May 8th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
May 1st 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
April 21st 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
April 15th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
Only four days after their immensely satisfying and tasty entry into indirect cooking, the AWBC co-founders can contain their excitement no more. Still amazed by the success of their first BBQ'd joint of meat they decide to push their luck as far as it will go, loading up the kettle BBQ with a beef joint almost twice the weight of their previous one. Although this extra weight - almost two and a half pounds - will stretch the cooking time out even longer, Scott and Dawson decide to use this to their advantage by rubbing Worcestershire sauce into the meat to cook in extra flavour and add moisture.
Scott and Dawson settle in for the long haul once again; although the joint will disappear under the kettle's lid during daylight, this time it will most likely emerge in the dark...
They continue to monitor the joint's condition throughout the evening, and at one hour and fifty minutes call time; the meat thermometer shows a perfectly cooked roast yet again.
During a brief rest period soft baps are sliced and extra mature cheddar is roughly chopped ready to sprinkle on top of the still-warm beef; yet again these simple ingredients help to build up a well-rounded dish with the BBQ-roasted beef still occupying the centre stage.
April 11th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
With two traditional AWBC grilling sessions now in the bag, Scott and Dawson agree that they are returning to form and plan to dot the i's and cross the t's of the Committee's new "Way of Working" with a final flourish in the last of their trilogy of weekend BBQs. In their long and illustrious BBQ history the co-founders have successfully grilled, griddled, fried and boiled; today, they will roast.
By utilising their new Kettle BBQ and by separating the coals out in order to cook "indirectly", Scott and Dawson hope to slow roast a well-seasoned beef joint over the course of a few hours. Unphased by the experimentation with new cooking methods, they also offer to cook some gammon steaks and BBQ wedges for Dawson's family once the joint is finished. It is a tall order, but the co-founders are ready and raring to go.
An unwanted piece of MG Midget front outrigger from Dawson's garage is used to separate the coals...
... and with the BBQ lit and officially "H", the beef joint is placed into the centre of the grill and the lid is replaced.
With the meat now enclosed within the kettle there is little to do around the BBQ until the roast is fully cooked, prompting both Scott and Dawson to remark on the strangeness of leaving a BBQ to it's own devices for so long. Throughout the cooking time however they are still drawn into the cooking process by the smells and sizzles of the slowly roasting beef, occasionally lifting the lid to check the joint with a meat thermometer, a purchase the AWBC deemed vital for the success of their first foray into indirect cooking. Just over an hour and a half later they pull back the lid and plunge the meat thermometer into the middle of the joint for the last time. It is ready.
Whilst the BBQ is re-jigged and the onions reduce down the meat is rested and cut...
Such is the co-founders excitement that "rough ends" or "bits that won't fit into the baguette" are imagined into being for tasting purposes.
Both Scott and Dawson are blown away by the tenderness and tastiness of their first BBQ'd beef joint and proclaim this to be a landmark event in the AWBC's history. Although both co-founders agree the beef is succulent and tasty enough to be eaten as-is they prep half-baguettes and add hot onions straight from the BBQ; a pedestal of complimentary foodstuffs ready to show off the AWBC's latest creation.
Turning back to the grill to cook the gammon steaks and BBQ wedges, the co-founders are over the moon with their first indirect BBQ and discuss the possibilities gifted to them by this new method of BBQing. Above everything else however, they agree two things; next time the joint will be bigger, and next time will be very soon indeed!
April 5th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
Riding on a wave of optimism after their first successful BBQ innovation, it is only a week later that the Co-founders return to the grille. Having been especially impressed by the griddle's baking of the flatbreads, they decide to go all out and create iron-baked ciabatta rolls...
With the rolls baking nicely, eggs are cracked onto the remaining griddle space and bacon is prepped on the BBQ ready for a truly superfresh bacon & egg bap. As if that was not enough, Scott and Dawson throw their old favourite, BBQ beans, into the mix and reduce them down for the perfect filling topper.
March 29th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
Though March 29th 2009 will be remembered by most for Brawn GP's storming victory in the first race of F1 2009, for the AWBC that morning's race was just a prelude to the new-style BBQing which would take place afterwards. Just as the grid of F1 had been shaken up by new regulations, the AWBC's grille was looking more eclectic than ever thanks to their decision to innovate like never before. Excited by a new season in F1 and a new chapter in the AWBC's history, Scott and Dawson are up early and plan to begin prepping for the BBQ as soon as the race is finished.
