Cometh the summer, cometh the time when every man must dust himself down, rummage around the garden shed, and pull out the barbecue.

With Australian blood running through my veins (don’t mention the Ashes) this most sacred of outdoor cooking techniques should be in the genes, but I ashamedly must admit to not even owning a grill.

To correct this terrible wrong and prevent myself being stripped of my passport a full investigation has been launched into how to host the perfect barbie.

The unadventurous may just pull out a bag of frozen sausages and burgers, but any butcher worth his salt will tell you there is so much more to a barbecue than blackened snags and still frozen patties.

The first big choice for any outdoor chef is selecting between gas and the traditional charcoal barbecue.

Peter Atkinson and Tom Wharton at Tucker's Exotic Meat, in Kingston Market, offer a wide range of outlandish game and bovine cuts, either cooked on the spot or for the customer to take away.

With the street food stall a permanent feature the pair actually cook their meat on an electric griddle but despite this Tom admits the only real way to cook up a storm is with the black stuff.

He says: "There is a case to be made for either - gas is more convenient, but to get that true smoky flavour on your meat it has to be charcoal. It is more theatrical as well."

I agree but admit another threat to my credibility immediately hoves into view if taking this route - potentially failing to get the coals lit at all.

He says: "I’m a bit of a cheat - I’m a fire lighter man.

"The thing I actually love though is the pre-prepared bags. You just light it up and you are set. It may not look so impressive but it does the trick."

Tucker’s don’t use the term exotic lightly, offering meat from animals from virtually every continent, with Elk burgers topped with maple syrup sharing menu space with buffalo and peanut butter but Tom’s two tips are ostrich and one from my own back yard, kangaroo steak.

He says: "Kangaroo steaks are awesome - that bit different, and taste a bit like venison. It’s very lean and I find it tastes best served medium to medium rare. Ostrich has virtually zero cholesterol and is just a lovely piece of meat.

"A fundamental tip for you - rather than flash fry your steaks, cook on a lower heat for a little longer for the medium rare taste retaining the great flavour."

Alongside the meat Tom recommends mixing some cream and lemon juice as a simple tasty sauce.

And for those pesky vegetarians?

"We do pretty much just do meat, but if you’re catering for vegetarians I go for halloumi cheese. If you grill up some peppers and tomatoes it makes a great burger."

Tucker’s Exotic Meat, two 250g kangaroo fillet steaks £7, two 220g ostrich burgers £4.41, www.tuckers-exotics.co.uk.

 


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