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When I first read last year that Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Lang had opened a specialist barbecue restaurant and butchers in London, I knew instantly that I needed to pay them a visit.

As an English BBQ fanatic, I of course knew of Jamie, but it was Adam Perry Lang that inspired me most.

Having seen Adam cook on American BBQ shows such as the Kingsford Competition Series as well as Jamie’s Christmas special, I was extremely excited to see a place like this open in the UK.

Then, to my surprise, my wonderful God Mother, gave me a birthday card which contained a promise to take me to Barbecoa to enjoy a birthday meal.

Barbecoa is located in an indoor shopping precinct, right next door to St Pauls Cathedral in London, England, and I could smell the sweet smell of smoke as I approached.

This post is not aiming to act as a review of the food or restaurant (both of which were exceptional), but actually tell the story of what happened to me, once I had tasted it.

I already knew what I was having, having studied the menu for several days before my visit.

We started with bread, and I knew as it was brought out this was going to be a unforgettable meal.

I then ordered the Baby Back Ribs, with chilli and coriander.

These ribs were the best thing I ate that day and were also the reason I ordered Adam’s book, Serious Barbecue as soon as I got home - more on that shortly.

Main courses were Pulled Pork and Beef Short Rib

The biggest mistake I made that day was not getting the name of my Waitress, as she was the the single best hostess I ever had. We chatted about Adam’s restaurant, Daisy Mays in New York and how much she enjoyed working at Barbecoa, nothing was too much trouble. If you read this, Thank You.

Adam and Jamie have created something special and the butchers down the street is a great addition to the business.

I knew as I left that day, something had changed in me, I needed to learn how to cook food like that.

Adam’s book, of course, teaches the basics but also more advanced techniques on how to layer unique flavours, with various steps, that include herb basting brushes, mustard moisturisers and wrapping your meats.

Here is what I have learned so far.

Mustard Moisturiser

This allows the dry rub to adhere to the meats and improves the bark

Wrapping allows the meat to tenderise

One of the best techniques used by Adam, is board dressings. This technique encourages you to season your chopping board with sauces and herbs as you prepare the meat for serving.

I already feel like a better cook having invested some time in Adam’s teachings and can only get better with practice.

Thanks Adam

I am not the first BBQ cook to share a pulled pork recipe and I hope I am not the last. Over the past year, I have tried out many different rubs, sauces and methods with the aim of creating the perfect pulled pork.

Along the way I had a fantastic learning experience and I wanted to share with you some of the recipes that had a great flavour profile and produced wonderful moist pork. These of course are not my “top secret” recipes, but they are very closely related, and as such I consider them to be the siblings of my research into BBQ perfection.

The Dry Rub

A pork dry rub should have a salty sweetness but also a balanced heat, provided by a mix of black pepper and cayenne (Chris Lilly also recommends white). Herbs and other spices round off the flavour so that the rub has a chance to hang around on the taste buds, long enough to be appreciated.

This rub blend created a deep flavourful bark, due to the sugars but did not overpower the flavour of the pork.

I started by trimming the excess fat and rubbing the pork, all over, with French’s American Mustard. I then add a generous coating of dry rub, ensuring all creases and cracks were hit with the rub. Leave this for at least 1-2 hours but best overnight wrapped in cling film.

The Recipe

Try and use the freshest herbs and spices you can find and combine the following and mix well.

3/4 Cup of paprika

¼ Cup black pepper

¾ Cup kosher salt

1 Cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons white sugar

1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

3 Tablespoons garlic powder

1 ½ Tablespoons chilli powder (not a blend)

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 Tablespoons onion powder

1 Teaspoon ground ginger

½ Teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

This recipe can be adapted to suit your own tastes, so feel free to add white pepper and reduce the black pepper or even try smoked paprika and seasoned salt.

Method - This assumes that you have some prior knowledge of BBQ cooking and smoking.

Set up your BBQ pit or grill for indirect smoking, preferably with lump wood charcoal. You are aiming to maintain a constant pit temperature of 225 degrees fahrenheit throughout the cook. It is important that you manage your temperatures, because cooking too hot and too fast will result in a tough and dry product.

