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A food truck, a festival stage, and a sword stacked with sizzling meat—DJ BBQ shows how live-fire cooking becomes unforgettable when craft meets theatre. We dive into his story from early days on the Jamie Oliver network to building a mobile pit operation that feeds tens of thousands, all while sharing the techniques that make barbecue consistent and crowd-pleasing. Think precise temperature zones, the confidence to probe to target, and the art of trusting the rest so joints finish tender, not tough.

We get practical and specific: why British-made lump charcoal beats chemical‑laden imports, how grass‑fed British brisket delivers deep flavour once you’ve mastered fat and carryover, and when beginners might “goofproof” with imported packers. Christian breaks down cooking by senses—listening for sizzles, reading smoke, feeling for that soft‑to‑tough‑to‑soft arc—and admits the hard lessons learned from opening pits too often or trapping embers in greasy gloves. The tips are actionable: pull turkey around 64°C and rest upward, carve radiant heat for rare spit‑roast beef, and skip full-bed coals in a kettle to keep a safe zone for flare‑ups.

The conversation roams where the fire leads. We champion winter grilling with stews, chilis, and cauldrons over embers; trade notes on Weber kettles, Kamado efficiency, and insulated fireboxes; and set our sights on pizza—New Haven and New York styles that crackle without the heavy chew. Regional cues thread through it all: Alabama white sauce you can double-dip on the grill, Memphis-style one-hour ribs at Rendezvous, and the Piedmont “outside brown” technique that turns pork shoulder into burnished, addictive steaks. It’s a celebration of the UK’s melting pot—techniques and flavours borrowed, blended, and made our own.

Ready to level up your barbecue with skills you can use this weekend? Hit play, then share your winter fire plans and favourite live‑fire tip. If you enjoyed the show, follow, rate, and leave a review—your support helps more people find the flame.

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Forget the oven-first myth and the burnt banger stereotype. We sit down with Alan from Totally Awesome Barbecue to unpack how simple methods, smart gear choices, and a little patience can transform any backyard into a reliable smokehouse. Alan’s story starts where many of us do—over-firing a cheap grill—then moves through practical upgrades, mastering airflow on a kettle, and knowing when a pellet smoker makes more sense for low-and-slow. His philosophy is refreshingly no-nonsense: buy kit that lasts, learn your specific grill, and build confidence with repeatable setups.

We break down the minion and snake methods in clear, actionable steps, including common pitfalls like lighting too much fuel and chasing temperatures all day. There’s plenty of real-world nuance—how a heat deflector evens out hot spots, why sausages and burgers shine when cooked indirect, and how to avoid over-salted rubs by keeping sauce on the side. Alan shares honest fails (midnight dinners, anyone?), quick fixes that actually help, and the small tweaks that turn frustration into reliable results.

What really stands out is how British barbecue carves its own identity through range and ingenuity. We talk roasts on the grill at Christmas, breakfast on the flat top, pulled pork for a crowd, brisket for a birthday, and fusion flavours borrowed from curry nights and Greek skewers. It’s frugality, creativity, and fire—showing that great outdoor cooking doesn’t demand a shed full of steel, just sound technique and care.

If you’re ready to cook better with what you have, hit play. Then tell us your biggest win, your most painful fail, and what truly defines UK BBQ for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who still pre-cooks chicken indoors, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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The fire isn’t lit, but the warmth is real: we’re sitting under a brand-new pergola on Christmas Eve, talking through how a messy garden corner turned into a clean, year‑round outdoor kitchen built for 365 cooking. We get practical about design—why the old workshop had to go, how a Somerset grill became the centrepiece, and the small layout shifts that made everything click. With transparent chat on budgets, drawings, and brand choices from the AOS Kitchens process, this is a candid blueprint for anyone planning a functional, beautiful cooking space.

Holiday cooking brings the plan to life. We map out a calm, mid‑afternoon feast by spreading tasks across multiple cookers: turkey with room to breathe, a brisket started early for a long rest, and a cola‑and‑rum glazed ham that caramelises into crowd‑pleasing lacquer. There’s cold‑smoked cheddar waiting for the cheese board and a breakfast ritual of pancakes on the griddle, bacon, maple syrup, and a brazen Irish coffee. It’s part menu, part timing playbook, packed with tips on airflow, buffers, rest times, and how to avoid the dreaded stall panic.

