Mouthing Off | Barbecue season is here. It’s great for a gathering, but why does every man think they’re a natural born griller?
- As the temperatures finally drop, our minds turn to barbecue and the joys of eating chargrilled delights outside with friends
- No other cooking style has so many amateur experts and opinions, or allows us to eat food that is both raw and burnt
Now that the weather is cooler, it’s barbecue time again. Generally, people consider it a summertime activity, but in Hong Kong it’s too darn hot and humid to slave over a grill in July, August or even September.
It doesn’t stop others from hiking to country parks (at least in pre-Covid summers) to grill wieners and chicken wings. The basics of Hong Kong barbecuing are long metal skewers, packs of marinated meat and supermarket pork balls. It’s a popular local pastime but not for me. I am not a fan of cooking outside while insects dine on my arms and legs.
Nathan Green’s Henry delivers fine dining barbecue. Two new Central spots even share almost the exact name: Smoke & Barrels is the smaller sandwich takeaway shop, Smoke & Barrel is the sit-down restaurant with an authentic American smoker carted over from Missouri.
The latest season of Netflix’s Chef’s Table also explores fire and smoke cooking. Another programme, American Barbecue Showdown, showcases a cast of Southern pit masters vying for a BBQ title, and the contestants look and talk less like Michelin star chefs than characters in a reboot of The Dukes of Hazzard.
A lot of people assume barbecuing is easy. In reality, a lot of people (OK, primarily guys) have no clue how to cook over charcoal.