Speciality Food April 2024

U s Brits love a barbecue. When the mercury drifts above 21C, it’s our cue to shimmy the grill out of the shed, dust the mildew from the garden furniture, and hotfoot it to the nearest farm shop or butcher’s counter to bulk buy piles of meat, floury white baps, ketchup and a few bottles of our favourite tipple. A typical barbecue haul has historically included burgers, sausages, steaks...perhaps a few skewers of marinated chicken breast. But, say those in the know, our tastes, and our expectations around what a really decent barbecue looks like, have shifted dramatically in the last five years. Consumers in the UK are becoming more discerning, curious and, crucially, braver when it comes to cooking in the great outdoors. Social media grill king and cookbook author Christian Stevenson (AKA DJ BBQ) believes barbecuing has never been better in Britain than it is now, and points to lockdown as a defining moment for this method of cooking. “You couldn’t get a Weber 57 Kettle in lockdown,” he says. They were like gold dust. They didn’t even hit the warehouses. Because no one could go out or do anything, a lot of people got into live fire cooking, and they branched out fromyour burgers and sausages and burnt chicken, and started doing pulled pork and brisket –which is the Holy Grail of barbecue!” According to Mordor Intelligence, ‘barbecue’ as a category looks set to grow by 3.7% in 2024, while sales of charcoal fired barbecues continue to dominate – accounting for a huge portion of market share (60% in 2022). James Doyle, head butcher at Hollow Trees FarmShop, says customers are looking for “convenience, quality, and complementary flavour combinations.” When designing the butchery counter’s warmweather offering, James says they ensure everything is tried and tested for ease of use, and accompanied by cooking instructions to take out the guess work. This has proved a successful formula for the shop. “We try to approach things from the customer’s perspective,” he says. “Not only do we want our products to be good value and using the highest qualitymeat from our farm–we want them to look inviting too. We often imagine what would pair well with other products available in the farm shop, such as locally produced condiments and freshly baked bread, so only one trip out is needed to gather all the meal essentials.” What’s trending in barbecue? Greg Lewis, development chef at Sykes House Farm, says more consumers are using their barbecue throughout the year, rather than just in high spring and summer, with demand for grill cuts expanding into autumn and winter. “People have also realised if they don’t want to go and cook outside, they can even get good results in their air fryer,” he says. Alistair Angus of Thurston Butchers agrees, saying barbecuing today is far removed fromwhat he experienced in childhood. “The weather would hit 25C, my parents would wheel out the barbecue. But they didn’t think of barbecuing as a technique. Don’t get me wrong, summer is mad for us, and people do tend to cookmore in those months, but then we are also getting them coming in all-year-round for barbecue products and joints – even for Christmas Day!” Brits are embracing American barbecue culture like never before, Alistair adds, saying this is a fast- growing trend in butchery. “People are cooking with larger cuts like a traditional American smokehouse would do. Sales of smokers have gone up no end, and we’ve got customers 40 JAMES DOYLE HOLLOW TREES FARM SHOP GREG LEWIS SYKES HOUSE FARM ALISTAIR ANGUS THURSTON BUTCHERS DJ BBQ AUTHOR AND BARBECUE EXPERT SELINA TALBOT COTTAGE DELIGHT COMMENTATORS What’s hot...and what’s not when it comes to outdoor cooking this year? Speciality Food speaks to insiders and experts to reveal all everything you need to know @specialityfood coming in wanting a Boston Butt. Five to 10 years ago you wouldn’t have heard of that in this country!” Sales of brisket, short ribs and tomahawks have also risen. Customers are after “big statement sharing pieces. Rather than going into a butcher just to get a TRENDING BEYOND BURGERS Consumers are being more experimental, trying different cuts and types of meat, from fattier steaks to lamb ribs and pork tomahawks. UPF-FREE Vegetarians and vegans are returning to their plant-based roots, seeking more natural ways to enjoy barbecue food without excess processing. They’re looking for innovative barbecue options made with ‘real’ ingredients, and are experimenting with tofu, tempeh, mushrooms and cauliflower and squash steaks. SUSTAINABILITY In the fine food realm, customers want better quality meat from sustainable sources, with an eye on higher welfare. REGIONAL BARBECUE If customers are grilling the American way, they are increasingly researching authenticity. For example, the flavours of Tennessee, Texas, Memphis, Carolina and Kansas. WHOLE CUTS Learn your Jacob’s Ladder from your Boston Butt. Your customers want to go bigger and better with cuts they can cook low and slow, or char over direct heat before braising. BARBECUE ESSENTIALS FOR 2024