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Ever wondered how a chef goes from two-star French rigidity to painting with fire in the garden and landing Selfridges with a sauce born at a dinner party? That’s the pulse of this conversation with Mat Blak—restless, funny, bruised by failure, and absolutely electric about food that respects where it comes from.

We start with boundaries and how to break them well. Mat calls it free cooking: pushing flavour without trampling the roots. He explains why anchovies, Galician beef, proper olive oil and technique are the difference between fusion that sings and mash-ups that go nowhere. Then it gets human—pulling cold pork butts for a festival queue, brisket humbling a pro, and the truth that repetition turns chaos into craft. He walks us through his backyard “studio,” Big Green Egg, Minimax, gas for clients who rely on it, wood-fired ovens for heat and theatre, and the reality that wind and rain don’t care about your content plan.

The sauce story is a masterclass in scaling. Partnering with an ex-chemist, Mat learns how garlic refuses to scale neatly, why water matters, and how a late-night Instagram message became a Selfridges deal. We talk wins and stalls—Blackfire’s slow burn, Blak Elder’s sweet-chilli pop, and the maple-smoked pineapple vinegar that stole Christmas hams across the country. He’s frank about supermarkets, margins, ticking shelf lives, bottles and labels that swallow profit, and the grit it takes to keep going.

Culture and community thread through it all. Mat shares a careful collaboration with Tribe Apparel using a Māori hammerhead motif, tying the shark’s need to keep swimming to mental health—move, breathe, endure. Proceeds back the Burnt Chef Project with training that reaches kitchens where it’s needed most. And for pure cooking joy, Barbecue Bingo lands on chicken hearts, and Matt leaves the next guest a gem: finish a hard-charred steak with a brush of kecap manis before the rest for a glossy, umami-laced crust.

If you love live fire, honest craft, and the stories behind the plates and bottles, you’ll feel right at home. Subscribe, share with a mate who lives by the grill, and leave a review—what lesson from Matt will you try first?

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We'd love to hear from you, drop us a text!

A beatbox nickname, two expulsions, a near-miss with a gang, and a single dishwashing shift that changed everything. Matt Burgess AKA matblak joins us to chart a wild, human journey from a chaotic Wellington childhood to Michelin-level kitchens, catertainment stages, and a sober, purposeful life built around live fire and community.

We dive into the moments that bent the arc: a catering course where childhood food lessons suddenly become a superpower; the night a back door opens onto a brigade of glorious misfits; and a Cannes detour that turns into a two-star education in timing, cleanliness, and respect for ingredients. Back in London, Matt steps onto the glass-box stage of Mays, grinds through 90 to 100-hour weeks, and learns how standards shape flavour as much as salt does. Jamie Oliver stops being a punchline and becomes a partner, from school dinners that shift policy to Threadneedle Street’s elegant, ingredient-led menus.

Then the story flips again. At a star-packed book launch, an outrageous charcuterie board meets Christian “DJ BBQ” Stevenson’s playlist, and fire finds a soundtrack. Festivals become labs for reverse-flow smokers, airflow, and coal management. The pandemic forces a pivot: a Big Green Egg on a West London balcony, suppliers sending whole haunches, a neighbourhood WhatsApp turning into a pop-up delivery brand. Through grief and reflection after his mum’s passing, Matt chooses reinvention—leaving a senior post at Caravan to build a consultancy, launch sauces, host supper clubs, and hit festival stages across the UK. Seven years sober, he’s frank about the pull of old habits and the deeper satisfaction of craft, mentoring, and feeding people well.

If you care about food as a trade, not a trend; if you’re curious how live-fire cooking really works; if you’re chasing a second chance or planning a pivot, Matt’s story brings heat, humour, and hope. Hit follow, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave us a review with the moment that stuck with you most.

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If you want to get involved and showcase your cooks or fails, join our Facebook Group.
For all of our other episodes you can listen or watch them on our website.

We'd love to hear from you, drop us a text!

What happens when your kamado tries to swan dive off the outdoor kitchen mid-cook? We get candid about the mess, the ash, the panic, and the fixes that stop it happening again. From a Christmas “brisketta” that blew past the predicted timeline to a gammon glazed in rum and coke that turned out beautifully, we unpack how small choices shape big results when you’re cooking for people you love.

We trade the January performance grind for practical midweek sessions: flat-top fajitas, hot-and-fast chicken, and quiet cooks that sharpen timing without the camera rolling. Then we go deep on value: bulk-buying from the butcher, controlling fat for better burgers and sears, and even stretching sides with a 25-kilo sack of local potatoes that tastes better and costs less than supermarket packs. It’s a reminder that great barbecue is half sourcing, half process.

New gear has us dreaming bigger. A stout rotisserie and deep roasting pans unlock shawarma over wood, spinning roasts with self-basting juices, and richer gravies. A cocktail smoker sparks experiments with cold-smoked coffee beans and subtle aromatics. Along the way we talk safety and design: why kamados can get top heavy on low units, how to add stops, choose the right feet, and load fuel without tipping. And because pain teaches fast, we confess the chili-to-eye mistake and share practical ways to avoid it.

Looking ahead, we’re plotting premium chicken to test whether heritage birds earn their price, eyeing Meatopia and local smokehouses for inspiration, and lining up weekends where friends actually want to stand outside again. If you’ve battled the weather, the clock, or your own equipment, you’ll feel seen here. Hit play, learn from our chaos, and come out with smarter prep, safer setups, and tastier plates. If you enjoyed the chat, follow the show, share it with a barbecue friend, and leave a review to help more grill nerds find us.

Support the show

If you want to get involved and showcase your cooks or fails, join our Facebook Group.
For all of our other episodes you can listen or watch them on our website.