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MATT RUDD

No seabass, no flavoured wood: my 11 rules for a proper barbecue

‘As with every aspect of a classic British barbecue, it’s the thought rather than the taste that counts’

The Sunday Times

Summer has arrived and it is time to address the hickory-smoked elephant in the room. Here at the United Kingdom Eating Charred Sausages Outdoors Organisation (Ukecso) we have noticed that things have been getting out of hand. Up and down the nation the humble barbecue lies abandoned in the shed, replaced by electric pizza ovens, smokers, grilling stations and alfresco air fryers. It is to this organisation’s considerable distress that the phrases “It’s the only way to do a whole sea bass” and “I’m so glad we switched to gas” are now in common usage. Incidents of people using coconut in a marinade have also been reported.

Ukecso is committed to preserving the Ancient Rules of Barbecuing as codified in the 1970s. As such, please