I like to use apple wood chunks, which I add directly to the charcoal at least every hour for the first 2 or 3 hours. The smoke itself is an ingredient and, as such, adding too much can create bitter tasting meat.

Once the pork starts to form a nice bark (after about 2 hours), I start spraying with apple juice, using a garden spray bottle. Spraying too early will wash off the dry rub and you will lose the bark.

Using a probe thermometer, I track the internal temperature until it hits around 170 degrees fahrenheit. At this point I will wrap the pork tightly in heavy duty aluminium foil and return it to the grill. I will not add any more smoke at this stage.

The final stage is to watch for the internal temperature to reach 190 degrees fahrenheit, which is the best temperature for pulled pork. If you wish to slice the pork you can remove it a little earlier.

Next up is the sauce. I like to combine regional flavours by first gently mopping the pulled pork in a Carolina vinegar based sauce, and finishing with a sweet tomato based drizzle before building the sandwich.

This has the effect of enhancing the smoke and spice without taking away the succulent pork flavour.

I have not seen a need to create a custom vinegar sauce, as there are plenty of excellent recipes already available online. A particular favourite of mine can be found at meatwave.com.

I pile the pork into a freshly baked white roll and top with a good quality coleslaw, preferably homemade.

I then finish the sandwich with a light drizzle of a sweet tomato based table sauce.

I like to use a custom sauce which contains a mix of Bourbon and Dr Pepper.

Finishing Sauce

Combine the following in a saucepan and gently simmer until thickened (about 30 minutes). Do not overheat otherwise the sugars will burn. Once prepared allow to cool before serving.

2 Cups ketchup

1 Tablespoon butter

1/4 Cup Bourbon

1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

1/2 Cup cider vinegar

1/4 Cup Dr Pepper

1 Teaspooon honey

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon liquid smoke

1 Teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

1/2 Teaspoon ground fennel powder

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here in the UK there are very few BBQ restaurants that are cooking with real smokers and wood, however Bodeans in London appears to be an exception.

Like an excited child waiting for Christmas, the day had finally arrived to try it out. My wife and I boarded a train with a wonderful evening of live music and BBQ ahead of us.

Things did not go as planned.

I had hoped to be posting a write up of Bodeans this morning but our train was terminated at Stevenage (One stop before London Kings Cross) and we returned home.

Hungry, miserable and out of pocket, the British Rail system had cancelled our evening.

Watch this space….

I have not posted recently, but with good reason. I have had my nose buried in the astonishing book written by Mike Mills and his daughter. I realise I may be a little late to the party, but this is truly a great read and is very engaging and human.

For those of you who do not know who Mike Mills is, he is the “legend” of BBQ and three time Grand World Champion who has set up multiple BBQ restaurants, including 17th Street Bar and Grill.

The book starts with a reminiscent look at how the Mill’s family fell in love with Barbecue, with fond memories of Mike’s father tending to his backyard pits. Mike then openly shares his favourite family recipes and trade secrets, whilst always ensuring the reader knows why these are so special.

It is fair to say that Mike truly cares for others and my favourite chapter is entitled “Living Legends” in which Mike speaks of his friends and colleagues and shares “tall tales” and barbecue nostalgia.

Particularly poignant was his discussion with Gary Roark from Ubon’s BBQ. Gary tells a story of a hunting trip where he makes a point of telling his sons in law how much he loves them for taking such great care of his daughters. It is the moments like this that remind you of what Barbecue truly means to those lucky enough to make a living from doing something they love.

As for the recipes, Mike includes his awesome “Magic Dust” dry rub and award winning Apple City BBQ sauce, but this book is not just about how to win at competition, it also includes restaurant favourites such as Blue Smoke Devilled Eggs and Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler.

It is rare that a cookery book can elicit such an emotional response but this is the point that Mike is trying to get across as it is not just about “cooking” it is about love.

