WATCH!
The first season of American Barbecue Showdown on Netflix marries the cooking competition genre with the age-old tradition of barbecuing for a delicious feast for your eyes and will have you craving for some good ol’ barbecue dishes. In this show, eight contestants battle it out for the title of American Barbecue Champion and are put through their paces to prove their mettle. Each episode has the hopeful pitmasters showing off their skills across a number of challenges, from proving they knew tried-and-tested techniques to having to prep and grill unusual meats. Netflix has renewed the show for a second season, so catch up before the new episodes are out.
LISTEN!
Celebrate the joys of cooking in all its forms with some amazing chefs with this podcast hosted by Simon Rimmer in association with Weber BBQs. Each week, listen to chefs such as Jason Atherton, Michael Caines, Nadiya Hussain, Angela Hartnett, and more, speaking to Rimmer about what made them passionate about cooking, their journey to success, their failures along the way, and what motivated them to keep going. The episodes also share recipes along with simple tips to improve your culinary skills along with how to make the most of your barbecue outdoors. Get grilling!
READ!
For traditions and good food: Released in 2021, Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ is touted as being the first cookbook by a black pitmaster – co-written by Lolis Eric Elie. It is a celebration of barbecuing traditions in the American south. With recipes for smoked chicken wings, pit-smoked turkey, along with must-have sides such as corn bread with honey butter, the book is perfect for beginners as well as skilful barbecue masters. The essays about South Carolinian food traditions are an added bonus.
For family meals: It’s hard to go wrong with Jamie Oliver, whose latest book, Together, releases in September 2021. Each chapter features a meal – from seasonal celebrations to curry nights and summer feasts – with a menu tailored for each theme. From starters to sharing plates and desserts, the book offers something for everyone – whether you’re cooking for two or eight. It also includes tips on how to adapt recipes for veggie and vegan diets, along with inspiration for table styles that will make your Instagram feed pop.
For the novice: From Genevieve Taylor, the author who brought veggie BBQ cookbook Charred to our shelves, comes Foolproof BBQ: 60 Simple Recipes to Make the Most of Your Barbecue. This book is all about providing simple instructions on how to set up a barbecue to make sure meat and veggies are prepped to perfection. With an introduction to equipment and firing techniques, the book is divided based on your ingredient of choice and features mouthwatering recipes: from spatchcock chicken with coconut and soy to mussels with chorizo and garlic butter, and more.
For convenience: What do we want? Simple yet delicious meals. When do we want it? Now. This is the philosophy behind Conveniently Delicious, the new book by Devin Connell, chef and creator of This Is Crumb. Create scrumptious dishes using basic pantry ingredients that pair well with a barbecue spread: from labneh with bursted tomatoes and dill to an upside-down skillet apple crumble. Full of stunning food photography, the book guarantees to provide a collection of recipes that will have you returning to it time and again.
