FIRE IT UP

BBQ expert Jim Moore tells ELLA WALKER how he cooks everything on the outdoor grill

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(Jim Moore)

CAN you really barbecue absolutely anything and everything? Belfast-based BBQ expert Jim Moore believes we can. “I haven't found anything I can’t cook on the barbecue yet,” he says with a grin.

Hence his new cookbook, How To BBQ Everything, a guide to doing just that.

Known for his Instagram account @onlyslaggin, whether you’re a dab hand at grilling, or your fire-cooking curiosity is only just piquing, Jim’s debut recipe collection has got you covered. Just don’t expect 10 ways with hot dogs, or him waxing lyrical about the merits of the burgers most of us grew up eating at rain-stricken summer barbies.

He says crucial to the allure of grilling is being outdoors and the “immersive” experience of “harnessing fire”. Follow Jim’s top tips and you'll be a pitmaster in no time...

“Most barbecues don’t need a cover on them. I think of a cover as almost a mental block to actually cooking,” says Jim. “People will look out and go, ‘The cover’s on,’ and it’s one more thing for them to take off. Mine sit outside, 24/7, 365, and there’s never any issues with them.”

“People often think, ‘I'd love to cook on charcoal. It tastes way better, but gas is so much more convenient: But there’s loads you can do to make starting charcoal much easier,’ promises Jim. “Once you get that in your head, you never go back to gas.”

“I barbecue all year round,” says Jim, who often live-posts while cooking Christmas dinner on his grill. “Some of the winter months are better for barbecuing, because of the moisture and the air coming through that feeds the fire.”