“This has been a great ride, and I plan to ride this horse as long as she’ll go”

Mike Mills

Most of you reading this will more than likely be enthusiastic home cooks, looking to get great tasting food in order to entertain friends and family, rather than professional pit masters. However, even if you are never likely to compete in a competition, if you want great BBQ you are going to need good quality kit.

A quick search of the internet reveals a plethora of smokers, from full sized competition rigs to the well known Weber Smokey Mountain. With so many to choose from I thought it might be useful to share my thoughts on the Pro Q Excel BBQ Smoker.

I chose this smoker due to its availability and slightly cheaper price in the UK and also opted for an additional stacker to add to the available cooking space. The build quality is superb, and I understand the newer versions are also porcelain coated, mine was not.

It has three air vents in the base section, which also contains a large removable fire basket capable of holding enough charcoal for a 6 hour cook.

This cooker can hold its temperatures very well, however the water pan is very large and if filled more than half way it tends to struggle, in the UK climate, to sit above 220F.

I opt to use either sand or a terracotta saucer in the water pan instead and seal it with foil, to ensure even cooking temperatures. This method holds higher temperatures whilst giving you more control via your vents.

This is the largest of the smokers made by Pro Q and with the additional stacker I have plenty of space to cook at competition. I have been able to do pork butts and ribs at the same time, using a rib rack will also maximise the cooking space.

I would definitely recommend this cooker to anyone wanting to cook traditional low and slow smoked BBQ either at home or in competition. It takes some practice to get a nice even cooking temperature but once you get the hang of it, the food speaks for itself…

I wanted to share a few of my favourite songs that I enjoy listening to, whilst cooking, smoking, grilling or chilling.

1. The Naked & Famous – Punching In A Dream
2. Ryan Adams – So Alive
3. Gypsy & The Cat - Pipers Song
4. The Cure – Six Different Ways
5. Mystery Jets – It’s Too Late
6. Blind Melon – Soup
7. Shaun Bartlett – Bahrain
8. James Vincent McMorrow – We Don’t Eat

Before I purchased my first smoker, I worked hard on getting my Weber Q 220 Grill to produce some decent smoked food.

I learned quickly that this was no substitute for the real smoke flavour produced by authentic BBQ, but for those of you looking to get the most out of the kit you have, this may prove useful.

Firstly, the Weber Q 220 is not great at “indirect” cooking, but it does have a central area which is free from direct flame. Using foil to cover this area, while also raising the food off the grill using a rack, is an acceptable solution.

The other limitation is the single burner, and even on the lowest setting, it will still get above 250 degrees fahrenheit, which will mean that you will be unable to cook “low and slow”.

However, it is still possible to get some great tasting food.

Smoked Duck

To add the smoke, I use a stainless steel smoker box, which I filled with wood chips that had been soaked for half an hour. I also added some dry chips to help get the smoke started.

I then placed the smoker box under the cooking grate so it was resting on the gas burner. You will need to make sure the smoker box you use fits, but you could also use a foil packet with holes poked in it.

This picture also shows the central “indirect” section.

It is best to ensure that you leave the lid down as much as possible throughout cooking to ensure that the smoke penetrates the food.

Happy smoking

Many of you will have heard of the awesome Bacon Explosion Fatty created by the talented cooks over at BBQ Addicts. I was so impressed by this meaty creation that one of the first best purchases I made was their excellent cook book “BBQ Makes Everything Better”. This book is packed full of extremely creative recipes and BBQ favourites but also begins with some really easy to follow basics, covering all the main categories in competition BBQ.

This is by no means intended to be a full book review but instead is an enthusiastic recommendation and a way of giving credit for the lip smacking Bacon Cheese Burger Fatty I wish to discuss.

Bacon and Cheese Burger Fatty

Similar to the Bacon Explosion, this Fatty starts with a bacon weave, but instead of sausage it has ground beef and cheese at its centre and is then slow smoked over wood and charcoal.

This picture shows the Fatty mid smoke (also showing MOINK Balls)

The finished product…..Mmmmmm

Check back soon for more exciting news and stories from the world of competitive BBQ and home cookery.