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AN INTERVIEW WITH JEREMY RAYMOND
Jeremy have a great experience in BBQ grilling. We asked him a few question about his grilling style and what he think about Paudin!
My dad would BBQ when I was growing up so it has always been something I’ve been around. He made the standard burgers, hotdogs, chicken, sometimes corn on the cob or potatoes. I’ve been making the same for my family for years. When we found ourselves in lockdown last March, we were getting unusually beautiful weather here in the UK and I found myself out on the grill a lot and pretty quickly realized there was an opportunity here to really improve my BBQ game.
I mostly turn to YouTube when I’m trying something new. There are a lot of good channels out there that can point you in the right direction, give you tips and ideas to think about but at the end of the day it’s mainly trial and error. I learn a lot from doing and then fine tuning based on how it turned out. I’ve made plenty of dinners that were, we’ll say, questionable.
I guess the thing that I think is most important to get right would be temperature control. Especially if like me you’re cooking with charcoal. You’re almost always going to want a hot and cool zone, so where you put your charcoal matters, even on a grill like a Weber Kettle.
Learn about the airflow on your grill, slow smoking a brisket can get frustrating when the temperature suddenly soars.
It has to be brisket. I love that it takes all day. I love when there is a bunch of smoke seeping out from under the lid. When it’s done it is always great but hitting that perfect sweet spot where the brisket is super moist and buttery in flavour is so nice! Brisket is both simple but also challenging at the same time. It’s a good way to spend a Saturday.
Burgers are so versatile, I’ve been playing around a bunch with burgers, putting all sorts of topping combinations and they’re always a treat, I haven't found a combo that hasn’t worked yet.
For me though, you can’t beat American Mustard, Buffalo Sauce and Plastic Cheese (what we call those orange cheese slices) you can't go wrong with some pickle slices on there as well!
I have a couple things I’d strongly recommend. Red Cabbage, quartered with some olive oil and salt and peppered grilled until the outside has some decent char. The inside is fantastic and makes a good side.
Also, Kale. Again, light bit of oil and salt but watch this one carefully, it’s done quickly and you still want it soft and a bit crunchy.
When I decided I wanted to really work on this hobby I went looking to upgrade a few of my tools. Like most people I take to the internet and see what reviews say. When I was looking at getting a professional chef's knife, I was dismayed by the prices out there. There was no way I could justify spending hundreds of pounds on a knife, my wife would not have been impressed.
I came across the Paudin Chef Knife and it had hundreds of positive reviews and I could get it and a Utility knife as well and it wasn’t really any expense. My thinking being they’ll be fine for the price. When they came, I was really impressed, they felt light and comfortable and cut like a dream, I thought I had really lucked out and gotten myself some top-quality gear at a great price. For a backyard hobby griller, they were a perfect purchase. I liked them a bunch and so I started making them a part of my Instagram posts. I’m really grateful that you guys noticed and reached out.
Selfishly, it’s probably me. I really want my family and friends to enjoy what I make but really, I’m picking out ideas that I find exciting and things that I’d like to have a try doing. I am very open to suggestions though; I’ll take inspiration from anywhere!
My bio says I’m just making dinner sometimes, and that’s true. I watch a lot of YouTube channels and they’re great but a lot of them are restaurant owners, or BBQ competition guys or other businesses. They’ll say ‘this is easy to do!’ and then drop a slab of beef that cost £90 or £100 plus pounds down on the counter.
I haven't made it a feature of my account but everything I make is from the local grocery stores and on a reasonable budget. There isn’t anything on there that wouldn’t be a normal dinner for a family. I love reading positive comments where people tell me how nice it all looks, but honestly there is nothing I post that anyone seeing it couldn’t pop out to the shops and make for themselves tonight.
