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What happens when your kamado tries to swan dive off the outdoor kitchen mid-cook? We get candid about the mess, the ash, the panic, and the fixes that stop it happening again. From a Christmas “brisketta” that blew past the predicted timeline to a gammon glazed in rum and coke that turned out beautifully, we unpack how small choices shape big results when you’re cooking for people you love.

We trade the January performance grind for practical midweek sessions: flat-top fajitas, hot-and-fast chicken, and quiet cooks that sharpen timing without the camera rolling. Then we go deep on value: bulk-buying from the butcher, controlling fat for better burgers and sears, and even stretching sides with a 25-kilo sack of local potatoes that tastes better and costs less than supermarket packs. It’s a reminder that great barbecue is half sourcing, half process.

New gear has us dreaming bigger. A stout rotisserie and deep roasting pans unlock shawarma over wood, spinning roasts with self-basting juices, and richer gravies. A cocktail smoker sparks experiments with cold-smoked coffee beans and subtle aromatics. Along the way we talk safety and design: why kamados can get top heavy on low units, how to add stops, choose the right feet, and load fuel without tipping. And because pain teaches fast, we confess the chili-to-eye mistake and share practical ways to avoid it.

Looking ahead, we’re plotting premium chicken to test whether heritage birds earn their price, eyeing Meatopia and local smokehouses for inspiration, and lining up weekends where friends actually want to stand outside again. If you’ve battled the weather, the clock, or your own equipment, you’ll feel seen here. Hit play, learn from our chaos, and come out with smarter prep, safer setups, and tastier plates. If you enjoyed the chat, follow the show, share it with a barbecue friend, and leave a review to help more grill nerds find us.

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A promise to honour a father’s memory became a cookbook that rallied a whole barbecue community. We sit down with John Wilson to trace the gritty, very human path from “let’s do a book” to holding a 204‑page charity cookbook that climbed Amazon’s barbecue charts and put first‑time contributors next to big names.

John walks us through the real barriers no one talks about: post‑pandemic print costs that quadrupled, the tough decision to abandon a traditional print run, and the steep learning curve of Amazon KDP. He shares how AI became a practical assistant for formatting recipes consistently, while the painstaking work of proofreading, indexing and layout stayed stubbornly manual. Proof copies exposed mismatched fonts and an off‑by‑one index that demanded days of fixes. Hitting publish brought 72 anxious hours, then a wave of support as cooks opened the book and found their recipes on the page.

There is heart at every turn. We unpack the legal care required when naming charities and using logos, the slim KDP margins that still make the project worthwhile, and the moments that made it all land—like a young contributor presenting his printed recipe at school and earning an award. John also reveals a bold plan for volume two: a global live‑fire collection with curated regional dishes, a “Live Fire Legends” chapter, and a smarter submission flow to avoid duplicate recipes while encouraging cooks to stretch beyond their comfort zones.

Along the way, we talk sold‑out charity events, festival demos, and a playful barbecue bingo segment that lands on sweet chilli halloumi. If you care about cookbooks, community and the craft of getting ideas into people’s hands, this story will light a fire. Grab the cookbook via the links in our Instagram bios, cook a recipe, and tell us what you make. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend who loves live fire as much as you do.

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For all of our other episodes you can listen or watch them on our website.

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Fire changes everything—how food tastes, how we cook, and how people gather. We sat down with Ben, co-founder of Somerset Grill Co, to explore the craft behind Argentinian-style, wood-fired grills built in the UK for serious durability and everyday joy. From a superyacht encounter with a $30,000 parrilla to welding the first prototype in a shipping container, Ben shares the gritty iteration path that led to their “unquestionable quality” mantra and the design choices that make open fire feel approachable at home.

We break down the real mechanics of live-fire control: why an ember maker matters, how grate height transforms heat management, and when to move coals instead of meat. Expect practical tips and plenty of inspiration: fast-cooked flank short ribs with chimichurri, porchetta with shattering crackling, charred pineapple thrown straight into the embers, and a light, clean smoke from a simple tapa on cold days. We also dive into accessories that earn their keep—the crowd-pleasing rotisserie, the endlessly useful ember grill—and compare open fire’s roast-forward results to heavier American smoke.

Holidays get the spotlight too. Think rib of beef slowly spinning while you baste with butter, cola-braised gammon finished with a hot honey glaze, and crisp sprouts in a cast iron skillet over live coals. Leftovers become strategy, not afterthought: brisket chilled and rewarmed in stock for extra smoke and gravy depth, short ribs turned into the richest eight-hour chilli, chicken skin re-crisped into addictive “crisps.” There’s honest talk about fails—seasoning switch-ups, underfuelled fires, even a duck ruined by a soapy board—and why they make us better cooks.

We round things out with the Asado Go portable, how engineering changes at smaller scales, and dream setups that blend live fire, ceramics, and pizza ovens. If you’re curious about parrilla-style cooking, grill design, or just want new ideas for your next cook, this one’s packed with insight you can use tonight. If you enjoyed it, subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend who loves cooking over real fire.

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If you want to get involved and showcase your cooks or fails, join our Facebook Group.
For all of our other episodes you can listen or watch them on our website.