Pig & Pilgrim Collaboration
Our hot tips to cooking with fire
We are excited to partner with Pig & Pilgrim artisan charcoal BBQs. These BBQ’s are next level – thoughtfully designed solid steel barbecues handcrafted in Australia. Loved by chefs and backyard grilling aficionadas alike.
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There is nothing quite like cooking over fire. It possesses an extraordinary power to amplify natural flavours. It provides immense satisfaction – building a fire, keeping it alive, cooking your food beside it, over it or within it – rather than just flicking a switch. And what we love the most, it builds a community – forging a connection with people as we sit around and enjoy the shared experience.
We sat down with Charlie Gosselin (owner of Pig & Pilgrim) in front of the flames to get his tips on cooking with fire and how to get the most out of your Pig & Pilgrim Meat Box.
How to build a fire?
There is something magical about building a fire, maybe it’s from our primal roots, but there are three fundamental elements to building a fire – fuel, heat and oxygen and each element is intrinsically linked.
Charlie recommends starting with charcoal as it is more consistent. However, Charlie’s ideal fire is made up of a combination of charcoal and hardwood. Charcoal simply means wood burnt without oxygen - it’s fuel for your fire. You will definitely get flavour from charcoal but if you want to add extra flavour to your food, use hardwood as well.
When using hardwood, make sure the wood is double split and never use big logs. If you can’t find any dry wood at the moment, you aren’t alone. It’s really difficult to find but you can source premium hardwood at WoodCo
Always begin by making a smaller fire which can then grow.
To ensure clean flavours, make sure you use natural firelighters. Pig & Pilgrim will soon be launching all natural, easy to light and environmentally friendly (non-toxic) firelighters.
You know when your fire is ready when your charcoal has turned from black to white. If you have some black on white charcoal chunks, you can use a hairdryer (on low) or small blower to help speeds things along.
Invest in good quality cooking utensils and keep safe
To keep yourself safe, invest in good quality cooking utensils like the Pig & Pilgrim charcoal rake, wire brush & tongs. Never leave your fire unattended and always keep a bucket of water or sand close by. (Credit cooking with fire image @chrissiecosgrove)
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Cooking your Pig & Pilgrim Meat Box:
Together with Charlie, we have chosen cuts to enable you to enjoy the possibilities of cooking with fire and the flavour it brings to these cuts. So whether you have a Pig & Pilgrim BBQ or another charcoal BBQ, we have selected the best grass-fed beef available on the market, hard to find chicken chops and deboned duck, the ever-popular butterflied lamb and the porchetta for the rotisserie. Time to light the match.
Always, always, always bring your meat to room temperature.
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Chicken Chops – everything tastes better on the bone which is why chicken chops are our number one chicken choice for the grill. They are not going to dry out like other chicken cuts and you are going to get delicious crispy skin. Rub chicken chops in olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Cook on a medium heat and finish off at a higher heat to get that scrumptious crispy skin. If using a Pig & Pilgrim BBQ, lower the grill at the end of the cook for crispy skin.
Grass Fed Rib Eye MB4 – perfect on the grill. Season your steak with salt & pepper. We have just discovered Jess Pryles and her JKF technique https://jesspryles.com/the-jkf-method-just-keep-flipping/ Jess recommends to flip your steaks every 20 – 30 seconds. Give it a go and tell us what you think. Make sure you rest your steak for half the length of your cooking time.
Porchetta – perfect on the rotisserie. Take the pork out of the bag and dry the skin overnight. Massage olive oil and a handful of salt all over the skin. Thread onto the split and let it turn.
You could also cook in it advance in the oven (take the pork out of the bag, and dry the skin overnight. Then score the skin, and massage a handful of salt all over. Preheat the oven at 220°C and cook for 15 mins, then turn down the temperature to 170°C and cook for 45 mins per kilo) and keep it warm on the rotisserie. Who wants a porchetta sandwich?! Yes please!
However you choose to cook it, use a meat thermometer so you know exactly when it’s ready. We can highly recommend the Meater!
Free Range Butterflied Lamb Leg – we love to cook the lamb on the grill. Rub a handful of one of our Meat Rubs and marinate for a minimum of 4 hrs but ideally overnight in the fridge so the flavours really absorb into the lamb. The Middle Eastern meat rub really goes perfectly with lamb. Use a meat thermometer so you know exactly when the lamb is ready – you’re looking for medium rare. Make sure you rest your lamb to allow the fibres to relax. We love serving our lamb with crispy duck fat roast potatoes, BBQ grilled vegetables & moroccan couscous salad.
Deboned duck (butterflied & deboned) – perfect in the chicken cage and then attach to the rotisserie. Put a foil tray underneath the duck to catch the fat and put a few chopped par-boiled potatoes in the tray. Duck fat potatoes voilà! Separate the skin by running your fingers underneath the skin and the duck to help the fat drip away. Season with salt & pepper. Use a meat thermometer so you know exactly when the duck is ready.
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GAMEKEEPERS MEAT: As a proudly Victorian owned business, our products are locally sourced, expertly prepared by our master butchers. Make your BBQ cooking simpler by ordering online with Gamekeepers meat.
DELIVERY: Check our delivery locations across Victoria, with the post code checker here.
RECIPES & INSPIRATIONS: View all cooking inspirations here.
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Product Links:
Pig & Pilgrim Charcoal BBQ Meat Box | Chicken Chops | Grass Fed Rib Eye | Porchetta | Free Range Butterflied Lamb Leg | Whole Duck Deboned & Butterflied