We also look back and forward. A quieter year pushed us to invest in learning—like a standout day at the Irish Egg cookery school—and to double down on what makes British barbecue special: flexible, fusion‑friendly, and fearless with flavour. Being interviewed by the Barbecue Radio Network sharpened our empathy for guests and renewed our pride in the UK scene. Looking to 2026, we’re aiming for 100 episodes, more on‑the‑road recordings, and bigger live‑fire ambitions: a Kadai fire bowl, rotisserie and hanging hooks, feather blade done right, maybe even a shared suckling pig. We’re bringing back Barbecue Bingo too, and you’ll pick the ingredients.

If you’re dreaming up your own outdoor kitchen, you’ll find honest advice on layout, workflow, storage, lighting, weatherproofing, and which appliances actually earn their space. If you’re cooking for Christmas, you’ll walk away with timing strategies that let you sit, sip, and enjoy your own meal. Join us, share your must‑have backyard upgrade, and tell us what you want to hear next. If you’re new here, tap follow, leave a quick review, and pass this on to a friend who lives for good food and a better setup.

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Smoke you can see, stories you can taste. We welcome Full Moon BBQ David Maluff to share how a tiny 50–60 seat Birmingham spot with an open wood-burning pit became a 17-store stalwart without trading away its soul. David walks us through the choices that matter: hickory over shortcuts, open kitchens over back-room mystery, and a service mindset that treats every guest like a president. If you have ever wondered how to scale a craft built on patience and fire, this is a blueprint you can feel.

We explore the flavours that define the South and the details that define Full Moon. From the tug between sweet red sauce, vinegar tang, mustard heat, and Alabama white sauce, to the unsung hero—chow chow—that snaps every sandwich to life. David breaks down rub strategy by protein, why pork butts go in un-rubbed, and how a touch of oregano and the right granulated garlic can transform ribs, chicken, and brisket cooked low and slow. There is honesty here too: power surges that kill a brisket run, the hard choice to say “we are out,” and the rule that quality beats convenience every time.

Beyond smoke and spice, we get into the business of barbecue: training manuals, hiring for character, and keeping standards tight as stores grow from 1,800 to 5,500 square feet. The menu widens without losing identity—giant baked potatoes loaded with pork, chicken, turkey, or brisket; crisp salads; scratch sides made with care. Catering now fuels weddings, offices, and massive game days, where pits stretch 14 feet and a thousand slabs move in a Saturday rush. Through it all, community remains the centre: giving back, inviting people to see and taste the work, and making the pit a stage that keeps the team honest and the guests connected.

If you love barbecue, leadership, or simply a good growth story anchored by integrity, you will find plenty to savour. Hit follow, share with a friend who loves low and slow, and leave a review to tell us your favourite regional sauce—red, white, vinegar, or mustard?

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We catch up with Ian “The Barbecue King” on life after retirement, the seven‑grill line‑up, and how a hobby turned into demos, brand partnerships, and feeding crowds without losing the fun. Travel, community, and a few honest fails shape a smarter, calmer approach to live fire.

• retirement, part‑time work, grandad life and more time at the grill
• seven‑grill set‑up, two pizza ovens and why each tool matters
• sustainable charcoal, Green Olive ambassadorship and fuel quality
• live demos with local butchers, fast formats and crowd tasting
• catering by accident, menu planning and service flow for 60 covers
• thermometers, rest and heat control as everyday discipline
• travel inspiration from Thailand to Abu Dhabi, pizzas and skewers
• barbecue fails that teach: scallops, overcooked steak, bad sauces
• community wins, charity book, events and steady Instagram growth

Thank you for following us on social media. You can find us just by Googling Meat and Greet Barbecue Podcast or on Facebook, Instagram, the Talk That Ticked, all of that sort of jazz. You can also go onto our website and drop us a message or an email. We’d love to hear from you. We want to hear what you’d like us to be talking about, any questions. But until next time, keep on grilling

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.

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

Ever wondered how someone cooks a full week of meals on a single smoker without sacrificing flavour or sanity? We bring on Sarah from South Louisiana—aka Meat Me at the Smoker—to break down her exact weekend flow: brisket first with the smokestack choked for deeper early colour, then chicken once the draw opens, followed by ribs, bacon, and veg to round out the fridge. It’s part craft, part logistics, and all about clean fire, patience, and the right wrap at the right time.

