Smoke & Fire Festival

  Meet Mel Chmilar Jr. — aka Dark Side of the Grill From the beaches of Brazil to the volcanoes of Guatemala, Mel has spent over a decade mastering the art of live fire cooking. A true champion of the flame, he’s grilled in backyards, pit rooms, and on competition stages across Texas and around the...

Meet Mel Chmilar Jr. — aka Dark Side of the Grill From the beaches of Brazil to the volcanoes of Guatemala, Mel has spent over a decade mastering the art of live fire cooking. A true champion of the flame, he’s grilled in backyards, pit rooms, and on competition stages across Texas and around the world.

His BBQ technique is second to none — a bold, fire-fuelled fusion of global experience and Texas tradition. Mel has cooked shoulder-to-shoulder with industry greats like 7x World champion Tuffy Stone, Big Mo Cason, the great Matt Pitman of Meat Church, picking up secrets you won’t find in any cookbook.

Whether you’re a backyard griller or a die-hard smoke enthusiast, Mel brings the kind of insider knowledge and battle-tested techniques that can transform the way you cook. Mels knowledge and experience is a rarity outside of The Lone Star State.

So what's your day ticket include

BACON BLOODY/VIRGIN MARY STARTERS on arrival or a Old Fashion made with some dam fine Bourbon

On the day you'll learn:

Learn the key principles of cooking on every type of BBQ

Hands-on fire craft—learn different fuel choices, smoke control, direct and non direct cooking methods

Learn how to master Texas Brisket- Low‘n slow -How to trim, season and cook brisket, so that it melt in the mouth 

How to cook Boston Butt Learn to trim, rub, smoke and rest for melt-in-your-mouth results.

The Brazilian classic Picanha Steak – learn what makes this cut special and how to slice, season, and reverse-sear over open flame.

It’s just a Chicken Two Ways Spatchcock & frog-style learn techniques that’ll change your chicken cooking forever.

Pickle And Side - How to perfect your cooks with pickles, sides and sauces

Grill up the finale – sweet, sticky, smoky perfection to finish 

Timing: and impress your guests -How to time your barbecues so everything is ready when you need it

All the food cooked will be for eating at the end of the day and refreshments are provided

Plus+ we will be handing out a few goodies to take home with you and evey attend will get an amazing 25% discount entry code to attend this years Smoke and Fire Festivals at Ascot 5-6th July or Maldon 16-17th Aug

COME HUNGRY !!