Great video James and great advice. It’s great to hear someone talking no bs sense. Couple of pieces of advice I’d give… 1. DO check out UA-cam for inspiration and/or know how but focus on your region. I’ve watched lots of US videos where they drown the meat in spices or marinades or just overcomplicate a cook because they’re talking to a different market. Keep it simple and prep the food the way you like, then make adjustments based on the finished product. 2. Don’t be scared. If you want to try a different meat or different style just do it. The worst that’ll happen is it’s an inedible disaster but the knowledge you gain will be invaluable and worth more than the cost of the meat you ruined. 80% of the time you’ll realise it’s more manageable than you thought and you’ll be on your way. 3. Experiment. If it’s a fine evening or a weekend, fire up the grill anyway. Pick what you have out of the fridge and put it on. Again you’ll learn and worst case you’ll be able to cook the veggies for dinner.
Great video! Two things I would say to myself at the start of my bbq journey would be: learn to cook to temp and not time sooner, when I did it was an absolute game changer for me and massively helped getting confident cooking meat on a bbq. I would also love to have spent as much time cooking vegetables and making meals rather than doing just focussing on meat!
You are spot on. Focus on learning cooking principals is most important. As far as equipment goes, buy good stuff not lots of stuff or gadgets. I’ve been at this since the mid 80’s. Glad to see a video, I was thinking about you last week😃
Totally agree with the books tip... because I am into cooking it seems to be the default xmas and birthday present. I gratefully receive them, feign interest on xmas day and flick through them making the appropriate noises, then shelve them and never look at them again. Google is my first stop for recipes, usually after getting an idea for a cook on UA-cam, I then search for recipes for that idea and take a little bit from each one, building up my own version of the recipe. I can't remember the last cookbook I received that I have cooked more than 2 things out of.
Great advice James….. I would add don’t be worried when you make mistakes. Often I cook for family and very critical on myself but ultimately even if it doesn’t work out exactly as you plan, chances are they will still love it
It's true, we are our own worst critics but there comes a time when you are eating badly prepared food and suddenly you realise you know exactly what they did wrong and how to fix it. Then you understand you know more than you give yourself credit for
Great tips, James. In line with your invest in good ingredients comment I would also say invest in good charcoal too. Following great BBQ channels, like this one, is how I'm learning.
Do you still have a WSM? Would love to see another comparison now you have a classic III. Also, not sure if these technical comparisons are your interest, but I’d love to see what you think of results using the slo roller in the WSM (if you have the WSM 47, which I think fits your slow roller.) I have a WSM and don’t know if I should get a KJ. I’m looking for comparisons to help decide. I’m considering just buying a slo roller to use in it. Maybe with an adapter plate made at a local fabrication shop to give a perfect fit.
Hey James I’ve spent all day playing catch up on you’re journey, the new shack is looking awesome and I can’t wait to see you getting back into what you do best! We’re from Co.Antrim but live in Australia and love you’re vids, maybe not the weather lol but we really enjoy the channel.
That's awesome, I'm sure it was a bit of a culture shock going from NI weather to OZ haha. Thanks for following the channel, it might give you a little taste of home (and maybe remind you why you moved to sunnier weather)
I'm only just starting my third year of serious BBQ. If I went back 10 years I'd have to tell myself to start sooner. That aside, I currently have 3 different pits (weber kettle 22, WSM 22 and Kamado Joe Classic) and I use them all frequently, cooking outdoors at least twice a week, and occasionally all at once when we're hosting or attending neighborhood parties.
I think 3 pits is an acceptable number and they cover a great range of cooking styles so make good use of them and cook as many different things as you can
@@Barbechoo I'm still waiting for a store local to the Netherlands to start carrying Blackstone griddles. I figured the shack I built has room for roughly 2-3 more grills, so I figure that's how many more I can add. And maybe something portable...
My favourite at the moment are the guys from Fallow They have their main restaurant account then another called fowl restaurant Love their approach to cooking and using waste products in their restaurants to make it more sustainable.
Great video James and great advice. It’s great to hear someone talking no bs sense. Couple of pieces of advice I’d give…
1. DO check out UA-cam for inspiration and/or know how but focus on your region. I’ve watched lots of US videos where they drown the meat in spices or marinades or just overcomplicate a cook because they’re talking to a different market. Keep it simple and prep the food the way you like, then make adjustments based on the finished product.
2. Don’t be scared. If you want to try a different meat or different style just do it. The worst that’ll happen is it’s an inedible disaster but the knowledge you gain will be invaluable and worth more than the cost of the meat you ruined. 80% of the time you’ll realise it’s more manageable than you thought and you’ll be on your way.
