I’ve got extremely limited space in my backyard but I utilise it well!

Kamado Joe Classic, Kamado Bono Minimo, Hellrazr Yama, Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 & Masterbuily Electric cabinet smoker (I can’t figure out how to work it hahaha)

I love my KJ and my Yama, they’re both so fun! The MB 800 is for when my 3 year old is bullying me to give me an easy life!

When she’s older I hope to add a savage fire cage or a PK to the collection hahaha

I’ve been cooking as long as I can remember! I used to think I was a don when I was 8 years old doing cheese & ham pasta hahaha just pasta with a LOAD of melted cheese & chopped up ham slices hahaha

BBQ wise since I went to stay with my cousin in South Africa back in 2015, the constant braais just fascinated me so ever summer I’d BBQ as much as possible! Then the beginning of 2021 my partner Laura bought me my KJ, the rest is history!

SOOO many hahaha from Birkenstock style brisket sandals, the ribs that were like shards of plastic. One that sticks out is when I tried to but 2 mutant giant chickens scissoring on the Joetisserie, one jumped off and that moment I become the first person to cook a chicken “dirty” style! There’s a reason Marcus sticks to steaks and not chicken on the coals hahaha

Ooooo TV show I love “The Wire” “The Sopranos” “Chefs Table” & “Somebody Feed Phil” any of those 4 are the best!

Favourite film is a tough one, love “Sin City” “The Departed” “Lion King” and "chef"

I’m a Kanye West nerd, I love Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Jay-Z, J Cole, A Tribe Called Quest, Kendrick Lamar, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, AC/DC, Action Bronson, Michael Jackson and Prince hahaha

EVERYONE LISTEN TO ZAC BROWN BAND - CHICKEN FRIED and you'll be happy!

The power of persuasion! Or time control!

A big house, with a huuuuge kitchen, garden, all the grills named above and a kitted Volkswagen camper van!

I’m a cake baker! My partner Laura has ran a cake business for 12 years and just before (like 3 days!) the first lockdown I quit my job to work for her! So there’s no way in denying that she’s the boss hahaha

Get bullied by a 3 year old toddler terrorist, the cutest, funniest, most adorable kid ever! My daughter Blake hahaha

Has to be a steak! The bigger the better, I’m on a mission to find a steak the size of my head! That hasn’t been possible due to my huge cranium but I’m hoping a nuclear cow from Chernobyl will come out of the woodwork sooner rather than later!

Right everyone, I’ll say this slowly (well type it so you read it slowly)

Red…Miso…Bavette…Skewers! My secret weapon from my meat master Butcher Farrell!

The rare occasion I don’t have any of them in stock, spatchcock chicken is always a winner with a good rub!

I love loads of rubs but the ones I make sure I have locked and loaded are:

Honey & Mustard, Good Ol’ BBQ & Herby Jalapeño all from @Norfolk_smoke_pit (got loads of love for all their stuff though and Poppy is proper sound!)

Pigasus & Korean Rub from @angusandoink (they’re the big boys in the UK BBQ rub game and it’s easy to see why, they also kill the social media side of things!)

I really want to try some of the @rustybbqco rubs because them and the lads who represent them are all really good people!

It’s cliche but by FAAAAAR being a dad! She’s the best thing ever and I get to say I’m a part of that with the best momma ever!

What I’ve got plus a savage fire cage, KJ Big Joe, Aaron Franklin PK 360, Asado grill, a purple offset and a bar stocked with Whisky!

The magician with the meat @butcherfarrell is my go to! I take the 90 minute round trip to get the best meat in the North West!

It’s easier than ever to get good meat these days, so many good butchers deliver nationwide since the lockdown!

Moor Hall! There’s a reason it’s won best restaurant in the country multiple times! The tasting menu is silly good but I think about their signature beef tartare dish at least once a fortnight!

It was a warm but misty night, the light from the moon was gently kissing the tree tops creating a stunning silhouette then on the horizon on the back of a 9 year old ex-dairy cow there he was hahaha

We met on Instagram, he posted a story about opening up his own place 45 minutes from me so right away I was interested. Once we met in person we hit it off! He has some stunning produce which genuinely excites me when it comes to cooking which I think is important. Myself and Ryan (@bbqupnorth) have held events up at Butcher Farrell’s and I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re both mega proud to represent his brand.

Yes, I think we all have being honest. The first time trying an expensive bit of meat can be quite daunting!

One that springs to mind for me is we had a “launch party” 2 weeks after I started my instagram page. Without realising I had 40 people crammed in my house waiting to be fed 😂

cooking has been an escape for me though so any anxiety I had I just got stuck in to the cook!

It sounds stupid but I’d say either a Christmas dinner or one when we went to Devon on holiday. Christmas because I had STUNNING rib of beef from Butcher Farrell and last minute plans shifted from going to my dads and me just doing the beef to 14 people in our house thanks to my little brother catching COVID!

The cook in Devon was because I bought a superb dry aged tomahawk from Darts Farm Butchers. I had a Kamado that was too small and no thermometer, so it was constant flipping using my touch and sight to get the temp right. I nailed it! It made me fall in love with cooking big steaks again! I was too focused on trying to cook what everyone else was cooking, not what I wanted to cook!

Basically, we had a house fire May 2021 and it was the worst day of our lives really. But one picture made everyone laugh and that’s me in hospital with smoke all over my face hahaha I was literally Smoke Faced. Then when I said that out loud it sounded like Ghost Face (from Wu Tang) and I just changed Killa to Grilla! BOOM Smoke Faced Grilla was born! Turning a negative to positive!

With the logo I just saw a Gorilla with bandana (I love paisley print hahaha) hit up @we.are.howl and he couldn’t of been better! He drew a sketch up, listened to the tiny adjustments and then he blew me out of the water with the final product!

Branding is massively important to me, I am a sneaker-head, worked in retail & fashion so always pick up on good branding. The logo was the icing on the cake and helped me create a brand I can put my face to.

They’re back next week, in a new colour as well which I’m SUPER happy with! The first batch sold out waaay quicker than I imagined, I put a fair bit of research into getting good quality caps and embroidery to make a good product for people to wear!

Hopefully have some t-shirts coming soon as well!

In South Africa I ate a game platter which was Zebra, Kudu, Spring Bok, Buffalo and some other kind. I think it was supposed to be a sharing thing but I managed to nail it! Also ate snake & alligator that night, I’d rather eat a live alligator than some slimy mushrooms!