When the world slowed down in early 2020, I found myself with a lot more time on my hands and I needed a new hobby. I’ve always been interested in cooking, I’m the main cook at home and BBQ food is something I love to eat when in the US. With those two things in mind, it made perfect sense that I explored the world of BBQ. I quickly found out that there was a lot to learn!

I started by watching a LOT of Youtube videos. Every night before I went to bed I’d watch a good 20-30 minutes. I quickly noticed that everyone had their own style. BBQ isn’t a generic form of cooking and that interested me even more.

Until this point, I’d only ever really been a typical British user when it came to BBQ. I’d fire up whatever I had available when it was sunny. I’d use whichever coal was on offer and cooking most things until they looked done, or overdone to be safe. I guess it’s no wonder that we cover those hotdogs in ketchup!

I began to learn about the different fuels, the different ways to make a fire and how to regulate temperature. It thought me how versatile a BBQ can be when you understand how to use it.

We moved house in September 2020 and this is where my journey truly began. I ordered a Weber Master Touch premium, a few accessories, and started construction on The Grill Shack! I didn’t want to be a fair-weather BBQ user, I also didn’t want to get wet in the winter.

My first few cooks were pretty basic, I enjoyed them, but they largely didn’t go to plan. They say that learning is part of the fun. When it comes to cooking, as long as you don’t ruin the food (which is actually pretty tough to do with a lot of BBQ cooks), you have a reward at the end of it.

I’ve made a large number of connections within the BBQ community via Instagram, it’s great for ideas on future cooks. Most people I’ve encountered have a great passion for BBQ. They have also been grilling for a lot longer than I have. I get to learn from their experience and share my results. It’s a fantastic community to be part of.

That brings me to right now. My background is online marketing, and I’ve dabbled in making videos for Youtube. It made perfect sense to me that I pull those ideas together and www.thegrillshack.co.uk was born.

I hope that you find the site of use to you, I’d love to hear about your thoughts on what I’m doing and also how you are getting on. You can contact me via Twitter and Instagram, or the contact function on the homepage.

I’ll be in the Grill Shack if you need me.

Cheers

Simon

My first time curing pork & making bacon