Simply Red, Exceptionally Fed
A new competition, challenging young pitmasters to showcase their talent for live fire cooking, turned into a celebration of the very best of BBQ.
The sun was shining and there was judging stardust in the garden at the Great British Chefs offices in London to add yet more lustre and anticipation to the occasion. But this was all about five young contestants, highlighting their BBQ skills and connection to food, reminding us that the future of fire cooking is in very safe hands.
The event was the inaugural Kamado Joe BBQ Chef of the Year competition – serried ranks of the iconic red ceramic grill there for the finalists to fire up, with Jodie Tonks from Wolverhampton emerging as the winner.
“I found the quality of competitors outstanding. They were all so different, showing amazing qualities. What particularly stood out were the techniques and the different ways of using the Kamado Joe, which they showcased with their dishes. They all demonstrated some very inspiring BBQ skills,” said head judge Paul Ainsworth.
“On the day of the competition, Jodie was quietly getting on with her cooking and keeping her head down. But then she approached the judging table with the most staggering array of Caribbean-marinaded meats, Turkish-platter style, with homemade rotis, a Scotch bonnet slaw and pickled cabbage. We just stopped talking and there was silence as we made our way through the different meats.
It was all seasoned beautifully and showcased what the Kamado Joe is all about. I also loved the way Jodie made it accessible for everybody to cook a showstopping dish, and, most importantly, inspiring people to try BBQ cooking at home,” added Ainsworth.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching chefs on television. My earliest memory was watching Ready, Steady, Cook. I would often help my grandparents to cook, and then started being creative and experimenting myself before deciding to go to college to study hospitality and catering,” said Jodie, who started cooking outdoors to avoid the indoor smells in her open-plan home.
“I would cook steak outdoors in all weathers. Before I knew it, I’d created a little outdoor cooking area.”
Her winning cook was a Jamaican spiced Turkish mixed grill, with marinades and rubs to flavour the meats.
“My ultimate dream would be to showcase my BBQ cooking locally in the West Midlands with pop-up events, where I could share my food with others. I’d love to eventually own a food truck and take my BBQ food to different events or food festivals in the UK,” said Jodie, an aerospace buyer from Wolverhampton, who saw the competition in BBQ magazine, and now has one of the country’s finest and most admired chefs in Paul Ainsworth to guide her.
“I cannot wait to mentor Jodie. I feel she has so much potential. She can clearly cook like a dream, and has so much personality, not just within herself, but also in her delicious, wonderful food.”
Ainsworth, whose Ainsworth Collection of restaurants includes Paul Ainsworth at No 6 and Caffe Rojano in Padstow, Cornwall, says BBQ is his favourite way to cook and eat, both primitive and simple, yet therapeutic and relaxing.
“It is a cooking style not to be rushed; take your time and savour. The BBQ reflects a time when our ancestors would go out and catch their food and then take time to cook it over fire. The world has changed, but the essence of cooking over fire remains the same. What is so nice is seeing so many young people, and more restaurants, embracing this wonderful way of cooking,” says Ainsworth.
“The idea to embrace young chefs and create a competition centred around BBQ cooking by Kamado Joe is nothing short of inspiring. It’s totally refreshing and different. I feel that this is a competition we are just seeing the beginning of, and it will grow into an amazing opportunity for chefs, and anyone interested in live fire cooking.”
Ainsworth’s latest venture is the St Enodoc Hotel in Rock, Cornwall, with views of the Camel Estuary.
“To maximise its location, we’re going to embrace outdoor cooking and dining. We have garden dining, terraces and an outside kitchen that will serve handmade pizzas and hearty salads. And we’ll be hosting pop up BBQ events in the gardens featuring Kamado Joes.”
The competition judges alongside Ainsworth were acclaimed Vietnamese chef and author Thuy Diem Pham, Ben Forte, international marketing director at Kamado Joe, and Samuel Goldsmith, chair of the Guild of Food Writers.
The competition was incredibly close. Archie Herbert, from London, who runs Archie’s Toastie Shop street food business and is from the family behind Hobbs House Bakery, cooked a Korean-inspired rice with bowl with BBQ picanha, smoked beef tallow mayonnaise, kimchi cucumbers and soy eggs. Hertfordshire’s Christy White, who runs his own catering business, with plans for private dining events in the wild, cooked a Thai fire salmon with charred pineapple. Joel Light, originally from Oxfordshire and now working for Michelin Green Star restaurant Apricity in London, cooked rainbow trout on the Kamado Joe. Stephen Selwood from Berkshire, a chef trainer for BaxterStorey, cooked a crown of Sladesdown duck to highlight the versatility of the grill.
Mark Bucknall, CEO of Great British Chefs, said: “This was the first major event we have hosted from our new studio and events space in Kennington. Whittling down the dozens of entries to just five finalists was an intense process, and on the day they all excelled at doing things on a barbecue I never thought possible. Inspiring.”
Lucy Wilson of Great British Chefs added: “I had the pleasure of organising and working with Kamado Joe on this event. I love seeing how food, especially BBQ, brings people together.”
