavortown Yeah. So if I share my screen so technical

Dan - Host: 45:50

Yeah, but on a phone is that readable?

Unknown: 45:54

Yeah, consider Oh Christ.

Owen - Host: 45:58

So this is the high tech wheel that we were talking about millions of pounds we've spent on this. Okay, so there's loads of ingredients. A lot of these have been left by previous guests. There's one on there called my signature dish. So if that lands on that, we'd like you to cook your signature dish.What are you best known for rigging?

Unknown: 46:19

I'd probably say my I mean, my favorite to cook is either beef short ribs or beef take probably beef short ribs are my favorite.

Owen - Host: 46:30

Choice. Good choice. I

Dan - Host: 46:31

love I love beef.Sure. He's one of my favorite things to cook as well.

Unknown: 46:35

You can't go wrong.

Owen - Host: 46:39

Okay, so if I give this a spin and just while it's while it's spinning and could we get you to think of an ingredient you can leave? So hopefully our next guest to pick out so if you've got something in mind

Unknown: 46:54

liver and beef tongue

Owen - Host: 47:01

I've already forgotten who left beef tongue It was recently as well.

Unknown: 47:06

It weren't dive spice punch was it?

Owen - Host: 47:10

No, it was it was the guidance from smoky oak barbecue you know the big offset smokers? Yeah, yeah, it was it was those guys that left for that

Dan - Host: 47:22

day found it hilarious. Dave left it was ice cream wasn't it? But it's already it was it was maple ice cream. That's where it was. But that's already gone. Someone's got the pleasure of doing that and because it was Dave as well he was like Yeah, so I make it using the barbecue. I was like I will see what people do but they're probably gonna use it as an ingredient rather than trying to think of how to make ice cream with a barbecue day from honest but you know speak to geniuses and or come up with crazy things right

Owen - Host: 47:54

right let's give it a go see what what comes out.

Dan - Host: 47:58

I'm hoping based on now your reaction

Owen - Host: 48:01

was so nearly liver Oh.

Unknown: 48:04

So first of all a bad one.

Owen - Host: 48:07

That's not a bad one at all

Unknown: 48:15

yeah where's your where's your brain going without the celeriac puree written all over it? Sounds celeriac puree, isn't it? That's kind of what we've been master chef hat on. So what I can definitely what I've got in mind for that one celeriac puree,

Dan - Host: 48:36

cheeks on the side.Why not? Yeah, that could

Unknown: 48:39

go night to that dark blue celeriac puree.

Owen - Host: 48:47

What ingredient you're going to leave, you're going to do something nice or you're going to try and stitch someone up

Unknown: 48:56

so now so we've got one person's left a fruit on their mango. I think just because I've seen them done very well. I'm gonna put pineapple on there.

Dan - Host: 49:10

Oh yeah, we did.There's so nice if you just put them in the coals and let them kind of burn up it almost almost feels like it ferments as well.Beautiful thing. Yeah.

Unknown: 49:21

Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to add to that one. Get some sweet stuff.Awesome.

Dan - Host: 49:27

I would have loved if you've gone I think maybe what what if we said like plum would

Unknown: 49:36

be off like you could put some off or something like that. That'd be tested someone.Definitely.

Owen - Host: 49:46

So is there anything, Ricky that we haven't kind of spoken about the about barbecue or the community or anything for that matter that you wanted to kind of have a chat with us about that we haven't spoken about so far.

Unknown: 50:00

I'm not really an email, it's just thinking like about, you know, just the sort of people that are involved in a barbecue community and just how,you know, how supportive they are towards everyone, you know,it's like, there's, there's people out there to do more,more food for you, then, you know, some of you some of you,that people closely around you,though, you know, there's some,some decent people in the barbecue community. And it's just, it's just nice to be a part of it, you know, nice to get messages from people, you know, and, you know, you is just a system, it's a nice thing that's happened Friday, it does feel like, you know, it's kind of being perpetuated from this lockdown. That, you know, that happened a few years ago, I mean, seems to have just grown exponentially, and it's been so many small businesses that have come out of it, you know, and being able to work with them,being like, you know, work with other people in the community work with even people outside of the community like this,there's, there's people that have, that have come into this community, we've, we've, we've had been doing work experience in in other sides of things and been able to adapt it to be used in this side of things, like it's been, it's been really good, been nice to be a part of everyone's journey. And, you know, just just like watching them all as well, you know, like being tagged and he was posting what people are doing with with your stuff. It's just makes it makes you feel good. It's, it's a good, good thing to be be a part of.

Owen - Host: 51:40

Awesome. Dan, is there anything else that you wanted to mention?

Dan - Host: 51:45

The last thing that I wanted to ask you? And we haven't really asked anyone else? There's but maybe we should we talk about the community and how special it is.And people listening are often looking for inspiration. If there's one Instagram page that you'd suggest people go look at for inspiration, what would it be?

Owen - Host: 52:04

Oh, that's a tough one. I couldn't even answer that.

Unknown: 52:09

You know? There's so many, there's so many people out there that you just kind of you watch their stuff. And it's, you know, there's probably there's,there's definitely two people that I would say that I look at their stuff, and it's still kind of I, you know, amazed at the stuff that they do on and there's you know, this is

Dan - Host: 52:41

a real, real model modifier.

