Smoke & Sear – BBQ Recipes, Tips, and Outdoor Cooking Inspiration

This. This is exactly why I started the UK BBQ Community WhatsApp group.

What began as a daft little idea to get the regional groups cooking together has already turned into something properly special.

The Southern Region BBQ Crew got together, many of them meeting through the WhatsApp community, and put on an absolute monster of a cook.

We’re talking venison haunch wrapped in nori, reverse-seared smoked lamb, lobster, scallops, shell-on prawns, Sussex mackerel, monkfish, black sea bream, Sussex Smokie, focaccia, fresh green sauce . . . basically lunch went fully feral and turned into a feast.

And honestly? I bloody love it.

This wasn’t just about food. It was about people getting together, lighting fires, sharing ideas, cooking outdoors and making new mates through BBQ.

That’s the whole point.

The Southern Region have now set the bar stupidly high for the UK BBQ Community Regional Cook-Off.

So to the rest of the regions . . .

What have you got?

Entries are open through June. Cook something that represents your region, send me the pics and the story, and we’ll put it to a public vote.

I’ll also try and blag some prizes, because apparently I enjoy emailing BBQ brands and begging like a smoky little goblin.

Big shout out to the Southern crew:

@grillssmaster
@sussexsmokeshack
@firetitsbbq
@westacottanthony

More info on the competition here:

https://www.smokeandsear.world/uk-bbq-community-regional-cook-off/

What an afternoon 🔥

Yesterday I headed over to @jons.bbq x @thebbqcommunitycookbook event at @alfresco_chapel_bbq , celebrating the release of the original BBQ Community Cookbook put together by the brilliant Jon Wilson.

And honestly, this is why I absolutely love the UK BBQ community.

Yes, the food was banging — every dish had fire, flavour and proper graft behind it — but it wasn’t just about the food. It felt like a proper family event. That big BBQ table energy where everyone’s chatting, laughing, sharing stories, catching up with old mates and meeting new ones.

The UK BBQ family is HUGE, and afternoons like this remind you just how special it is.

A massive thank you to Steve and Nat at Alfresco Chapel for putting on such a brilliant event at their absolutely STUNNING home. I’m not even joking — when we walked through the gated fortress, all our jaws hit the floor 😂

Huge credit to Jon Wilson for pulling the cookbook together and giving so many backyard cooks, pitmasters and BBQ obsessives a platform to show what they do. Seeing recipes from the cookbook cooked and served like that was proper class.

Massive shoutout to everyone involved, the cooks, contributors, hosts and everyone who turned up. Proper community, proper people, proper BBQ.

Big BBQ news . . . I’ve been working on my recipe for BBQ Without Borders, the next cookbook from @thebbqcommunitycookbook , put together by the legend @jons.bbq .

I was lucky enough to be involved in the original BBQ Community Cookbook, where my ULTIMATE roast potatoes made an appearance. This time I wanted to bring something with proper colour, proper flavour, and just enough fire to keep things interesting — so I went for Firestarter Piri Piri Chicken.

This one took four attempts to get right. I didn’t want pointless heat for the sake of it. I wanted balance — smoky charred veg, citrus punch, sticky hot honey, a bit of a kick, and something the whole family would still happily demolish.

Cooked on the @ninjakitchenuk FlexFlame, loaded with pellets, and finished with that glossy hot honey glaze.

The full detailed step-by-step recipe is now live on my website here:

https://www.smokeandsear.world/BBQ-recipes/firestarter-piri-piri-chicken-ninja-flexflame-sticky-hot-honey-bbq-chicken/

Big love to Jon Wilson and everyone involved in BBQ Without Borders — can’t wait to see this project come together 🔥

#SmokeAndSear #BBQWithoutBorders #TheBBQCommunityCookbook #JonWilson