The Menu: The Irish barbecue scene has evolved at a mighty clip

That primal fragrance of burning fat and charring meat is already wafting in the still “summer” air outside my window, for it is an immutable principle that — on rare occasions when the otherwise prodigal sun favours the oul’ sod — the Gael fires up the barbecue.

The barbecue is a comparatively recent arrival to Ireland. Indeed, while the rest of the world established a genetic heritage hundreds of thousands of years in the making, since man first slung a sabre tooth sirloin on smouldering coals, we never really had much history of cooking meat over live fire.

We rarely ate the stuff in the first place, prizing live cattle as a status symbol and predominantly eating dairy produce.

When we did eat meat, we boiled it in a fulacht fiadh.

When I was a child, “barbecue” entailed sausages grilled in the oven but then, a radical departure, eaten out in the back garden. If it was a serious heatwave, the dining room furniture was hauled out as well.

The first proper barbecue “equipment” in Ireland was those charcoal-filled foil pans from the supermarket which introduced the extreme sport of food poisoning to a nation then so fearful of “under-cooking” anything at all — animal, mineral, or vegetable — that a good 30 minutes was tacked on to all recommended cooking time, even frozen peas, “just to be on the safe side”.

When faced with cooking raw meat on these new-fangled foil gadgets, only a roaring inferno would suffice.

Flames near licking rooftops as we rapidly blackened burgers to a crisp, only to leave them raw and vaguely warm on the inside.

We had yet to hear the gospel of low and slow, to only begin cooking when the flame has died away and the real heat arrives.

Since then, the Irish barbecue scene has evolved at a mighty clip. Many new Irish brought with them far superior techniques learned over generations of live fire cooking.

Our own homegrown food heroes also began to lead the way.

Andy Noonan’s world-class annual Big Grill barbecue festival attracts star barbecue chefs and pitmasters from around the world, and introduced many Irish chefs to techniques they now employ in their own kitchens.

My own “Gurus of the Grill” are the doughty duo, Pat Conway and Jim O’Brien, of Smokin’ Soul. When I first invited them in 2018 to feature at Grub Circus at All Together Now music festival, I had no real idea what to expect.

They stole the show, exceeding all expectations, putting the primal into party as they delivered stunning dishes cooked over live fire over the entire weekend.

And if Jim betimes appeared to be speaking in tongues, he was equally conversant in tongues of flame. He is the true savant of Irish live fire cooking — I suspect he even keeps fire as a pet.

Now Smokin’ Soul hosts its own festival, Feast of Fire (July 11/12/13) in its bucolic base in Wexford, where they also construct their mind-blowing “grills”, exquisitely engineered contraptions — some larger than a family car — selling to clients, domestic and professional, in Ireland and abroad. It is also where they host truly instructive live fire cooking courses — the most fun I’ve ever had at “school”.

The festival will be an edible extravaganza of meals and tasty titbits from a host of top chefs, including Aishling Moore and Kwanghi Chan.

Held in a “Big Top” circus tent, with just 300 tickets available, including camping, it is both all-inclusive and exclusive.

No queues and freedom to move between various areas and activities. Kicking off with a welcome feast, there are no elitist VIP areas separating performers from audience, all mingling together for a completely immersive experience. Along with as much incredible food as you can put away, live entertainment continues into the night at, what I predict, will be one of the great Irish food events of 2025.

smokinsoul.ie/feast-of-fire-2025/

TODAY’S SPECIAL

When the Italian spicy spreadable sausage first arrived on Irish plates, any reticence around ‘nduja was entirely to do with the word’s pronounciation but it has now become ubiquitous, particularly on pizzas, and quality varies, but one of Ireland’s finest charcuterie producers, Corndale Farm, knock it out of the park with their potent take on the Calabrian classic.

Fierce and fiery of flavour, just a nip smeared on toasted sourdough is addictive but uses are myriad, including adding humongous heft to a homemade turbo-charged tomato sauce. Widely available, from M&S and good independent food stores, €6.50.

corndalefarm.com

Mowgli by the Sea

Mowgli by the Sea (May 25), on Ballybrannigan Beach, in East Cork, is the first of Niamh Hegarty’s BKultured summer series, supported by Five Farms Irish cream. A four-course sharing feast cooked live by chef Tom Hayes (Mowgli Roaming Kitchen), Brian’s Wines pouring natural wines, BKultured kefir and Five Farms Irish Cream, all served up around the fire. From 5pm, €65,

Book at tickettailor.com/events/mowgli