Winter 2023

Issue 14

All we want for Christmas is Q.

BBQ magazine started the festive season early. One turkey on the outdoor grill wasn’t enough, so we decided to cook four birds across an array of great equipment. Take our word for it, they were delicious, so make sure you head outside this Christmas.

We talk to bosses of six leading BBQ brands on what inspires them and how they see their industry evolving – forever curious in their quests to amplify the interest in and quality of live-fire cooking.

Talking of quality, Paul Ainsworth is rarely happier than firing up the grills outside, sometimes in the company of his great friend, Tom Kerridge. That’s a BBQ you’d want an invitation to. And if you want somebody to cook a burger for you, step forward Anthony ‘Murf’ Murphy from The Beefy Boys.

To the USA. The BBQ Pit Boys are YouTube sensations with more than five million subscribers and followers across social media, as well as 18,000 registered Chapters in over 100 countries. BBQ communities don’t get much bigger, but without losing an ounce of authenticity and humility.

Restaurants are all the rage in the BBQ world, allowing backyard cooks the chance to take a break and inspiration from the finest of fire chefs. Columnists Beef and Jodie Johnston review four London restaurants. Beef, back on the golf circuit after injury, would love to have played in the Ryder Cup, but the next best thing was covering this iconic sporting event in Italy and taking time out for a sensational meal in Rome; while Ian Jones found the oldest restaurant in the world – and, yes, Casa Botín in Madrid has the Guinness Book of Records certificate to prove it.

Our hugely popular recipe pages include Paul Ainsworth’s hog roast bap with crackling and apple sauce, while Murf smashes his award-winning Oklahoma onion burger for us, with plenty more besides from professional and amateur cooks alike. Wine and gin fuel the drinks pages, from regular columnists Roger Jones and Andy Clarke.

Winter is a good time to plan for what you’d like your outdoor space to look like ahead of spring, so garden designer James Smith, a Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner, sketches a few ideas. And if you’re dreaming of BBQ destinations to travel to in 2024, take a look at our plans to launch a Travel Club.

Team BBQ Magazine