128 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
evenwentontoopenhisownCowN Bun
burgerbarinBridgwater,Somerset.
He hastaughtrugby playersfrom Pre-
miershipclubsExeterandBath,presumably
havingtocorralanentireherdofFriesians.
“Yes, we cooked a fair bit of meat those
days,”saysBawdonwryly.
Sodirtysteaksdone– awesomelysimple
- andontoa rangeofothermeats.
Itis the casual tips that make the dif-
ference.While much ofBawdon’swork is
instinctive,hehasplentyofgadgetstohelp
him.A thermometerprobeisa must– 74°C
iswhatyouwanttohitforchicken,andhe
reelsofftemperaturesforeverythingfrom
crispyporktopizza.Whilea loveroftech-
nology,Bawdoncanguessthetemperature
simplybyhowlong he can hold his hand
overtheflame.
Hisbackyardshackis theoutdoorequiv-
alent of a scattyantique dealer’s shop of
curiosities but the laid-back Bawdon, a
fusionoffireandice,knowsexactlywhat he
is doingandwhereeverythingis.
Thereis thehi-techgasgrill,a kettlebar-
becue, a smoker, a rotisserie and a pizza
oven vying forhis attention.“Fire me up,
skip,”saysBawdon.AsinToyStory, yousus-
pect, come nightfall, they all start chatting.
Wemove on to a topsideof beef (“fat
facingthe heat”)andwhilethat’scooking,
Bawdonproducesanarrayofhishouserubs
tocoatthemeats.Wetryourhandatcook-
ingchickenthighs(“skinnysidedown”).Now
thecrunchofcrispychookskinis a religious
experience, not just an antidote to hunger.
HOLYTRINITY
Wood chips that assault the senses are
passedroundlikespliffsata musicfestival,
apple,whiskyandcherrysmokedflavoursto
casuallythrowonthefire.Youwanttoeat
thesmokeasanaperitif,it smellssogood.
Welearnhowtocontroltheheat,using
airventsasbrakesandaccelerators,when
andwhere to cookdirectlyandindirectly
andinzones,onandofftheheat.Fuel,air
andheat:theholytrinity.Loseoneofthem
andyourfire goesout. Forsomeonewho
simplynudgesthesausagestoonesideonce
theyhavepassedthroughmyculinarycre-
matorium,thisis a hugelearningcurve.
Nowforthe bombshell:this self-taught
cook(“Idon’tconsidermyselfa chef,that’s
far toostressful”) in an apron andtrade-
markHawaiianshirthasbeencrownedking
of Meatopia– think meat, drink, fire and
music. He is editorofUK BBQ magazine and
hasjustpublisheda bookcalledFoodand
fire, repletewith 65 outdoorcookingreci-
pes.Wearemothstohisflame.Wewillhunt,
gatherandcookwiththemeatmaster.
“I used to be a vegetarian,” announces
Bawdon.Wenearlychokeonourfocaccia.
“Itwasmoretodowithhavinghippyparents
andthequalityofmeatservedatuniversity
thananymoralorhealthstance.”
Cooking is not even the day job, for
Bawdontrainedasa geologistandisjustas
likelytobeoffshoreonanoilrigintheNorth
Seaassearingmeatovera Westcountryfire
pit.“And,yes,I havebarbecuedonoilrigs
aroundtheworld,with fishing boats lobbing
uptheircatches.”
Bawdon casuallythrows in some rose-
maryandthymetoupthearomafromthe
bynowsleepysmokeandsomebrightspark
sings,“andthenshe’llbea trueloveofmine”.
AsBawdon’swife,Lisa,andtheirchildren,
Rory, Elsie andLouie, emergein a family
ritualtofinda sparefillet,it is timetoleave
themeatworld’sveryownWillyWonka with
new-foundculinaryconfidence.
Whetherit isenoughtoousttheAussie
frombarbecue duty, only a long hot summer
willtell.
Forfurtherdetailsabout UK BBQ School, go
to: ukbbqschool.com
MarcusBawdonchoosesthewoodchipsand
seasonsthemeatbeforegettingdownanddirty,
cooking it directly on the bed of charcoal
You want to eat the smoke as an
aperitif, it smells so good
