BBQ Champ

[wade]

A more worrying general point for me is the lack of gloves being worn while they are handling raw chicken and then preparing the sides. Maybe the hand washing is being edited out though (?)

 

[kettlecooker]

i dont normally watch telly, watched it at my daughters last week and a friends last night, it appears to be a piss take, raw chicken again? isn't that a comment often heard by non bbq'ers?  if they want to get the general public interested in bbq then provide a decent bbq show, not some "game show" with a bird that looks like a good feed would kill her.

wont be watching again is the general concencious so far from my friends and family, and quite a few have mentioned that as some are so called "pro bbq'ers" they would think twice now about going to an outside caterer, so from where i'm sat, its having a negative effect on bbqing.

kc.

 

[wade]

The couple of incidents of raw chicken are not good but we should not let that be the only thing that we focus on. I have re-watched the raw chicken bit this week and the way the judges handled it was OK. It may unfortunately give the public the wrong idea about how easy it is to cook a spatchcock chicken but it did show something that many people may not have seen before. 

There were also some good ideas this week from the other competitors. I liked the way he cooked the lobster. I have only ever cooked it either in the shell or out of it. Partially removing the meat to add the marinade and then pushing it back in the shell to cook was something I had not thought of doing before and I will try.

It is a real shame though that they are not showing more of the technique that the competitors are using as they do in the GBBO. You get a quick flash of them doing something, often at a distance, and then the camera moved on to something else.

I cannot say that I am eagerly awaiting next weeks episode but now I feel that at least I will watch it.

 

[jockaneezer]

Only saw about 3 minutes of last night's show as Val was watching it and I had to go and remove fluff from my belly button, but I did like the look of the charcoal they were using, it looked to be hexagonal in cross section and about 3 or 4 inches long, anyone know what it is ?
I think I was a bit harsh regarding my comments of the competitors in my earlier post, need to walk a mile in their moccasins etc, anyhoo, I think the main problem with the show lies with the producers who haven't got a Q clue, though they must have employed advisors surely ?

 

[smokin monkey]

The time scale is the biggest problem in my eyes. This weeks was better than last weeks, but when you start that low you can only go up!

 

[kiska95]

Its extruded charcoal which I have not been able to find, any ideas boys?

Hmmm It was better, well a lot better!!! but the poor buggers are up against it with time so why over complicate? I would think they have been told to go big but it still looks like people picked at random to compete

The guy with the Lobster and Pork belly kebab recipe was a winner!!

Wade the lobster trick they do it with rock lobster in Thailand

Was it me or did it all look like it was all directly cooked, no indirect grilling? hence the over caramelizing (char)

but those ingredients, Lobster, Prawn, Tuna etc. must have been a fortune to buy? Now who can afford to run out to the shops to do that?

I'm still puzzled that a load a of them are still saying "never cooked with this or that before" and I thought they were suppose to be able to fillet, the fish looked decimated. Don't think the big lad had seen a fish before.

I think the Irish lass was better to keep just the ideas seem to be woven from theory not practice

Yep I'm with Wade on a Thermapen

 

[resurrected]

Its extruded charcoal which I have not been able to find, any ideas boys?

These guys may be able to help


http://thelondonlogcompany.blogspot.co.uk/p/browse-buy.html

 

[resurrected]

Whilst last night's was an improvement on episode one, I'm still not overly impressed.

I can't help thinking the remit from the producers is to produce "posh" food. It's a damn barbecue.

As a relatively new Qer and stepping into the shoes of the average griller, I'd not be motivated to try something new yet. Everything just seems rushed (it obviously is). The presenters, for me, have no real personality.

The production company need to completely change the format, they seem to have just taken current shows and adapted the formats badly.

BBQ is a different way of cooking to an oven or hob and I feel they've missed a great opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how the viewing figures go. Week one was 2.5 million.

As the contestants become fewer maybe the format will improve.

 

[kiska95]

I think the format will remain unchanged (just different locations and themes each week), already taped and in the can!

