8 minute read
Lou Perry - Palate Pleasures
focus_contributor.
Palate
PLEASURES
tLOU PERRI
FROM THE STUNNED MULLET
THINKING INSIDE THE BOX…
Well here we are again, Lockdown Part 2 for us here in Regional NSW. As I write this, I have no idea what is around the corner. As NSW waits with mostly resigned resignation at this stage, watching daily case stats with mounting concern as we bide our time as best we can, continuing on with our, for the most part, radically modifi ed daily lives. Many of us cannot attend our workplaces, or perhaps have been thrust into being a makeshift version of their child’s teacher.
What were once busy schedules are suddenly empty with days stretching out endlessly in front, somehow still hectic and exhausting yet without fi xed parameters of time.
Once again businesses all over have had to evolve and adapt to the strict rules and regulations of our current society. Somehow, going into this again for the second time (luckily only the second time for us here on the Mid North Coast) has felt eerily like riding some sort of cosmic bike. There’s less adrenalin, panic and fear – although most likely there should be, given the already strained governing safety nets. Stoic resignation is more the calling card as now, we accept our fates and trudge with one foot in front of the other to get to what lays on the other side (who even knows what?).
Ok, starting to get a little apocalyptic here. No point going there at all, but rather it is much better for the soul to focus on the ‘glass half full’ in that the boundless creativity and survival instinct of humankind will of course prevail and we will fi nd our way through this maze.
And for us in the land of empty tables in restaurants, that remains once again in the art of fi lling up the humble box.
We would have never thought it possible – the infi nite variety of ways there are to present and deliver restaurant quality offerings in plastic packets and cardboard boxes. But turns out the sky’s the limit of possibility.
Feels like a long time ago already that takeaway was only that, hot food in a plastic container to race home with before it got cold. Somehow the last two years has brought with them a revolution in dining that so many have told us, that they hope sticks. It has brought us great joy to hear so much wonderful feedback about our customers’ ‘at-home Mullet dining experiences’ . More importantly, it is your ongoing and unfailing support that keeps our team together and afl oat throughout this tumultuous era.
Know I’ve said it many times before but there’s no more amazing community than the one right here.
We’ve proven time and and time again that we can beat all kinds of adversity…We’ve got this too.
We’ll see you with our plastic packets and boxes soon, or possibly we’ll get the absolute pleasure of having you seated in our restaurant again one day soon.
Till then stay safe and keep well.
From our team to yours.
focus_interview
Adam
ROBERTS
PITMASTER / AUTHOR
Who doesn’t love a good backyard BBQ? Pitmaster Adam Roberts has taken the art of tong wielding & meal creation to the next level. Being one of the most-awarded solo cooks on the competitive circuit, Adam has sharpened his skills and produced cookbooks so he can share with us his hot new recipes as well as fundamental tips and tricks on how to Barbecue like a Boss!
Hello Adam, thanks for chatting to us about your brand new cookbook ‘Barbeque Like a Boss’! Can you please tell us how it came about and what we can expect?
Back in 2017, I authored a cookbook called ‘Ribs’ which went on to sell thousands of copies all over Australia and New Zealand. This first book became a best-seller and even picked up an International Award for being in the Top 3 best Barbecue books of the year in 2019 when it was revised and re-released as ‘Ribs & Sides’. Putting it simply, I really wanted to do a follow up book that shared more of my love of cooking over wood fire more broadly and ‘Barbecue Like a Boss’ delves much deeper into the fundamentals of barbecue than what I could share in the first book.
What first inspired you to get into barbequeing and what excites you about it now?
If you’ve ever seen my over-sized chassis, you know that I love my food and beverages. I’ve had a long association with travelling and enjoying unique food experiences and have even had a couple of food businesses over the years. I dabbled in some low‘n‘slow cooking about 10 years ago when I had a food truck and from there moved more into wood-fired cooking when my buddy Jay and I kicked off the Australasian Barbecue Alliance right here in Port Macquarie. There’s so many people getting into grilling or smoking meats over wood fire and it’s really cool to see many more people recognising ‘barbecue’ as much more than a food, but a lifestyle or in my case an income producing career option.
You have been in a lot of barbeque competitions, how have you gone and how does it work?
There’s more than 30 barbecue contests across Australia and New Zealand each year with National Championship Series in each country. I’ve competed in more than 40 contests across both countries over the last five years and am one of the most-awarded solo cooks on the circuit. Teams usually comprise a group of friends or family from all different backgrounds who get together and turn up to a scheduled contest. Teams bring all their own BBQ’s and meat and cook up for trained judges on site to a specific pre-advertised format which usually includes cooking Beef Brisket, Pork Ribs, Lamb and Chicken as a minimum. There’s usually prizemoney and trophies on offer from anywhere between $5,000 to $40,000 depending on the quality of the contest.
You hold cooking classes locally, what’s involved and how do people find out more info and reserve a spot?
Having spent many years competing against the best barbecuers and also learning from some excellent Pitmasters from the USA, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. I deliver ‘Learn to BBQ’ classes right across Australia and have more recently run more than 40 sold out classes over the last 18 months in Port Macquarie alone. A regular class goes for around three hours and I step participants through some real easy ways to ensure they can Barbecue like a boss right
from the get go. I advertise my classes through my Facebook page ‘Pitmaster Adam Roberts’ and they do sell out real fast so I keep a wait list in case of any vacancies that pop up for anyone who misses out on the initial booking.
What is the most interesting thing you learned about barbecuing and food while creating your book?
I have to say that first off, I own more than a dozen BBQ’s, grills and smokers. Some of these cookers are built to run a particular process whether it be low‘n‘slow smoking, grilling or even rotating meat. No matter what cooker you’re using, the meat is going to be cooked to perfection if you follow the simple principles of cooking meat to a particular finished internal temperature. For example, a steak cooked to medium rare has a correlating internal temperature when finished of approximately 140F. If you cook the meat over direct fire, or in a smoker or even on a rotisserie spit, once the internal temperature reaches that 140F, it’s done. Some folks tend to over-complicate cooking, but cooking to internal temperatures is so easy and practically foolproof. My book delves into this subject in some detail and also provides many more easy-to-follow tips and tricks to help cook meat to perfection.
Which recipes are your favourites and why?
I love thick and meaty pork ribs or a good slab of low‘n‘slow smoked beef brisket but my favourite recipes are a fusion of all types of barbecue and inside cooking. I tend to push the boundaries a bit with my home cooking to try and come up with new ways of integrating barbecued meats into everyday meals. I recently filmed a few short recipe videos with Jay Beaumont which included Chargrilled Buffalo Chicken Feet, Bone Marrow and Smoked Bacon Oysters and Reverse Seared Kangaroo Fillet Tacos with Beetroot and Pistachio. I don’t think I’ll ever stop creating new recipes and already have plans for a third book which will likely showcase some really creative recipes I’ve been working on over the last few years.
How can our readers find a copy of ‘Barbecue Like a Boss’?
‘Barbecue Like a Boss’ is due in stores this September right across the country through many barbecue retailers, butchers and leading bookstores. I also have a special on my Pitmaster Adam Roberts website right now where folks can order a signed copy of the book and have it delivered right to their door.
Is there anything else you’re keen to mention to our readers?
Folks can keep up to date with what I’m doing on my barbecue journey by following me on Facebook, Instagram or through my website. Simply search ‘Pitmaster Adam Roberts’ and you’ll come across one of my pages. Simply give it a like or follow, and feel free to drop me a line if you have a group that would like to ‘Learn to BBQ’ as I’m more than happy to deliver group and corporate classes.
Thanks Adam.