Unknown: 52:45

So I would say probably my top one would be probably be asked and from smoking Mike Bates, just because, I mean,I've met, I've met him, I've met us in a few times, I've met his mom and dad. And I see the stuff that he's, he's doing at his age. It's not fair. I know,everyone says about the stuff he's doing at this age, but I just think about when I was his age, and I was no way near as focused as he is. And the stuff that he's churning out the, you know, the opportunities that he's getting, and he's just eating it up, and he's just going for it. And, yeah, I just wish, like, the some of the food that he's churning out is just unreal. And I just think, you know, not just for his age for anyone that is an achievement.So I think he's definitely one of my, one of the pages that I like to, you know, I like to keep an eye on then there's,then it will be Dave spice punch, just because the guy just the butchery skills that he's acquired. I mean, I was lucky enough to go to Dave's house.And we had a little bit of a cookout up there. And he does just, you know, who has a joint Ager, you know, he's just some of the stuff he does. It's just crazy man. When obviously him with artists and the, you know,Mr. Russell Davis and that and they're doing these big Kirk's that, you know, when they could it's like a whole pig, you know,over this pit that they built in, in art and artists that guards and they just think that you know, these guys are doing some some big stuff, you know,very entertaining to watch. And so they're probably like, they would probably be my top two ones that I liked that I really like watching. And then the other ones would be, you know, I like Ali eats. Especially like He's new. Like He's doing a lot of bushcraft stuff, doing stuff out in the wild. He's done some big cooks. And you know I really liked the format of his page really quiet and I met him a few times really nice guy very supportive and you know it's just you can feel the genuineness across coming across on the page which is is you know, it's something that kind of draws you in it's it's a nice it's a nice nice thing to have and then and this is probably only because I'm a little bit jealous of the smoker he just acquired but he got flames barbecue home some of the stuff he's been cooking on he's on these new smokers you know it's just nice to watch them like you know talking to the guys about getting new smoker then the smoker came and then it was like the whole journey and now he's knocking out some really really good stuff when he smokes just it's a very interesting accounts of what you know he was I think he had a tick tock video that's I mean that's got like nearly a million views on Christ. Yeah,just I mean he's got some really really cool stuff that he's been doing on it and again like you know it was the all hands launch night and nice guys like you know like nice to talk to and yeah just I'm just jealous will be smoke Rafi their accounts that you know, they they they always come top of my feeds because you know you'll you'll find yourself engaged in just you know this stuff looks good.Even likes it i t bone Marmaduke fan you know, very entertaining page to watch. Yeah. Such a nice fella as well. I met him at sizzle Fest and you know he's so nice to talk to you and I mean he was a little bit flustered he just on the hot wing challenge and won it but but you know, and the constant support as well you know, here's the site you know in a lot of contact with them on the messages and stuff and just yeah nice nice people man you know even like the guys that you know the Alton guys own guys always got a soft spot for giant the team you know because again,that's doing so much for the community like you look at the the events that they put on there you know the stuff that you've posted up you know is so many accounts name 124 and six

Dan - Host: 58:12

on that point though don't forget yourself before we finish one last time telephone how they can find you what your Instagram pages where can they buy your stuff?

Unknown: 58:23

Right so yeah, my Instagram is at slim Rick's and slim underscore Rick's underscore Wirecast they can buy my stuff, even direct from me from just send me a DM I have got a website in the process.But it's been a long time in the process. It's just finding the time to get to get it up and running. It's nearly there by sister just taking this final tweaks to get it right. But you can find this on global tics website. You can find me on ankus and oinks website you'll find the Autons Alfresco chat Paul can find this at the outdoor kitchen collective escapes Gibson's find its meats off in a minute

Dan - Host: 59:22

you know, people can find it through Google too.

Unknown: 59:28

Especially the first one that comes out if you type slim Rick's it comes cymric Assar. So it's but yeah, that's that's where we're at them in it. I mean, like I said, we've got big plans for you know,hopefully gonna bring out a range of smaller splits to us pizza ovens. Yeah, cuz it seemed I mean after the gozney So have you know what's been going on with that? I mean, that's been absolutely in society watching his page. But yeah, like so try trying to see if we can use allies like you know, the woods that we're supplying here to try and make something that that can be used in those those bits of equipment would be would be great because they're very popular at the minute and you know there's there's a market out there for for you know high quality kiln dried hardwoods so hopefully because you can do something that will say we'll see what's this space?

Owen - Host: 1:00:28

Brilliant, but it's been an absolute pleasure to have you have you on the podcast. It's a shame that we we literally missed each other only a week or so we go in person,but hopefully we get to meet you at some events this year.

Unknown: 1:00:41

Yeah, absolutely. You guys don't any of the sniper fires. Or?

Owen - Host: 1:00:45

Possibly we're definitely doing sizzle fest.Possibly smoking fire.

Unknown: 1:00:51

Yeah, yeah. Well, I might see it and

Owen - Host: 1:00:55

it's nice good.Thanks very much. Have a great one.

Unknown: 1:01:00

All right, take care yeah.

Owen - Host: 1:01:05

That's it for another episode of meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Thanks so much to Ricky for coming on and talking to him talking to us about his business. I really wish him the best of luck and can't wait to meet him in person. As everyone hear from us to get in touch with us through the usual channels at meat & Greet BBQ podcast socials, our website meat & Greet BBQ podcast.com And until next time, keep on grilling

Dan - Host: 1:01:38

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