How to enjoy the sizzle of steak this National BBQ Week
What will the man behind the 25th National BBQ Week, which begins today, be eating and drinking at his barbecues this summer?
“Corsican Cote de Boeuf and Corsican Niellucci,” says chef Brian George, “And sizzling sea bass with fennel, chilled Picpoul de Pinet and chicken ciabatta, and Sangiovese.”
George is a former President of the British BBQ Association and the Geneva-based World BBQ Association, an ex-Saatchi & Saatchi director, multi-brand, multi-channel grocery marketeer and promoter, a self-defined “instigator of smart-arse ideas” and “supposedly the UK’s go-to-guy” for all things BBQ-related.
“Back then BBQ was one of those events people did very occasionally, with the average being probably no more than once a year. The BBQ would have been a charcoal one, a tin tray on legs, gas hadn’t really become available and the food was more than likely to be a burger or sausage, burnt on the outside and raw in the middle, covered in ketchup and stuck in a limp bun.”
Three out of four UK households now own some type of BBQ grill and we have had 200m barbies since lockdown. The alfresco eating and entertaining market was worth just over £1.7 billion last year.
Although we assume BBQ is an outdoor event, its British origins lie indoors. London’s The Beefsteak Club was established in 1705, with its founding members “desirous of proving substantial beef” which they deemed to be “as prolific a food for an English wit as pies and custards for a Kit-cat beau.” An actor, Richard Estcourt, was “providore””, presiding over the “chief Wits and great men of the nation”. They had regular raucous get together over singed steak.
The Sublime Society of Beef Steaks was established in 1735 by the manager of the Theatre Royal, in Covent Garden and it’s still going strong. The club requires members to wear a blue coat and buff waistcoat with brass buttons with a gridiron motif inscribed with the words “Beef and liberty”. It has premises at 9 Irving Street where custom demands that the club steward and waiters all be addressed as “Charles”.
Drawing inspiration from these historic dining clubs is The Beefsteak Wine Club, whose range is designed to pair with meat and barbecue dishes; it is the official wine of National BBQ Week.
Beefsteak Club Argentinian Malbec is said to be best for burgers, while Club Reserve Malbec, from Uco Valley is recommended for steak and Australian Limestone Shiraz is suggested for lamb and anything spicy. The Tempranillo pairs well with pork ribs and the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal with chicken wings. The Malbec is also available in wine cans and a bag-in-the-box.
This year’s National BBQ Week is coming to the aid of Cure Leukaemia by helping raise much needed funds through the Barbi for Britain initiative. So invite your friends, family neighbours or colleagues and Barbi for Britain in aid of Cure Leukaemia.