We dig into the heart of Cajun barbecue: salt-forward SPG, the comfort of oak and pecan smoke, and the joy of cooking from instinct rather than a measuring spoon. Sarah shares why she loves the foil boat method for brisket—keeping the top exposed for smoke while pooling juices below—and how long rests turn a good cook into a tender, sliceable feast. We compare UK and US meat, talk lean grass-fed challenges, and offer simple tweaks for bigger smoke and better moisture when marbling is scarce.

There’s plenty of real-world wisdom, too: a brisket that survived a grease fire, a steak ruined by an avalanche of pepper, and the calm that comes from staying with the process when the pit behaves badly. We wander through competition culture, why judging is sometimes more fun than turning in boxes, and bucket-list events like Memphis in May. And our barbecue bingo lands on duck, sparking plans for duck bombs wrapped in bacon and medium-rare smoked goose breast that eats like steak.

If you love brisket, live for clean blue smoke, or want a practical blueprint for meal prepping on a smoker, this one’s for you. Hit play, then tell us your favourite wrap method and wood combo. If you enjoyed the conversation, follow the show, share it with a barbecue friend, and leave a quick review—your support helps more pit lovers find us.

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For all of our other episodes you can listen or watch them on our website.

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A shed went up in flames—and a lifelong love for live-fire cooking rose from the ashes. We sit down with Kate O’Driscoll to trace an unlikely journey from a no-name kamado to festival demo stages, and we get into the real talk: the kit that earns its keep, the cooks that keep you humble, and the community that makes you braver.

We swap stories of Webers, Big Joes, and flat tops, and why a Blackstone can quietly end indoor frying. Kate explains the pull of open-fire rigs—Santa Maria lifts, asado frames, and the hands-on thrill you just don’t get from “easy bake” pellet smokers. We dig into favourite cuts and smart strategies: why beef ribs often outshine brisket for drama and flavour, how to nail picanha by marking the grain before the cook, and the small safety rituals that save your hands and eyebrows. Barbecue bingo throws us a curveball—paella—and Kate maps a plan with smoked chicken thighs, mussels, prawns, and a session IPA stock, a nod to her husband’s farmhouse brewery.

Threaded through is a bigger theme: breaking the tired stereotype of “man, fire, meat.” Kate makes the case for everyone at the grill—especially women—and shares the moment a four-year-old fan mimicked her demos all weekend, proof that visibility matters. It’s honest, funny, and practical, packed with tips on supporting your local butcher, building a backyard bar that works, and turning weeknight cooks into easy leftovers that stretch into tomorrow.

If you love barbecue stories with real stakes (and real mistakes), this one’s for you. Follow Kate on Instagram at KO’Driscoll Food Beers Life / Food Fire Life, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review to tell us your favourite live-fire lesson.

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A Somerset Grill transforms a backyard into a theatre of flames, smoke, and sizzle. Owen's new Argentine Asado-style cooker became the centerpiece of an unforgettable five-hour cooking session where we lost ourselves watching flames dance across carefully prepared meats. The adjustable grates allow precise temperature control as wood burns down to perfect cooking embers – a dramatic departure from standard charcoal grilling that connects you to cooking's primal roots.

We put Brewdog's new barbecue rubs and sauces to the test on chicken wings, finding their Punk IPA-inspired sauce deliciously fruity while their hot sauce proved disappointingly vinegary. The Somerset Grill showed its versatility as we moved from homemade sausages to gammon joint and even a whole pineapple that caramelized beautifully when placed directly on glowing embers.

Cooking mishaps make for the best stories, and Dan's work barbecue disaster didn't disappoint. Despite careful planning and budgeting for 40 hungry colleagues, he somehow managed to leave the burger shop without actually purchasing any burgers – leaving 48 buns but zero patties! Thankfully, his backup sausages saved the day.

The UK barbecue community continues growing with festivals like Smoke and Fire Ascot drawing crowds, while barbecue tourism gains momentum as enthusiasts organize Texas tours to experience authentic pit cooking at its source. Looking ahead, we're excited about the Big Barbecue Community Cookout this October – a bring-your-own-everything gathering where passionate grillers will share knowledge, techniques and undoubtedly a few cooking failures.

We'd love to connect with small businesses and innovators in the barbecue space – reach out through our website or social media to share what you're seeing in this vibrant community. Until next time, keep those fires burning and don't forget to actually buy your burgers!

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.