Jamies summer food rave up!!!!

[Steve]

So what do you guys think of Jamie's ribs. It's something I definitely won't be trying. Also I can't help but find him extremely irritating. He needs to give his gob a rest for a bit and let the food to the talking.

Yeah but if those ribs did the talking they'd spout just as much bull sh1t.

[aris]

I think you are being too critical about the ribs. I cook them like that all the time - but, I don't have a smoker (yet).

Will they be of competition standard - of course not. But as a quick and easy entry into BBQ - it works well.

I actually quite liked the show. I like improvisation - and Jamie did that well. He showed that you don't need loads of gizmos to make nice food.

What really irritates me are people like Heston Blumenthal who seem to cook in a science laboratory, or chefs who use unobtainable elitist ingredients. I would love to see a show where they dumped all these celebrity chefs into the African bush with nothing but a knife, and a box of matches - and challenged them to make a meal. For me, THAT's cooking.

Just curious - if you were camping and only had basic cooking implements, how would you prepare ribs?

[KamadoSimon]

The ribs looked fine until he put the sauce on & burnt them badly.....

[aris]

The ribs looked fine until he put the sauce on & burnt them badly.....

Yes that will happen with a sugary sauce when heated directly. Personally, I don't put sugar in my rubs, and then leave the sauce on the side when I serve them.

[Pecker]

I think you are being too critical about the ribs. I cook them like that all the time - but, I don't have a smoker (yet).

Will they be of competition standard - of course not. But as a quick and easy entry into BBQ - it works well.

I actually quite liked the show. I like improvisation - and Jamie did that well. He showed that you don't need loads of gizmos to make nice food.

What really irritates me are people like Heston Blumenthal who seem to cook in a science laboratory, or chefs who use unobtainable elitist ingredients. I would love to see a show where they dumped all these celebrity chefs into the African bush with nothing but a knife, and a box of matches - and challenged them to make a meal. For me, THAT's cooking.

Just curious - if you were camping and only had basic cooking implements, how would you prepare ribs?

They're alright - they're all doing their own thing.

Heston is good at what he does, and I like the concept. He looks at cooking techniques, finds out why they work scientifically, then uses that science to see how far you can perfect a dish. It's largely thanks to Heston that it's become popular to cook meats by heating them at a very low temperature for a very long time, then blasting them to crisp the outside. This is not unlike low & slow cooking, taken to its Nth degree.

Jamie has a gob, but he likes to cook, and is easy to understand. His recipes are generally easy, tasty, and natural.

Of course either can be annoying, but I think anyone who has a distinctive style will annoy people, and only the very bland won't get up anyone's nose.

Steve W

[Davy]

I'm not saying they need to be of competition standard, but having tried some of his recipes he seems to want to douse everything in fennel seeds and balsamic vinegar and I don't get it. What's wrong with a basic BBQ rub and basic sauce just to get people into cooking ribs outdoors as opposed to the pre marinated rubbish found in supermarkets. I think Jamie's recipes could have the opposite effect.

[Pecker]

The ribs looked fine until he put the sauce on & burnt them badly.....

Yes that will happen with a sugary sauce when heated directly. Personally, I don't put sugar in my rubs, and then leave the sauce on the side when I serve them.

You're right, sweet sauce on a barbecue is a tricky technique. The disadvantage to having sauce warmed in a saucepan is that it doesn't get that caramelised edge to it.

I find with sweet sauces that a high/medium indirect heat for 15-20 minutes is about right, but it depends on the sugar content.

But I agree, I don't like sugar in the rub. It's a bit of a waste if you're adding a sauce, because there's no way the sweetness of the sugar in a rub won't be completely swamped by the sweetness of the sauce.

Steve W

[RobinC]

It's largely thanks to Heston that it's become popular to cook meats by heating them at a very low temperature for a very long time, then blasting them to crisp the outside. This is not unlike low & slow cooking, taken to its Nth degree.

No its not. That's nothing new its been done for years.

[Pecker]

I'm not saying they need to be of competition standard, but having tried some of his recipes he seems to want to douse everything in fennel seeds and balsamic vinegar and I don't get it. What's wrong with a basic BBQ rub and basic sauce just to get people into cooking ribs outdoors as opposed to the pre marinated rubbish found in supermarkets. I think Jamie's recipes could have the opposite effect.

I watched last night, but I think I missed the ribs. I have it on the planner, so that's no problem, I'll catch it later.

But in general I agree - lots of vinegar and fennel seeds is a bit of an aquired taste, and not one which will appeal to most people keen to start experimenting.

Everyone and anyone can make a basic rub. And a lot of off-the-shelf sauces are very good, if you choose the ones with natural ingredients.

Steve W

[aris]

Jamies influences are Italian. Remember, he cut his teeth (and got his big break) working at the River Cafe, and his mentor Gennaro is also Italian (he's in this show and most of his other shows too). Fennel and Balasmic are VERY Italian.

I think you need to look past the specifics of the recipe - most reasonable people can improvise to their own tastes. For me, an equally important aspect of any recipe is the technique. I think he did a good job in showing that off considering the show is only 30 mins long.

Perhaps - who knows - someone might try Jamies recipe and technique and google for a bit more info and come across this Forum

You have to start somewhere.