Waterlooville dad quits IT job to start the first barbecue school in Hampshire - and shares some of his top summer cooking tips
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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.
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Hide AdAfter 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.
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Hide AdThe 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.
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Hide AdHe 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.
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Hide AdDan, 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.
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Hide Ad'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.'
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Hide AdThe 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.