3. Experiment. If it’s a fine evening or a weekend, fire up the grill anyway. Pick what you have out of the fridge and put it on. Again you’ll learn and worst case you’ll be able to cook the veggies for dinner.
Nice advice James , roll on summer and let's get BBQing 👍
Great video! Two things I would say to myself at the start of my bbq journey would be: learn to cook to temp and not time sooner, when I did it was an absolute game changer for me and massively helped getting confident cooking meat on a bbq. I would also love to have spent as much time cooking vegetables and making meals rather than doing just focussing on meat!
I started the same time and your so right mate, for instance I get my knives professionally sharpened rather than add more to the collection
You are spot on. Focus on learning cooking principals is most important.
As far as equipment goes, buy good stuff not lots of stuff or gadgets.
I’ve been at this since the mid 80’s.
Glad to see a video, I was thinking about you last week😃
Great advice. Looking forward to seeing your next cook
Totally agree with the books tip... because I am into cooking it seems to be the default xmas and birthday present. I gratefully receive them, feign interest on xmas day and flick through them making the appropriate noises, then shelve them and never look at them again. Google is my first stop for recipes, usually after getting an idea for a cook on UA-cam, I then search for recipes for that idea and take a little bit from each one, building up my own version of the recipe. I can't remember the last cookbook I received that I have cooked more than 2 things out of.
Good video, good advice and thanks. When are you starting to cook outside? Missing your videos
Great advice James….. I would add don’t be worried when you make mistakes. Often I cook for family and very critical on myself but ultimately even if it doesn’t work out exactly as you plan, chances are they will still love it
It's true, we are our own worst critics but there comes a time when you are eating badly prepared food and suddenly you realise you know exactly what they did wrong and how to fix it. Then you understand you know more than you give yourself credit for
Great advice. I had 4 BBQ'S i'm down to 2. Kamado Joe Jr and a classic 2. I can do almost any thing I want to.
Great tips, James. In line with your invest in good ingredients comment I would also say invest in good charcoal too. Following great BBQ channels, like this one, is how I'm learning.
Thank man, I agree that good fuel will make your job a lot easier
Do you still have a WSM? Would love to see another comparison now you have a classic III. Also, not sure if these technical comparisons are your interest, but I’d love to see what you think of results using the slo roller in the WSM (if you have the WSM 47, which I think fits your slow roller.) I have a WSM and don’t know if I should get a KJ. I’m looking for comparisons to help decide.
I’m considering just buying a slo roller to use in it. Maybe with an adapter plate made at a local fabrication shop to give a perfect fit.
Absolutely great advice! Master one grill then move on! I wish I had of taken that advice myself
Hey James I’ve spent all day playing catch up on you’re journey, the new shack is looking awesome and I can’t wait to see you getting back into what you do best!
We’re from Co.Antrim but live in Australia and love you’re vids, maybe not the weather lol but we really enjoy the channel.
That's awesome, I'm sure it was a bit of a culture shock going from NI weather to OZ haha. Thanks for following the channel, it might give you a little taste of home (and maybe remind you why you moved to sunnier weather)
@@Barbechoo keep up the good work, we grill and smoke a lot of our food and love the vids + the friendly Co. Antrim accent is a bonus.
James you continue to be an inspiration . Thanks fella . Tim
thanks man
Some great advice there James.
Have you any chef channel recommendations?
I'm only just starting my third year of serious BBQ. If I went back 10 years I'd have to tell myself to start sooner.
That aside, I currently have 3 different pits (weber kettle 22, WSM 22 and Kamado Joe Classic) and I use them all frequently, cooking outdoors at least twice a week, and occasionally all at once when we're hosting or attending neighborhood parties.
I think 3 pits is an acceptable number and they cover a great range of cooking styles so make good use of them and cook as many different things as you can
@@Barbechoo I'm still waiting for a store local to the Netherlands to start carrying Blackstone griddles.
I figured the shack I built has room for roughly 2-3 more grills, so I figure that's how many more I can add.
And maybe something portable...
Even if my bbq has gone wrong I've still had a great day trying
Great video James. I hadn't thought about following restaurant accounts. Can you recommend any?
My favourite at the moment are the guys from Fallow
They have their main restaurant account then another called fowl restaurant
Love their approach to cooking and using waste products in their restaurants to make it more sustainable.
Some advice I would give is don’t booze too much if its a long cook cos you’ll make mistakes and be too smashed to taste the food properly.
haha yea that could be a problem lol
Did this exact same thing smoking ribs was so drunk by the time they were ready haven’t a clue how they tasted 😂
Time - start early and rest the meat rather than rushing and delaying people you’ve invited round. It only makes it stressful!