We do need some fire control
Whether you are a BBQ beginner, enthusiast or a chef looking to up your outdoor game, there is a school out there for you. CHARLOTTE MACKANESS goes looking for live-fire cooking
Interest in open-fire cooking has fuelled not just a surge in courses covering a juicy array of subjects – from barbecue basics to niche firemaster skills – but also a fantastic choice of venues, many in breathtaking locations and in the company of some of the hottest names in outdoor cooking.
The make-up of those attending barbecuing courses is as varied as the techniques being taught and the equipment available to learn with.
“We have everyone from professionals wanting to broaden their skills set and passionate fire enthusiasts to a surprising number of guests who don’t even own a barbecue,” reveals Joe Nesbitt-Larking, who runs courses alongside Andrew Dickens at Riverside Garden Centre in Hertford and its purpose-built barbecue school.
“The best barbecuing kit can be a considerable outlay, so it makes sense for people to do their research and find out what they enjoy cooking on first,” says Nesbitt-Larking, a food writer and musician, with an infectious enthusiasm for the very best ingredients, prepared in the open and shared with friends.
“Cooking with fire can sometimes feel a bit mysterious so we are very much about empowering people to help them make decisions. It varies from person to person but what is at the core is learning to control the heat and having a barbecue that works for the individual. We have space for up to 30 on our courses. Andrew and I have a station in the centre and we very much ‘cook in the round’ with guest stations dotted around us, each with a gas and charcoal barbecue and then something else – be that a pellet grill or electric barbecue,” he explains.
Sessions, which are held in an attractive wooden outbuilding constructed by Riverside employees, are typically four hours long, although specialist days, such as the seven-hour low and slow smoking course, are also on offer. According to Nesbitt-Larkin, the courses are “fairly meat centric” and he says there is a balance to be struck between what people want but also opening minds to the possibilities.
“Vegetables love a live fire, and it is no coincidence that so many restaurants are now offering charred veg on their menus,” he says “We teach a miso-glazed hispi cabbage that never fails to amaze; even those who claim not to like cabbage are turned around by it. I’d say that barbecue cuisine is still very American-centric, and we’re all about exploring what else is out there. After all, pre-electricity, every culture in the world cooked on fire.
“For us, it’s all about doing simple things very well, with confidence and making the most of what you have around you,” says Nesbitt-Larking. “In Britain, we are blessed with the most beautiful natural larder so there’s no need to encourage people to lather their food in barbecue sauce or a very sugary rub, for instance.”
When it comes to making the most of delicious local ingredients, the Food Hub Cookery School on the Kenton Hall Estate in Suffolk has got reducing food miles down to a fine art. It is based, along with a butchery, at the heart of a 450-acre mixed farm belonging to and run by the family of Emily McVeigh. Enjoying pride of place on the barbecue school menu is beef from the farm’s Longhorn cattle.
“You wouldn’t believe how a slow-cooked brisket can really blow people’s mind. It has the most amazing smoke ring and we slice it rather than shredding it,” says McVeigh.
While the location of the cookery school – in a old cow byre surrounded by glorious Suffolk countryside – may ooze rustic charm, the set up is state of the art. Last year, the indoor facilities had a Miele refurbishment, while the outdoor kitchen (that McVeigh describes as “an incredibly cool but, crucially, weather-proofed space”) has been a Weber Academy since 2016.
The Food Hub can accommodate up to 16 – set up on barbecues with a range of fuels from charcoal to gas, pellets and smokers – although 12 is the usual number. “Our courses are incredibly interactive but, above all, really fun,” says McVeigh, who claims there is a 50-50 split between uber passionate foodies and those coming for “an experience.”
In the decade Kenton Hall has hosted barbecue courses, McVeigh has noticed a change in demographic. “There are many more women than when we started,” she reveals. “It’s still probably 60% men but barbecuing is becoming increasingly female, plus we have a lot of couples who come along to the courses together.”
What they learn is everything from food safety to smoking, grilling and baking. “I hope people take away confidence and how to get the most out of their barbecue,” she says. “There is so much more to it than burnt bangers; once you get going you can do everything from wok-cooked mussels to pineapple upside-down cake.”
McVeigh concedes that open-fire cooking can be challenging. “There are so many variables and it takes practice. It really helps when people understand what they can control, such as the fuel and using a meat probe to remove guesswork. Our beginner courses go through the basics of direct and indirect cooking, getting the fuel right and how to use a chimney. At the end we have a huge feast but there are plenty of tastings throughout the whole course,” she beams.
While Kenton Hall exudes rural homeliness, the cookery school at Northcote – a luxury hotel in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley – has a very different USP. Just a glass door separates the cookery school from the kitchen of the Michelin-starred restaurant.
“I think what makes our courses unique is that we use all the same ingredients and suppliers, and when we do tastings the tables are laid to the same standards you’d see in a Michelin-starred restaurant and
all the courses are wine matched. It is a really special experience,” says head tutor Richard Ogden.
Ogden may have only been at Northcote just over a year but both he and the school have a fine barbecue pedigree. Northcote is no newbie when it comes to running courses – managing director Craig Bancroft is “a huge barbecue fan” – while Ogden has been teaching open-fire skills for many years. “Barbecue is a very broad umbrella but it is one that I’m incredibly committed to, and I want to work hard with other chefs and schools to push the genre,” he says. Among the big-names Ogden collaborates with is Lisa Goodwin-Allen, the well-known chef who heads Northcote’s kitchen. While Goodwin-Allen doesn’t teach in the cookery school, she helps devise the menus in tandem with the tutors.
“I think barbecuing can have a bit of a macho stigma attached,” concedes Ogden. “However, for me, it is all about family and getting people together with friends and family, which is why we always teach our two-ingredient flatbread recipe; it’s a fun job for kids to do in order to get them involved with the whole process.”
Those attending Northcote courses – no more than eight, with four or fewer pupils per tutor – learn everything from equipment and fuels to balancing a menu in terms of proteins and cooking times and, whatever the fuel, the golden rule of managing heat.
“We really try to imbue the importance of cooking from the insides out, so you’ll see lots of meat probes about. It is very much the antithesis of a burnt sausage or chicken drumstick with raw insides.
“I always tell people that anything you can cook in an oven, you can cook using a barbecue – with the right knowledge. I am sure our guests leave enthused and with real confidence,” believes Ogden. “We involve our guests with absolutely everything from start to finish – there are no Blue Peter moments!”
The Food Hub Cookery School at Kenton Hall
Courses range from two-hour masterclasses to full-day courses – priced from £55 to £110 per person. Choose from general ‘smoke’ introductions to specialist days, including middle-eastern cuisine and perfect steaks.
Northcote Cookery School
Northcote’s intimate ‘The Art of Fire’ courses are £270 per person but sell-out fast so early booking is essential. Look out for guest chef workshops coming up, including a £300 masterclass with Chris Taylor, otherwise known as T-Bone Chops.
Riverside Barbecue School
This Hertford garden centre hosts several courses a year. It’s most popular is the four-hour ‘hands on BBQ Masterclass’ (£125). It also offers specialist ‘live fire’ courses and a seven-hour ‘low, slow & smoking course’ (£185) as well as free demonstrations on various barbecues.