Soon after the chequered flag is taken there is activity in the kitchen. Whilst Scott mixes, proves, rolls, cuts and then shapes a ciabatta dough into miniature flatbread pizza bases, Dawson creates a thick BBQ baked bean sauce and readies the cheese and bacon which will be used to complete the recipe. With the BBQ lit, the coals ready and the griddle hot, they begin the cooking process on the second of their new Christmas BBQs, a truly portable and foldable grille which they are eager to test out for the future...
Whilst the BBQ bean sauce reduces down to form the "tomato sauce" for their rustic pizzas, the flatbreads are placed on the griddle and turned at regular intervals to ensure an even bake.
Adding bacon to the grille at the last minute, they begin to construct their flatbread pizzas. The now syrup-thick BBQ baked bean sauce is generously spread over the miniature pizza bases, sprinkled with small chunks of cheese and topped with a folded rasher of bacon direct from the BBQ. The AWBC's Iron-Baked BBQ Bean Pizzas with Cheese and Bacon are complete.
March 9th 2009
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
It has been a long time since the last AWBC BBQ. As Scott and Dawson set up one of the two new BBQs they received as presents at Christmas they are happy to be back at the grill, but both admit that this unscheduled long break is playing on their minds. The unconscious decision to cease BBQing for the last few months has left both co-founders wondering where the AWBC's future lies... or indeed whether there is a future at all...
Getting back into things in true AWBC style - BBQing at night in a steady drizzle - they settle down and thrash out these difficult questions while the simple ingredients for some tasty AWBC burgers sizzle on the grill. They agree early on that the ferocious timetable of BBQing over the last year has been a double-edged sword; whilst the sheer number of BBQs in all sorts of conditions, as well as the achievements born through this packed timetable of BBQs has been impressive to say the least, both Scott and Dawson also feel that this current model of AWBC BBQing has brought about a "grill fatigue" which first caused the innovation so core to the AWBC to disappear and, eventually, brought about the apathy towards BBQing seen over the past few months.
Whilst both co-founders admit there is much to be glum about, they decide that this is not - cannot - be the end of the AWBC and set about discussing it's evolution from the champion of all weather grilling to something even greater. From their long and illustrious list of past BBQs Scott and Dawson pick out the more unusual and innovative BBQs as their proudest moments in the Committee's history, agreeing that they point the way forward for the AWBC. Both also decide that a more relaxed pace of BBQing will give them more time away from the grille to discover new foodstuffs, create more complex recipes unique to the AWBC and prepare food in advance ready for these more important BBQ occasions.
Their freshly cooked burgers are no longer the impending swansong of the AWBC, but the last page in the successful first chapter of the Committee's history. It will not be long before Chapter Two begins...
December 24th 2008
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
With Christmas almost upon them, Scott and Dawson decide to break out the rectangular grill to mark the festive season and, in all probability, burn the last charcoal of 2008. With temperatures down to near freezing once again they keep their BBQ simple with bacon in toasted baguettes, liberally splashed with HP sauce.
November 21st 2008
Filed under: The BBQ Diary by The Co-founders
Despite the introduction of both external temperature sensors and new utensils the flow of new AWBC hardware continues. In an effort to break these new arrivals in as soon as possible, the co-founders organise a relaxing Griddle Pancake BBQ which will utilise both the external temperature sensor (fast becoming part of the standard AWBC Winter Kit) and the new expansive utensil selection as well as the most recent AWBC purchase... a gas-powered lantern for night BBQing.
Within minutes of firing the lantern up it is clear that, like the external temperature sensor, it will soon become part of the standard AWBC Winter Kit. With a quality and quantity of light far surpassing any torches the AWBC had used before the BBQ environment is now awash with bright, constant, balanced light, making any Winter BBQ watching no longer a difficult affair.
Whilst Scott serves up some of the best griddle pancakes to date, Dawson regularly checks the ambient temperature, noting by the end of the BBQ how close they were to another minus figure AWBC outing.
All content © AWBC 2007.
Design by Political Monster / Kerplunc.