#devon blogger

When I first started blogging about food in earnest, Marcus was one of the first bloggers I had contact with after he commented on one of my early posts.  Since then I have eagerly followed his adventures via his blog and social media too.  So I threw 10 Questions at him to see what makes him tick.

At the weekend, Marcus will be appearing at the Powderham Food Festival with other local BBQ’ers in the”Theatre of Fire and Smoke”! This will include demos, watching the BBQ masters at work!

Recently he invited me and a few other foodies to witness some BBQ magic at CWS HQ.  Read about it here!

1. How long have you been blogging? Did you set out cover BBQ initially or has this been something that has evolved over time?

I started CountryWoodSmoke 5 years ago. It was initially a record of my wood fired oven build, but people seemed to enjoy my recipes and pics…so did more and more, the bbq has definitely grown in the last few years.

2. When you’re not writing about BBQ, what keeps you busy?

Family… I have 3 lovely little ones who are little foodies already.

3. What is your favourite piece of BBQ equipment you currently own at the moment?That would be like saying which is my favourite child….I like to use the relevant bit of kit for the food I’m cooking…. Wood fired oven for pizza, smoker for low n slow, grills for high heat grilling.

4. Meat is important in any cooking, I imagine this is the same for BBQ.  Where do you get your meat from?

I’m very particular about the meat I feed my family and friends, I get a lot from a local butcher and from my lovely friends at the Devon Meatbox Co. there are some great producers such as Forest Beef who do some wonderful Longhorn Beef. I also get sent some epic dry aged Aberdeen Angus beef from a butcher friend in Aberdeen, Andrew Gordon.

5. So, if you were stranded on a desert island, do you reckon you’d be able to catch animals and roast them slowly over a makeshift BBQ?

Absolutely….but I am a bit of a softie when it comes to killing animals, and if I ever have to, do it with the utmost respect. I was a vegetarian for 14 years…

6. I love the UK BBQ magazine that you edit. For those who might not know what it is, what is it and how can we download a copy?

Thank you, there was a massive gap for an independent online BBQ magazine for the UK, so I started UK BBQ Mag, you can pick it up for free at www.ukbbqmag.com it’s free to subscribe.

7. For anyone reading this who might be thinking about taking their BBQ more seriously, what tips would you give to someone who wanted to go beyond sausages and burgers?

Start simply with a large kettle BBQ with a lid, learn to cook with 2 zones, direct and indirect with the lid on.

8. Gas or Charcoal?

Charcoal, but I was recently sent a huge gas BBQ with a smoker box that I’m cooking on that is brilliant.

9. What is the most exotic thing you’ve BBQ’d?

A whole pigs head recently, made wonderful rich pulled pork.

10. And finally, is there a person/s in the BBQ world who you particularly admire? Anyone who particularly inspired you when you were first getting in to BBQ?

It would have to be Francis Mallmann, the super inspiring Argentine chef who cooks on fire. I was particularly inspired by Steven Raichlen, Adam Perry Laing and Dr BBQ (Ray Lampe).

Follow Marcus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.  Download your the latest copy of UK BBQ Magazine too!

This week's recipe isVeggie Shepherd's Pie from @ChefTomAllbrook @infohornbrook1 @devon_hour

Ingredients: 1x Sweet potato (Large) 1x Normal potato (Large) 2x Banana shallot 3x Smoked garlic gloves 1x Tin flageolet beans 1x Small tin butter beans 1x Tin Italian plum tomatoes 1x Veg stock cube 1x Pinch of dried chilli flakes 1x Tsp. Smoked paprika Salt & Pepper to taste 50g feta 70g gruyere cheese 30g butter Method: Peel the sweet and normal potato and chop them into small chunks. This…

We had a Hacking Family Christmas which included lots of food, the biggest trifle in the History of Trifles, deep fried Breaded Brie, an organic Turkey from Claire Abjohns out by Ottery St Mary and lots to drink.

The record breaking trifle

Turkey and beautiful roasties…

Me & ma souer

A forest of wine glasses

Breaded Brie. How it should be.

The flaming Christmas Pudding on fire.

Now the food is digesting, the presents opened etc. Life can continue.  I made a solemn vow that I wouldn’t be writing any blog posts over the Christmas period, but I have failed miserably.

I thought I would make some changes to the design (again).  I am trying to achieve a balance between minimal clutter, but still have important information on the sidebar.  I have sacrificed a few sections that were just messy, but we have a new ‘News & Events’ option at the top right along with the usual ‘Read Reviews’ option too.  I am trying to work out whether I am happy with having no categories at all on show, but I might cave in yet.

I have commissioned Tori to create some newer buildings for the front again, as the ones that I have are low-res and are not transferring over to the new design as well.  In the meantime I have selected some images from the Eating Exeter image archive to display on the header image section.

Eating Exeter now has a new domain name too.  Along with eatingexeter.co.uk, I now own eatingexeter.co which is one of the newer suffixes that came in last year.  The email address is still the classic Gmail one, as I can’t be bothered migrating it over and it works nicely on my harem of digital devices.

You might also notice that there are no adverts.  This is because I have made a small investment to WordPress for more storage and a few other perks that should make life a little easier.

There is a sponge baking in the oven, it is coffee & chocolate which we are taking over to my grandfather’s when we visit later.

Look out for my write up or our La Belle Assiette evening, just waiting for the photos to come from the photographer and I’ll publish it.

You’ll notice that my previous product review was Shaldon Bakery and their divine artisan bread. Sticking with the Shaldon theme, the next product review is going to be 28 Day Aged Rump Steak from Phil Beatty and his team at GT Orsman, the butchers who just happen to be right next door to Shaldon Baker.  Phil has owned the business since 2000 and continues to run it with a small team of experienced butchers.

A small traditional west country butcher, this little shop sells some fantastic meat from west country sources including Venison products from Powderham.  This multi-award winning butcher has won a Taste Of The West Gold award two years running including Taste Of The West Butcher of The Year and a few other accolades.

As butchers go, this is a small village shop who provide really good meat for a good price.  They also sell pre-prepared meat ready to hit the BBQ.  Everything is clearly labeled with ingredients and prices clearly marked.  Available are a range of Deli items too including cheese from Quickes and other cheese makers and an extensive range of Hogs Bottom Delights chutneys and marinades.

As well as being recognised as Flavour Champions, this business if part of a cluster Shaldon businesses that really make this town a destination for those who love food.

A few months ago we had been to Darts Farm and bought Rump Steak, so we thought it’d be interesting to see how well we got on with some Rump Steak from Phil and his team.  We managed to get a larger piece of meat for a better price (but can’t remember the weight…??)

So how do you actually cook steak? And what is the best way to do it?

Well my question was answered by the butcher himself and was replicated here on BBC Good Food.  My able assistant is the better cook, and has produced some amazing steaks in the past, so naturally I handed it over.

The meat itself had a fantastic colour to it, the marbling and texture had me staring at it for at least 10 minutes. Hypnotised by meat. Sad really…

Letting the meat stand for a good while to get it down to room temperature is important. It shocks the meat a lot less and you find it doesn’t go tough as easily when you cook it.

Although the end result is down to the skill of the cook, the flavour of the meat and the end texture is very much down to the quality of the cut.  It melted softly on the palette and didn’t need too much seasoning either as it had a fantastic seasoning, the one thing both myself and my able assistant noted was how lean the cut was with very little fat.

If you are in Shaldon, pop in and say hello. Buy some of their BBQ meats, buy some of their deli cheeses.