126 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
Bawdonhasa lotofkitthathecontrolswith
themasteryofanastronautmanninga space
shuttle.Butourfirstlessonwasaboutgetting
nakedanddirty– back to basics; cooking in
itspurestform.
Hands up who, when weekend sun is
promised,dashestothenearestgarageand
grabsa couple of garish bagsof charcoal
leaningupoutsidenexttothenewspapers?
Well, says Bawdon, that’s your first mis-
take.“Therightcharcoalisabsolutelykey.
Instant-lighting bags might be convenient
butwhat’sin them?Youreally don’twant
yourbarbecuesmellingofwax.Youneedto
use pure,clean-burning charcoal with no
addedchemicals.”
Asa ruleofthumb,thebestcharcoalcan
belitwithpaperorcardboardandyoucan
use a chimney starter to speed up ignition.
“If your fire burns clean and white
ratherthanashyorsmoky,that’sa signof
good charcoal. Good lumpwood charcoal
ortheembers of birch, oak or beech work
well,too.”
Knowing when the barbecue is hot
enoughisasmuchaboutintuitionastem-
peraturecontrol,saysBawdon.“Iuseallthe
senses.Youseeit,smellit,feelit,hear it and
gettoknowhowthemeatreacts.”
Timetocookmydirtysteak.“You’vegot
a nice level bedof embers.Put it directly
onthecoals.”Straighton?Where’sthegrill,
mytrustysafetynet?It’sa leapoffaithbut
Bawdonis right.Directheatexposureis best.
Thesmoke,a seasoning,seemsclearerand
thesteakhappierdrapedontheemberslike
a duvet, rather than perched precariously
between rungs of fire.
BUTCHER’SSTEAK
My steak is a hanger steak, commonly
knownasskirtsteakintheUK(thinkDaisy’s
diaphragm)andoftenreferredtoasbutch-
er’ssteak,asit ispackedwithflavourbuta
best-kepttrade secret. Butcherswon’tput
hangers outona summer’s tray day,they
keepthemfortheirownhomecooking.
“You don’t need to buy the best fillets
fora barbecue,”saysBawdon.“Takea less-
exaltedcutlikehangerandmakeit great.”
You’relookingfora cutthatis dry-aged,
nottooredandwithsome marbling,ren-
deringdownthefat.Thereisnoseasoning
atthis‘dirty’stage– saltdraws out moisture
andpepperwillburn.
Bawdon cooks ‘dirty fish’, too, and, as
a keen flyfisherman,wood-firedrainbow
troutis a favourite.Hewillsticka scallop in
its shell on a silver birch log, too.
AsBawdonimpartswoodchipsofwis-
dom,heiswhippingupa baste– nothing
fancy: olive oil, garlic, sea salt, a line of
Simon& Garfunkelandananchovy.“I’m not
reallyoneformeasuring,”hesays.
Time to taste, and Bawdon produces
home-maderosemaryandsea-saltfocaccia
todropthesteakon.“Cutacrossthefibres.”
Youfeellikebeatingyourchestbeforeyou
bitein.Manmakesfiremakesfood.Thisis
primal;this ispersonal.Inthe landof the
barbecuetherib-eyedmanis king.
“Graba beer from the fridge,”instructs
Bawdon.ThispromptsGavinMoss,another
pupil,toproducea flierpromotinghisBar-
becue Shack range of products, which
includesa beerchillerfashionedoutofan
oldoildrum,aswellashand-made barbe-
cues,smokers,sinksandfirepits.
Itappearsourclassis fullofstudentswith
special reasons for learning more about
cookingwithfire.MarkMoodyfromvegbox
companyRiverfordis extollingthevirtues
ofaddingleeksandblackgarlictothefeast,
while Ben Laxon of OtterVale isDevon’s
go-tomanforchutneysandpreserves.
Bawdon’sneighboursmusthavea love-
haterelationshipwithCountryWoodSmoke
HQ.Asthesmellofthemeatwaftsoverthe
trees,it wouldbepurgatorytobenearby–
morebrisketkidthanBistoKidsniffingthe
air.Butsuchis Bawdon’sloveofcookingand
entertaining,youcanbet thereare shouts
overthefencetocomeandhavea feed.
Bawdon,whoalsorunsadvancedcourses,
hasschooledmanya studentintheartofthe
barbecue and one graduate, Mark Studley,
Top:Perfectlycookedchickennuggets.Above:A
juicy piece of rare steak fresh off the barbecue
Above:MarcusBawdon’sstudentssamplethe
results of their ‘dirty’ barbecue experience
