British Judges at the Jack Daniel's

The world's most prestigious BBQ event is the Jack Daniel's Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Here the winners of the national and regional competitions are invited to compete against each other for what is really the World Championship.

Being an accredited BBQ Judge, besides getting to taste and judge vast quantities of the best BBQ in the world, gives the opportunity to meet other celebrity judges. Here I am, suitably dressed, with Tom Parker Bowles whose interest in the world of American Barbecue brought him to Lynchburg.

"The Jack" has been successfully invaded by British BBQ teams, and the successes of Chef Colin Capon and his team have upset the long tradition of Southern US teams taking the winning places. Nobody here expected British BBQ'ers to even remotely be able to challenge the Texans, let alone win.

The Secrets of Barbecue and Grilling

Alan Simpson's search for the secrets of BBQ and Grilling began over twenty years ago in Texas. Having just moved from the UK to Dallas it was the introduction to a whole new world of ethnic food. My travels around the world had introduced me to every flavour of cuisine, every exotic meat, fruit and vegetable, and some really strange customs, but American BBQ is a whole experience in itself.

As you travel across the United States you realize that what was BBQ in Texas is not the way the do things in North Carolina.The rules in Kansas City are completely different to the rules in Memphis. No self respecting Texan would be seen dead eating North Carolina BBQ.

In Britain the best of all these diverse ways of cooking meat can be explored without the social stigma felt by the locals across the USA. Britain has embraced American grilling and BBQ in a big way, and the many open fire cooking skills, practiced across Britain for two thousand years or more are being reborn. Of course the Ancient Britons did not have the luxury of firing up the Propane Grill, or nipping down to the local Supermarket to get some Chicken Quarters. Still it's great to see the British enjoying the Great Outdoors again.