Waterlooville dad quits IT job to start the first barbecue school in Hampshire - and shares some of his top summer cooking tips

Dan Whittaker left his IT job earlier this year to create his barbecue school The Smokin' Elk in his garden - after videos of his skills behind grill attracted more than 10,000 followers on YouTube channel.

After nabbing sponsorship deals from barbecue suppliers like high-end barbecue maker Joe Kamado, Dan has now branched into selling classes for anyone from a beginner to an expert.

Dan treated The News to a lesson in how to cook barbecue jerk chicken wraps with a delicious pineapple salsa sauce, cooking up enough food to feed three people for less than £15.

Waiting for the grill to heat up, Dan shared a few of his red hot barbecue secrets.

The 42-year-old said: 'You don't want to buy any charcoal from petrol stations. It's going to be treated with chemicals - that barbecue smell you can smell in summer is often the accelerant chemicals being burned off.

'But the main thing is have fun, first and foremost. Cooking outside is a social thing, it's good for the soul and good for the mind.

After I attempted to remove the chicken that looked done - but was still relatively cool in its centre - Dan stressed the importance of a good quality food thermometer - and a little patience.

He said: 'Once you discover heat zones, and using vents to regulate the temperature, and treating your barbecue like an oven, you can cook anything on a barbecue and that really is a game changer.'

Dan said he has cooked roast dinners and even spaghetti bolognese on his barbecues.

But the dad-of-one is happy to admit that learning the fine art of controlling the barbecue flames took a little time.

Dan, who moved from the Baffins area of Portsmouth last year, said: ‘I did the usual “buy a cheap barbecue, let it rust out over the winter, and then buy a new one the next summer”.

'I watched things like Man Vs Food where they are cooking briskets and ribs. So I bought myself a smoker, went on some Facebook groups and picked up some tips along the way.

'Probably the first thing I ever did, which was a beer can chicken. And I thought if you aren't seeing smoke coming out of the top, like lots of smoke, the chicken wasn't smoking. So I was putting more and more wood in it.

'It came out, I had loads of friends around, it was the main event - and it tasted like a bonfire.

'Everyone was very polite and said it certainly tasted smokey.

'I went down the rabbit hole about five years ago – and now here I am doing this.

'I am a complete barbecue addict.'

The barbecue school movement began in the USA, but it has recently jumped the pond with businesses in Devon and Bristol.

The barbecue Better Beginners Class start at £120 while barbecue Better Intermediate Class cost £140, with food and drink included.