I recently found myself on-route to Lancashire for a masterclass with barbecue genius Richard Holden. The class, hosted by Thermapen, was held at the Kitchen Cookery School of John Whaite, the winner of the 3rd series of the Great British Bake Off in 2012. On a beautifully clear, warm day I pulled into the drive of John’s cookery school. It is on a farm in a fantastic piece of unspoilt countryside near Wigan in Lancashire. I was gifted a copy of John’s latest book. Titled ‘Comfort: Food to Soothe the Soul’, it is full of gorgeous recipes, and mouth-water photography.
My Day
The welcome was ebullient with the marketing team of Thermapen and Richard making fantastic hosts. The ethos behind the day was to teach 12 bloggers and journalists, including me, to cook some tasty barbecue meals.
Richard believes the barbecue starts with the meat and that quality is everything. He also believes in barbecue safety, hence the Thermapen to check the temperature of the cooked meat (“75 to Stay Alive”).
The Cooking
Suitably adorned in cooking apron we began to prepare a sumptuous feast of marinated lemon chicken and flat iron steak with new potatoes and a bean and rocket salad. Preparation is everything, and the cookery school had everything we required. John Whaite called in briefly while we were cooking to say hello and do some selfies; and we met his lovely black dog (I think it was a labradoodle).
Richard cooked a meringue on the barbecue in preparation for a surprise dessert. Then, after marinating the meat, having laughed together at our ineptness, we went outside to barbecue. Again, preparation is everything. Principles for charcoal are:
- Only use the amount of fuel you need – you can always add more later
- Use good quality charcoal, not from a petrol station (my butcher now sells high-quality charcoal)
- Use a lighting chimney as you only need a small firelighter and no barbecue liquid, it stinks.
- Oil the barbecue griddle with half an onion dipped in olive oil (attached to a fork so you don’t get singed).
The Burn
You need to control the heat on a barbecue. You should ideally use a BBQ with a cover as it will function as an oven. Remember there are two types of heat: direct and indirect. Direct heat is harsh and this can be used to cook chicken or sausages briefly to caramelise the outside. Indirect heat is in an area where there is no charcoal or burner beneath the food. Here the food cooks under the reflected heat like an oven. This heat penetrates to cook the inside.
The most important implement is the Thermapen to check the food’s internal temperature. It is indispensable. The new product right now is the SuperFast Thermapen 4 Thermometer and it is brilliant.
The Food
Under Richard’s direction the chicken we cooked was perfect and juicy. With the Thermapen you can cook chicken on the BBQ until it is done (75 inside). With the Thermapen’s temperature reassurance, there’s no need to finish chicken off in the kitchen oven. The steak was medium (cook to about 60) but check it is to your requirement. Rare is obviously slightly less. The meal was classic with steak, new potatoes, strips of lemon chicken and the bean salad with a fantastic lemon dressing. The perfect ending to the meal was a BBQ-made roulade full of cream and berries.
Richard Holden
There’s nothing that Richard doesn’t know about BBQ-ing. His mission is to drag the UK BBQ scene, kicking and screaming, away from burgers and sausages. He wants people to cook and eat good quality proper meat. His book, Banishing BBQ Myths, can be downloaded for free as an e-book from his website. This book tells you exactly how to BBQ like a professional.
I can say this because I am one: DADS, TAKE NOTE: You need to brush up your BBQ skills (so get Richard’s book!)
Thank you Thermapen for inviting me to this wonderful masterclass, in a beautiful part of England I’d never visited before. This weekend I’m considering making a meringue on the BBQ. Do you think I can do it?!
