Live Fire Cooking with John Relihan & Charcoal Making at The Oxford Charcoal Company

Fire and flames added an element of drama to the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum. Live fire cooking expert John Relihan proved that there is far more to barbecuing than sausages and burgers at the event held at The Oxford Charcoal Company on Monday.

oxford-chefs-forum from The Chefs Forum on Vimeo.

The wind and rain did not deter John who used a cinder block pit and Monolith Kamado Grill to create a mouth watering array of dishes, including smoked chicken wings, charcoal cured salmon with smoked crème fraiche and charcoal grilled rump beef, all with the help of students from City of Oxford College and Gloucestershire College.

John showing the Cinder Block PitHe also demonstrated how to slow cook a shoulder of lamb in the cinder pit, and the difference between using the pit and a Monolith Kamado, both as a grill and a smoker.

John said: “The students were fantastic. They did all the work for me!

“Their knowledge was great and they did a wonderful job.”

John Relihan Demo with Monolith Grill and Walter Rose RibeyeAll the food was cooked over Oxford Charcoal – a sustainable charcoal produced in the heart of Oxfordshire by The Oxford Charcoal Company’s Master Charcoal Maker, Matt Williams, who was on hand to share his expertise and talk about the charcoal making process.

Catherine Farinha from The Chefs’ Forum said: “At The Chefs’ Forum we pride ourselves on being able to hold an event anywhere and this just proves that we can.

“We try to teach something new, broaden your horizons and teach new cooking skills.

“Matt and John created something very special here today and I hope that it has provided some inspiration.”

As well as tasting John’s delicious food guests also enjoyed English sparkling wine from Nyetimber and had the opportunity to meet top suppliers.

The food was supplied by sponsors of The Chefs’ Forum including Walter Rose butchers, Flying Fish Seafoods, Repertoire and Total Produce.

Cinder Block PitLive FireOxford CharcoalMatt Williams from The Oxford Charcoal Company

 

 

 

 

For more information about Oxford Charcoal making click here

Photography by Craig Howarth: www.seaaitch-photography.com