Now Joe publics local opinion not mine..............I have been spouting off about Low and Slow and BBQing in general to all my mates since I joined the SMF and BBBQS, truly enthused. I told a group of my friends that a few of the people on the show were pros, 2 possibly 4 (didn't know who they were) and it should be excellent from the get go. Two of the lads even went out and bought cheap offsets (its a start) on the back of it. Well you can imagine the phone calls I'm getting now, basically and I am being polite "you are kidding me" being the main theme! My only saving grace is that I had cooked Q for 20 of them the week before and they saw the different Q's in action and were very impressed. But they just cannot understand how the guys are cooking stuff so untried and lack lustre with nothing you would do at home (a house brick piece of Tuna?) and are not comfortable with the presentation of the food, asking "is that Proper BBQ?"

But here's the rub, in the intro (have a look again) Adam R (and he is trying to lift the show) does say that they are not trying to emulate US BBQ they wanted to see things done a bit differently, so maybe its US that are not understanding the format of the show with the title being a bit deceiving. Maybe it should have been called ABC......... Alternative BBQ (style) Champ? but then who would watch?

 

[joker smoker]

Why is nobody using a Thermapen or some kind of meat thermometer? Should novices not know about such elementary procedures. How about fire management? I think I prefer draught assisted systems to control a fire more than spraying the fire with Guinness. Mark Blatchford seems like some kind of Greg Wallace clone. Contestants turning in dishes cooked in a frying pan. Surely if a piece of meat or fish is shielded from the heat for the entire duration of its cooking time it may just as well be cooked in a gas oven. Sorry to say it but this show is just another cooking competition show with a format we've seen a thousand times. Wouldn't it be more interesting to see some BBQ experts teaching some basic techniques to help the masses alongside the odd advanced technique to keep the more seasoned veterans interested. Sorry to be such a grumpy old git on my first post here but I really feel an opportunity has been missed.

I have no interest in the latest fashion. I care only for love and passion.

 

[gav iscon]

Well, I've just watched it again and I still enjoyed it. It certainly lives up to my expectations of that type of program that appears on TV these days. If every thing was perfect, it would be pretty boring in my opinion. I thought that 60mins for the grill off challenge was quite tight although (hindsight is a wonderful thing) certainly possible. Nicola's main problem for me were her timings and she needs to get them sorted to continue further. Solomen's fish fritters put the nail in his coffin for me. He probably could make a career with Solomens Sauces as he seemed to have a sauce for everything.. Duncan's lobster looked fantastic and I'd love to be able to have a box of lobsters like that to grill. As pointed out above, there was some moneys worth of seafood to choose from.

Winner is to be between Duncan or Gary for me although time will tell as it obviously will get harder.  

 

 

[molove]

 
Its extruded charcoal which I have not been able to find, any ideas boys?

Could it have been this stuff? I didn't notice it myself but came across this the other day

http://www.bigk.co.uk/Product-Restaurant-Grade-Charcoal-Briquettes_522.aspx

 

[wade]

Yes, That looks like it

 

[wade]

I have just bought some to try. I will do a comparison between them and Heat Beads when they arrive.

 

[smokin monkey]

Hi wade, am I correct? That the application form for BBQ Champ pointed out, no professionals would be allowed to enter?

 

[kiska95]

Well done MoLove good spot, I'm going to try some

 

[kiska95]

Watched GBBO and enjoyed that!

 

[wade]

Hi wade, am I correct? That the application form for BBQ Champ pointed out, no professionals would be allowed to enter?

The exact question asked on the form and the supporting information provided was:

DO YOU HAVE ANY PROFESSIONAL COOKING QUALIFICATIONS OR HAVE YOU EVER WORKED IN A PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN?  IF SO PLEASE GIVE DETAILS.*

*WE WILL CONSIDER APPLICANTS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED IN PROFESSIONAL KITCHENS IN THE PAST BUT NOT ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN OR IS CURRENTLY A FULLY PROFESSIONAL CHEF OR CATERER OR WHOSE MAIN INCOME COMES FROM COOKING.

This leaves a lot open to interpretation though - especially the word "professional.

• If it meant personal income then would it rule out someone who is a stay-at-home mum/dad and who makes and sells the odd cake but has no other personal income.
• Alternatively, if by trade you are a chartered accountant and, although you have no professional chef or catering qualifications, you also help run a professional BBQ company (with the income from that being less than your other "main" profession) does it mean that you could still compete?

 

[resurrected]

Ratings.

Week 1 - 2.32 million

Week 2 - 1.76 million

 

[osprey2]

Ratings.

Week 1 - 2.32 million

Week 2 - 1.76 million

Says it all really